Whole Lotta Orange
The Providence and Worcester Railroad is still providing their passenger train and crew for the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council's extremely popular Polar Express trains which run from Woonsocket to the North Pole (aka the Buma Funeral Home in Uxbridge!) and return. They have 32 sold out trips running this season after a covid hiatus in 2020, but all but two run at 4 PM and 7 PM meaning there is little opportunity for daylight photography. However they did schedule two 1 PM departures so I decided to get out for the first of them on Black Friday.
Alas the day turned out to be overcast with light rain and gloomy skies. Adding to the disappointment was the railroad's choice to use orange Genesee and Wyoming corporate painted units instead of the classic old school P&W red and brown units that match the train. Consequently none of these images come close to some of the great ones I captured in 2018 and 2019, but it was still enjoyable to get out along the rails of my hometown railroad only a town over from where I grew up.
Having been to the 'North Pole' the train is on its way back south with PW 3902 (GE B39-8E blt. Oct. 1987 as LMX 8502) now bringing up the rear. Some late fall leaves are still in abundance here and their warm burnt orange tones almost seem to camouflage the locomotive. This is about MP 24.5 on the mainline and the surving passenger station is right behind me.
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Friday November 26, 2021
Whole Lotta Orange
The Providence and Worcester Railroad is still providing their passenger train and crew for the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council's extremely popular Polar Express trains which run from Woonsocket to the North Pole (aka the Buma Funeral Home in Uxbridge!) and return. They have 32 sold out trips running this season after a covid hiatus in 2020, but all but two run at 4 PM and 7 PM meaning there is little opportunity for daylight photography. However they did schedule two 1 PM departures so I decided to get out for the first of them on Black Friday.
Alas the day turned out to be overcast with light rain and gloomy skies. Adding to the disappointment was the railroad's choice to use orange Genesee and Wyoming corporate painted units instead of the classic old school P&W red and brown units that match the train. Consequently none of these images come close to some of the great ones I captured in 2018 and 2019, but it was still enjoyable to get out along the rails of my hometown railroad only a town over from where I grew up.
Having been to the 'North Pole' the train is on its way back south with PW 3902 (GE B39-8E blt. Oct. 1987 as LMX 8502) now bringing up the rear. Some late fall leaves are still in abundance here and their warm burnt orange tones almost seem to camouflage the locomotive. This is about MP 24.5 on the mainline and the surving passenger station is right behind me.
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Friday November 26, 2021