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| "The little train went rousing on so fast it seemed to fly"...lyrics from the song, The Little Engine That Could |
One of the most graceful locomotives in American history, #949. is now traveling as part of the "UP 150 Express Tour" to celebrate Union Pacific's 150 Anniversary.
It was scheduled to make a 15 minute "whistle stop" on Sunday, in our small town.
Luckily I arrived early, giving me time to decide where I would stand to get the best position to photograph.
I decided to move behind the fence line to get closer to the tracks. I wanted to photograph the engine from a distance, followed by closer shots as he approached. Then, one photograph as #949 was leaving town.
First, I heard the whistle.....then, I saw the lights of the train in the distance.
People hurriedly tried to get out of their cars and trucks...he was early by 20 minutes!
The locomotive blew the whistle again, "Toot, Toot"
And then, it became apparent. His speed was too fast. My camera couldn't reset quickly enough. I tried snapping another shot.
Sad to say, it was over in less than a couple of minutes.
The locomotive wasn't slowing down! He didn't STOP! People were still trying to get to the tracks.
We are a small community of about 2,500 people. The train was scheduled to stop at 11am, on Sunday morning, when most of us are in church. About 150 people, including children, were waiting for #949's arrival. Now they were in a state of confusion.
"What happened?" Maybe there is another train arriving later?" How could he not have stopped?" These were the questions I heard from the folks in our town. We were all in disbelief and very disappointed.
A town, about 30 minutes away, did get their scheduled whistle stop and posted this YouTube.
Choo, choo, choo, choo,
I feel so good today
Oh hear the track
Oh clickety clack
I'll go my merry way
Meggie Mac
It was strange he didn't stop but you at least got som pictures. It looks like a very special train. Have a nice start of the week.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Elna
Hello Elna...I did e-mail Union Pacific to let them know we were expecting the stop....and we were on their published schedule for a whistle stop!
DeleteMy husband loves trains to the point of wanting to take them instead of flying! He would have loved seeing this one. Happy Day;-D
ReplyDeleteHello Susan...I'm in agreement with your husband. I have traveled to the Pacific coast and the Atlantic coast via train. It is a wonderful way to travel, especially when you have a room, complete with bathroom.
DeleteGlad you were able to get some pictures-too bad they won't be coming to our neck of the woods-the Permian Basin. The regular UP trains are through here all of the time though-we can often hear the whistle and wheels rumbling at our house, even though we are several miles away from the track. I'm new to your blog and I'm enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteHello Jan...I'm so glad you signed on to the blog. I'll take some time this evening and look at your blog. It was a real surprise when #949 didn't stop. I was too close to the tracks for comfort. But, it happened so quickly, I really didn't have much time to think.
DeleteWell at least you got a couple good pics. Does seem odd if he was early even but he did not stop as promised.How sad and frustrating for your small town.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Lola
Hello Lola...I just read your post from yesterday. Beautiful flowers. Thanks for posting the bearded iris. They don't do well where I live. But, I can grow Louisiana Irises. I wonder what the train engineer and his passengers thought as they flew by us all standing out by the RR crossing. I did e-mail Union Pacific....
DeleteMy children can never understand my need to be early for things - this is a perfect illustration of why! You still managed to get some nice shots - and I love the fast-paced way you put it all together. "Toot, Toot" Clickety clack!
ReplyDeleteHello my friend...You are so right...if I hadn't been diligent about looking for a good spot, I would have been sitting in my truck! Elaine, you can't imagine the force I felt as #949 sped by me. I really was too close for comfort.
DeleteHow disappointing for everyone. You still managed to get some great photos though. You're braver than me. When I used to get the train to uni every day I always stood well back from the edge of the platform - I was afraid of being sucked under.
ReplyDeleteHello Scarlet....If I had known it wasn't stopping, I wouldn't have that close. It was a real surprise....I could feel power of the train as it flew by me.
DeleteOh poor thing, what a great disappointment Meggie! I do love trains though especially the old steam trains, you dont get many nowadays of course but here there are some old railways that run those sort of trains on a weekend!
ReplyDeleteHello Anne...The old ones are great to look at. I must say, here in America, we have preserved quite a few of the depots. They are also fun to photograph...
DeleteThis is a post, Meggie, I will show tomorrow to the kids: they all love trains. This locomotive is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rachel....I hope you can open the youtube! There is a lot of history to the Union Pacific link in the first paragraph.
DeleteMy hubby likes trains too. Shame it didn't stop but you got some 'action' shots. Suzy x
ReplyDeleteI love them too, Suzy. I have traveled to the west to California and all the way to the east to New York City several times on the train. It is so wonderful and relaxing. I have my meals served to me in the room and play catch up with my sleep.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky on the photos...I was thinking about today's post and that is why I crossed over, closer to the tracks.
That's a beautiful train and great photos! Too bad they didn't stop, what a bummer.
ReplyDeleteCool shots, Meggie! I just commented on another blog that had a train photo how you don't see train shots very often and here you are with these. Really nice!
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