I've never been a sit at a junction all day and watch what goes by type of guy, almost always preferring to find something interesting and chase it. One exception to that rule was the old Inland Steel pedestrian bridge in East Chicago... I could spend hours on end watching stuff go by here - whether it was mill movements, mainline action on the NS, or even the occasional branch line action on the CN. One such instance is seen here. Somehow, an L512 crew managed to run out of time in South Chicago, and the train had been rescued and taken back east by an evening yard job at sunset. Behind, the ever-present westbound stack train moves swiftly toward Chicago on the old CR.
Driving by it last week revealed that the bridge has since been condemned and sealed off altogether by the state, likely to be demolished in due time.
All just memories now.
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On 136th Street in Blue Island, the scene sets itself at North Harvey Junction. No effort really needed. Many of the trains through here are cool too.
On this October 2021 Saturday, a Y210 crew out of Barr Yard is in the process of tripling their delivery for the Indiana Harbor Belt, just over a mile away. The train is on the CSX Chicago Heights branch, and will remain on it for another half mile before making an eastbound turn onto IHB rails.
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I've long revered the Michigan City coal trains on the South Shore - they might just be my favorite things they run. There's just something so amusing seeing big run thru power under wires, gliding up and down the Roller Coaster Railroad. One such empty westbound example is dropping down to ground level in Hammond, behind a Union Pacific AC44. These trains are, like most, best taken in on weekends under warm and sunny summer evenings. This night was just that.
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An overzealous railroad cop kicked me off of the Kennedy Avenue bridge today, apparently it's "illegal to stop or stand on a bridge in the state of Indiana" - yes those were the actual words spoken. That got me thinking this evening, of the 100s of times I've stood on that very bridge to photograph trains in the last decade without any issue.
On one such dark and gloomy occasion we catch the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad heading east with an old Canadian Pacific SD40-2 that has since been retired. The mood was unreal this day... and the 5597 fit in perfectly!
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This past weekend, we were all off of work on Friday, so I got to spend all three days photographing jets at the Chicago Air Show. I'm still not terribly acquainted with aviation photography, and shooting jets is a TOTALLY different ballgame than trains - obviously.
The Navy Blue Angels never fail to put on a good show... and this weekend was no exception! What I do love, is that unlike trains, airshows fill everyone watching with happiness and excitement. Looking around at tens of thousands of eyes all locked on the same thing with ear to ear smiles reminded me that there are still little moments of collective happiness in today's brutally hostile society.
What I've also learned to appreciate are the immense amounts of freedom these aerial beasts represent. I don't mean national freedom, but mental freedom. Looking up and watching these things soar up and down thousands of feet in a matter of seconds is so gratifying from the ground, and I'm sure infinitely moreso in the air. The deeper freedom that's part of what life's all about, what I hunt for every day.
I thought this photo of Angel 5 and 6 soaring up into the clouds exemplified that sentiment a bit.
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