http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfladung/2890582689/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfladung/2890582825/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfladung/2890583181/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfladung/2891420212/
After waiting at Hoffman for over an hour and abruptly finding out that the train was sitting over in South Saint Paul I quickly made my way across the river. I originally crossed over one of the new bridges off of Concord Avenue and saw the Challenger sitting off in the distance. I turned around and headed for Hardman Avenue and saw numerous railroad officials and a crowd building. Seeing that it was going to be next to impossible to get any kind of shot from this vantage point I went back to Concord Avenue hoping I could find some clearing in the heavy vegetation on the embankment between Concord Avenue and the track. Turns out this was a hopeless cause. As I approached a parallel location to the Challenger I could only hear it and see the front end of the unit. A couple of short blasts from the whistle and bell clanging away the train started to move backwards. I walked briskly back to my truck and once again headed for Hardman Avenue. I pulled in and parked my truck just off the road when I saw Robert Ball approaching, I greeted him, he then made a comment about elevation. With this brilliant idea I quickly repositioned my truck, and jumped up into the bed for some excellent elevation.
Shortly after the train passed I heard them asking for permission to cross the Hoffman Swing Bridge. On my way home there were still at least a dozen people standing at Hoffman hoping to catch this beautiful beast in action.
I love my truck.
