mikep758
Back to winter
After spending a week in Florida with temperatures in the low 80's, it was quite the contrast early Saturday morning as I made the painfully slow 6.5 hour drive north on icy and snow covered roads. The Presque Isle area has been getting hit hard with snow this winter. According to the National Weather service January checked in with 59.8 inches, breaking the record for January snow. Milepost 6 on the former Bangor & Aroostook Fort Fairfield Branch lies in the middle of a potato field and is known as the worst spot for drifting on what's left of the BAR. For most of the winter a Pettibone was able to keep the area passable, but recent storms proved too much. In order to continue operating trains the Maine Northern Railway operated their Jordan Spreader north from Squa Pan over to Presque Isle on the Presque Isle Subdivision then north on the Fort Fairfield Subdvision from Presque Isle to Fairmount Siding. I've always been jealous of photographers in the upper midwest shooting plows, spreaders and rotaries in deep drifts. In recent years I've kept MP6 in my mind as my best opportunity to someday shoot a train in a "real" drift. In this shot they are making their first of several passes as a snow squall starts. Pushing the ex CP spreader is GMTX GP38-2 #2645 and NBSR GP38-2 #2319.
Easton, Maine
February 16, 2019
Back to winter
After spending a week in Florida with temperatures in the low 80's, it was quite the contrast early Saturday morning as I made the painfully slow 6.5 hour drive north on icy and snow covered roads. The Presque Isle area has been getting hit hard with snow this winter. According to the National Weather service January checked in with 59.8 inches, breaking the record for January snow. Milepost 6 on the former Bangor & Aroostook Fort Fairfield Branch lies in the middle of a potato field and is known as the worst spot for drifting on what's left of the BAR. For most of the winter a Pettibone was able to keep the area passable, but recent storms proved too much. In order to continue operating trains the Maine Northern Railway operated their Jordan Spreader north from Squa Pan over to Presque Isle on the Presque Isle Subdivision then north on the Fort Fairfield Subdvision from Presque Isle to Fairmount Siding. I've always been jealous of photographers in the upper midwest shooting plows, spreaders and rotaries in deep drifts. In recent years I've kept MP6 in my mind as my best opportunity to someday shoot a train in a "real" drift. In this shot they are making their first of several passes as a snow squall starts. Pushing the ex CP spreader is GMTX GP38-2 #2645 and NBSR GP38-2 #2319.
Easton, Maine
February 16, 2019