The Mission - a photo on Flickriver

The Mission

            It's finally over. About two years into shooting up and down the former Wabash half of the NS Bloomington District, I have finally captured every single searchlight signal with a train. It's not such an easy task as it seems thanks to sporadic traffic on the line. Southbounds were easy enough to get, but northbound signals were pretty tough to deal with. NS D32 is the usual northbound but that is a midnight train, making daylight appearances to shoot incredibly rare - not helped by the fact I have work during the day! Regardless, I've collected shots of all the different searchlight configurations on the Bloomington - except for one.

Located a little ways into a wooded region of central Illinois, CP Mills' northbound signals requires would-be photographers to take a hike down the tracks, cross a short bridge, and try to make a very awkward light situation work -  northbounds are a pain to shoot in the best of conditions, and Mills being half-hidden behind trees is far from the best conditions. Crucially, ATCS coverage of Mills is nonexistent thanks to the same tree cover. With Bement being spotty as well, getting a northbound green is hard to find - usually they appear at Lodge, the north end of Mills, and it's way, way too late.

Finally, the timing worked out. After work, I checked my monitor to see a signal lined north of Lodge and a train still working Bement - this was my best shot at finally nailing the last shot I need to complete the collection! I raced to Mills and finally had the courage to cross the small bridge, then waited.

It was nearly two hours later when NS D41 finally appeared around the distant curve. Light had been fading fast, and paired with the recent haziness, conditions were getting rough. Still, despite the rough light and boring motive power, I finally got the last shot I needed of the Bloomington. What a fine way to spend an evening.

Not to say I'm done shooting this line, but things may not be so easy in the future thanks to recent developments...

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Taken in: United States / Illinois / Sangamon Township / Lodge (show map)

Taken on: June 7, 2023

Tags:

trains

railroad

railways

rail

railroad signal

searchlight

NS7014

SD60E

EMD

norfolk southern

NSBloomingtonDistrict

D41

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Sets appears in: • 2023 • Vintage Signals more » • NS Bloomington District • Illinois « less

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Camera: Canon EOS 80D, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, 56mm, ISO 250 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 80D
Lens:	EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	56mm
ISO:	250
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 2022 Windows
Show full info

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