Dumb luck
I've said it many times, it's better to be lucky than good. Day four was a perfect example of that.
After seeing a LAUDEN Sunday night I had seen no sign of the road trains, and with the locals in play I wasn't too concerned. I hadn't planned to stay at Kane but I found the setting perfect for photography and a good nights sleep. I woke up and watched the sun rise over the Bighorn Mountains pondering a plan to break camp and make my way up to Frannie looking for the Cody local. Nothing had passed in the night.
Shortly after sunrise I scrambled when a horn sounded to the south. Despite being ready, I watched as the train eased to a stop and doused the headlight. Closer inspection revealed a DENLAU tucked away in the siding. Almost 36 hours with no road trains and now they were meeting in morning light behind my campsite. The railfan gods were smiling upon me and not for the first time this trip.
Greed nearly got the better of me as I considered heading west to Lovell to intercept the opposition. The promise of extra sets of a train were weighed against my unfamiliarity with the area along with the one-lane road construction I had waited in the evening before. Framing up the shot at Kane quickly put to rest any hair-brained notions I had about attempting an intercept. I wasn't likely to do better than this but I would be likely to be out of position when they reached this curve.
It wasn't a long wait until LAUDEN was blowing for the nearby highway. A pair of GEs curve into Kane against the backdrop of the Pryor Mountains. I was pleased with the shot and oddly relieved that the power wasn't something really special. Had the power been something incredible I would have been really torn between my plan (go north) and instead going all the way back to the Wind River Canyon. The temptation was strong but a lot of troubling variables; how long would it take to reach Greybull, how much work would they do there, would there be another crew ready without delay, how long would it take to reach Thermopolis? In my estimation everything would have to fall into place to put this train in canyon early enough in the day. A long way of saying this would be a one and done for the LAUDEN. Besides, I had a DENLAU in hand going right way if not optimal for the morning light. August 29, 2023.
Dumb luck
I've said it many times, it's better to be lucky than good. Day four was a perfect example of that.
After seeing a LAUDEN Sunday night I had seen no sign of the road trains, and with the locals in play I wasn't too concerned. I hadn't planned to stay at Kane but I found the setting perfect for photography and a good nights sleep. I woke up and watched the sun rise over the Bighorn Mountains pondering a plan to break camp and make my way up to Frannie looking for the Cody local. Nothing had passed in the night.
Shortly after sunrise I scrambled when a horn sounded to the south. Despite being ready, I watched as the train eased to a stop and doused the headlight. Closer inspection revealed a DENLAU tucked away in the siding. Almost 36 hours with no road trains and now they were meeting in morning light behind my campsite. The railfan gods were smiling upon me and not for the first time this trip.
Greed nearly got the better of me as I considered heading west to Lovell to intercept the opposition. The promise of extra sets of a train were weighed against my unfamiliarity with the area along with the one-lane road construction I had waited in the evening before. Framing up the shot at Kane quickly put to rest any hair-brained notions I had about attempting an intercept. I wasn't likely to do better than this but I would be likely to be out of position when they reached this curve.
It wasn't a long wait until LAUDEN was blowing for the nearby highway. A pair of GEs curve into Kane against the backdrop of the Pryor Mountains. I was pleased with the shot and oddly relieved that the power wasn't something really special. Had the power been something incredible I would have been really torn between my plan (go north) and instead going all the way back to the Wind River Canyon. The temptation was strong but a lot of troubling variables; how long would it take to reach Greybull, how much work would they do there, would there be another crew ready without delay, how long would it take to reach Thermopolis? In my estimation everything would have to fall into place to put this train in canyon early enough in the day. A long way of saying this would be a one and done for the LAUDEN. Besides, I had a DENLAU in hand going right way if not optimal for the morning light. August 29, 2023.