Winter Engine

An engine surprised me on the little used spur of the Huron and Eastern Railroad north of Bad Axe yesterday. Here's the Learman Road crossing, one that does not have flashing lights or gates. I was headed west and saw the engine before it entered the row of evergreen trees that hides the track from view.

I know that the spur is used and I usually scan both north and south as I approach this crossing, but this engine was a bit of a surprise for me. There is a scene in the movie "Doctor Zhivago" where a train crosses the winter landscape. This encounter had a Zhivagoesque feel to it.

Now, why in the world did she take a photo, you will ask. I travel with my point-and-shoot Sony on the seat beside me. That's how I could capture an image like this from the driver side of my Chevy Volt. I can turn that camera on in a second or two. It is my ever handy companion.

As to the why of this photo, I guess it was the opportunity to catch this engine in action that made me grab for the camera.

Ephemera note: When you click on the photo and enlarge it, you will see that the engineer is facing backwards since the engine is backing into Bad Axe. The engineer's window is right above the "X" of the crossing sign.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler