Description
On the way to Elberton, GA on a late-November day - with the mission to shoot S853-26 with three Union Pacific engines - I bumped into empty coal train E904-26 in Carlton, GA as the train came around the curve and approached the downtown crossing. Turning around and rushing to Howie Siding was the immediate decision and it worked out well. There was still plenty of time returning to the main objective and catching S853 at a location in Elberton (close to Wester). I probably have never shot a train at this spot in Elberton before. The train could be chased easily. This made beautiful late-fall shots of the UP power possible in Carlton, GA and Colbert, GA.
The train stopped in Colbert, because E904 was held in Hull, GA to allow local Athens train L823 finish working. Interestingly, S853 did not enter the side track in Hull next to E904, but stayed behind on the main line, blocking crossings in the Colbert area. The final shots of these trains, one right after the other, were taken at the south end of Hull Siding.
A few days later, in early December, M583-05 went north and could be caught highballing through Colbert, GA. He offered an interesting 1+2 configuration. An ET44AH was in the lead and one of the mid-train units was a very recently rebuilt CM44AH (the other was an ES44AH GEVO).
Enjoy!