Luck's Counterstroke
After my less than successful results at the north Lake Eufala bridge, I was resigned to being done for the day as I pulled into NB construction traffic on US69....from here I would have to trudge to the next exit, then flip around and head back south once again through the construction zone, this time with Steam Chase traffic added in. I was toast! No more shots on the day, other than whatever detail and night shots I could pull in McAlester.
However, as I headed north, I heard on the scanner some banter between the Dispatcher and the head-end of 4014 that the Steam Special had "dropped some blocks" (which I took to mean that there was still indication on the dispatcher board even after the train had passed the corresponding location) and while the train assured things were quite intact -- given that part of the crew could just literally walk all the way back to Kenefick to verify it was still there...
Ultimately the Steam Special was told that since they had dropped 2 blocks consecutively that they would have to stop and inspect. By this time I was turned around and once again headed south. Perhaps another shot on the day was still in the cards?!? Working south, crossing over the north Lake Eufala bridge on US69 now for the third time, then over the tracks which crossed from east of the highway to west, then they broke away from the highway for a bit, but I could still see the line of yellow dotted with black at the front cooling its heels in the distance.
As the track came back alongside US69, what a spectacle! Car after car after car after....seemingly endless and ongoing...parked along the shoulder and waiting. But, I *knew* where I was going - the south Lake Eufala bridge!
I had time to stop, park, hike over to the tracks, clamber up and over so as to get onto the sun side, then setting up my video and getting it started I got as close to water's edge as I could manage (there was not much room on that side) before the train smoothly, almost gliding, made its way across the 2nd crossing of Lake Eufala, this one on the South branch of the Canadian River.
Never would have expected to hit both ends of the Lake Eufala shots in a million years!
-Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy #4014
-UP (ex-MKT) Cherokee Sub, MP U543.1
-Lake Eufala, Canadian River (South)
-Along US 69, Eufala, OK
-August 12, 2021
TT1_2659_EM_edited-1
Luck's Counterstroke
After my less than successful results at the north Lake Eufala bridge, I was resigned to being done for the day as I pulled into NB construction traffic on US69....from here I would have to trudge to the next exit, then flip around and head back south once again through the construction zone, this time with Steam Chase traffic added in. I was toast! No more shots on the day, other than whatever detail and night shots I could pull in McAlester.
However, as I headed north, I heard on the scanner some banter between the Dispatcher and the head-end of 4014 that the Steam Special had "dropped some blocks" (which I took to mean that there was still indication on the dispatcher board even after the train had passed the corresponding location) and while the train assured things were quite intact -- given that part of the crew could just literally walk all the way back to Kenefick to verify it was still there...
Ultimately the Steam Special was told that since they had dropped 2 blocks consecutively that they would have to stop and inspect. By this time I was turned around and once again headed south. Perhaps another shot on the day was still in the cards?!? Working south, crossing over the north Lake Eufala bridge on US69 now for the third time, then over the tracks which crossed from east of the highway to west, then they broke away from the highway for a bit, but I could still see the line of yellow dotted with black at the front cooling its heels in the distance.
As the track came back alongside US69, what a spectacle! Car after car after car after....seemingly endless and ongoing...parked along the shoulder and waiting. But, I *knew* where I was going - the south Lake Eufala bridge!
I had time to stop, park, hike over to the tracks, clamber up and over so as to get onto the sun side, then setting up my video and getting it started I got as close to water's edge as I could manage (there was not much room on that side) before the train smoothly, almost gliding, made its way across the 2nd crossing of Lake Eufala, this one on the South branch of the Canadian River.
Never would have expected to hit both ends of the Lake Eufala shots in a million years!
-Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy #4014
-UP (ex-MKT) Cherokee Sub, MP U543.1
-Lake Eufala, Canadian River (South)
-Along US 69, Eufala, OK
-August 12, 2021
TT1_2659_EM_edited-1