In March of 2012, I found out that the Union Pacific 844 was going on another trip, this time however, it would not be coming through Colorado. Instead, it would be heading across Wyoming, into Nebraska, and so on. It just so happened that it was to leave Cheyenne on my 24th birthday and it was my wish that we go and chase it. My mother had to work and was unable to go but Reesa, Josh, Ed, Milissa, Carrie, Dad and I all clambered into the "D" and headed North. We spent the night in Cheyenne because the train was leaving at 7 am the next morning. I didn't really sleep the night before and couldn't wait to get going. Because this train is so powerful and fast, we usually need a head start and we found a perfect spot on a bridge just outside of Cheyenne. Since it was March, we didn't account for it to be so chilly in the morning and nearly froze waiting for the train. She didn't leave on time and we patiently waited for close to forty five minutes. Josh had gone below the bridge by the tracks, Ed was on the other side of the bridge, Reesa and I stood on the side of the hill by the bridge while Carrie, Dad, and Milissa stood on the bridge. Mind you there are other people near us and we all have our gear with us, camera's etc. Milissa was sitting on the guard rail waiting for the train, fiddling with her camera, when a cop car pulled up. Apparently someone thought there were jumpers on the bridge and police were called out to inspect. Another one of those moments. She explained we were waiting on the train and he left to visit another bridge where more photographers were waiting. Why on Earth would we go to a bridge with cameras and jump? The bridge wasn't that high and would only cause bodily injury, nothing more. The chase was starting out crazy already. We finally heard her coming down the tracks, but were disappointed to see just how slow she was going. Was she going to be like this all day?
She started to pick up, but not like we had seen her in November. There were many people on the road and our favorite train chaser was there. Thankfully though, there weren't as many people and it made our stops easier. I was really thankful that the tracks ran parallel to the road and we were able to get more shots. The weather was cooperating too and things looked good. You know, however, that not everything goes according to plan.
At one of the stops in Wyoming, we found ourself in a heavily train traffic area. Earlier, a diesel had come through and the rails banked a little bit. We were just a tad bit close and figured we should probably back up when the 844 came through. It just so happened that a group of high school students had come out to watch the train go by. This was all fine and dandy except that they decided to congregate pretty close to the tracks. They also thought it would be fun to stand on the tracks or zigzag across them. I'm all for getting a shot, but I'm not that dumb to play on train tracks, especially those that are busy. As the 844 approached, several students decided to stand closer to the tracks and it wasn't until she was upon them did they realize just how close they were. I think she taught them a valuable lesson. I hope that is.
She made a whistle stop in one of the towns and as we were waiting, a few diesel trains went by. It is always interesting to listen to the communications going on between the main line and side lines. You have to learn the lingo if you really want to figure out what is going on. It just so happened that when the 844 was getting ready to leave, a Union Pacific diesel came through at the same time. They passed each other a little ways down the line but we got to see the front of the 844 next to the rear of the diesel. It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
This was one of the last shots with sunshine we were able to get. We were headed into a storm and all we could think about was the last time we chased her. The clouds gathered and it started to storm. I had a plastic pouch I put over my camera, so I stood outside getting drenched waiting for the train. I've got to remember to bring an extra pair of socks. My feet can't handle this wet thing. While riding next to the train, the window halfway down, my phone starts to ring. Now since it's my birthday I figure it's just somebody else calling me to wish me happy birthday. Upon answering it, I got a pleasant surprise. A few weeks before, I had entered into a juried photography show featured at our library. Since I'm a train snob, I entered in three photos of trains, one just happened to be the 844. Those that had been accepted were to be called the week before. I had received no such call. The lady addressed herself from the library and announced that not one but all three had been accepted. I couldn't believe it. As if the 844 was reading my thoughts, she let out a huge whistle in approval (well in my mind it was an approval); the lady on the phone stopped talking because the whistle was that loud. I couldn't help but laugh. There was no denying that I was a train chaser. I was pretty much on "Cloud 9" after that and could hardly contain my excitement. I was wet and cold, but couldn't have been happier. It was a pretty brilliant birthday gift.
This last photo was our last stop. The rain had somewhat subsided, but the rails were still wet. While she was heading out, her drivers slipped on the wheels and Josh was able to get some footage of that. It was pretty crazy listening to her slip along the tracks.
This adventure turned out to be pretty successful and although nothing hectic or crazy went down, it was still a blast. Some of our other trips are not so successful, but you're just going to have to wait for that one.
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