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Shhh... Be vewy qwiet I'm hunting Twains... Memorial day weekend


Elmer Fudd might well be heard to say that if he were ever to give up the futile chase of Bugs Bunny and take up Trainspotting.
When you think about it trainspotting/railfanning is not unlike hunting. Don't laugh. I'm serious. Both of us go out with the aim of catching something wether it be with a camera or a gun. Both have all kinds of devices to aid them in their quest. We have the scanner to enable us to hear when something is on the way. Hunters have calls and decoys to lure their prey to them. We both set up where we expect our prey will be. Our location is obvious, lineside. The hunter looks for tracks of a different kind and sets up accordingly.
Of course silence is not a necessary virtue for the railfan we're hardly going to scare off  a pair of C-44's and a mile long coal train. But we, like the hunter we still have to be patient. Here I am lineside somewhere off Hwy 210 between Deerwood and Aitkin. The scanner is silent I know trains come this way I just have to be patient. I'm waiting for a sound that will tell me my prey is on its way.
There it is! fairly distant yet but a train nonetheless.  I set up the camera get the angle right and get the train in my sights. My  patience is rewarded #9975 an SD70-MAC. Well worth the wait on a long train of empty coal hoppers. A bit faded but an SD is better than a C-44. The train had a surprise in store...
BN 9975
As bringing up the rear, yet another SD70. #8894. Superb. I have to admit to being really pleased with that. Ninety odd minutes of patience rewarded.
BN 8894
That was the Saturday of Memorial day weekend. Bolstered by this success and more great weather on the Sunday I ended up lineside just outside Aitkin. Once again things were quiet and I had to be patient as there wasn't a mutter from the scanner at all. Almost 2 hours passed the beautiful blue sky was replaced by clouds. I'd just said to myself. "Fifteen more minutes" and there it was another distant horn! Brilliant! I set up framed the shot and look what I got 2 Warbonnet SD's 8320 and 8251 sandwiching CEFX no 1017. Warbonnets do look a bit out of place in rural Northern Minnesota. That what makes the picture worthwhile. Great stuff!!!
BN 8251
BN8251
There you go two days, one train each day. But two very rewarding days. You can't tell me this isn't like hunting...