F units and sucker holes for lunch (Derby Train)

[E.M. Bell]

Thanks to the copious amounts of information about this years OCS move to Louisville for the Derby (Via Chicago, Muncie and Cincinnati), I decided to take my camera to work yesterday (Thursday 04/26/12) with a good working plan of being able to get out after work and shoot the train a few times. As luck would have it, they wound running more than 2 hours earlier than expected out of Cincinnati, and that was almost a bad thing for me.

After hearing that the train was already past Georgetown KY a little before 1300, I started calculating running times in my head (and where I could find some decent light for a Westbound that time of day). I fired up ATCS on my phone and watched for them to make the right hand turn at the wye in Danville, and for them to get by Harrodsburg....figuring it would be about an hour for them to make Waddy from that point. Waddy was going to be my best bet for any chance of good light (IF there was any sun...it was pretty cloudy and dark). I decided to take a late lunch at that point (unusual in itself, as I never take a lunch break for the most part), left the office and made a mighty quick trip up the interstate to Waddy.

My calculations where spot on, and I got to the East end of Waddy as the train came by the Avenstoke detector, about 3 miles away. Thanks to the fact the train was moving failry slow on the "East slope" of Waddy Hill, I got ahead of them after shooting at the East end manged to beat them to the West end.  From the time I left work to the time I got back was a total of 45 minutes, shooting the train twice within 2 miles, and a nice sucker hole in the clouds both times...Not a bad lunch at all!

As a side-note, this is the first time in several years that the OCS has been occupied on the way to Louisville for the Derby. For the past 10 or 12 years, this move has always been a deadhead.

Here are 4 keepers from my F unit lunch. As always, larger versions can be found at this link.  http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/gallery/ocs12

Westbound OCS 952 at East Waddy, KY 04/26/12




And again near the West End of Waddy, just after they met Eastbound 223.




And here is a shot to prove that no matter how important you are, you can enjoy the virtues of the famous "Red Solo Cup"...Wick and the boys seem to have plenty of them sitting around back there!

[csx6900]

Looks like Wick just found out his cat died! 

Great pictures, EM.  I enjoyed them greatly, as always!

-Evan

[Ptrainman]

Nice shots E.M. And Wick does not look happy at all. Maybe he does not like his picture taken.


Paul

[Badhorse79]

Maybe he found out his Horse isn't in the race... awesome shot EM

[E.M. Bell]

The feller in the red shirt must have just broke some bad news to him...I can hear wick now..."No No No, I told you I wanted 19 copies of Andy Fletcher's heritage unit POSTER....not 19 heritage units" 

As a sidebar, I wrote up a small piece for the new and improved Easter Rail News, which is an online publication that is to debut in a month or so. I will be taking over the duties of "Contributing Editor" for the Appalachia region, and this was my first article (if you want to call it that).  When Kevin gets everything up and running, it should be a neat thing.

My little blurb there can be found at this link, if you care to look and point fingers and laugh (When it comes to writing, I am no Flanery!)   http://www.easternrailroadnews.com/2012/04/28/kentucky-derby-time-means-passenger-specials-time/