Barges and trains at lunchtime

Today was a surprisingly nice day so headed for a walk at lunch time. Had seen a partially loaded barge so went and got a shot of that.

Then heard the sounds of a train and realized that the freight train was switching nearby.

Most train photographs from Moosonee show the Polar Bear Express but there are also two weekly freight trains (Tuesdays and Fridays). They bring cargo and also do switching on the tracks on Ferguson Road (oil tanks), Revillon Road (barge docks for cargo heading up north), the Moosonee Airport and loading platforms for commercial vehicles on Airport Road.

Well, I was on foot as almost always so not a lot of speed. But managed to get one shot of the locomotive on Ferguson and a few more when it crossed Airport Road and Bay Road. Much of the time I was shooting into the sun which didn't help things. When doing that you have to decide what to expose for:  the overall scene or the train (which will be dark if you expose for the overall backlit scene).

The freight train headed out towards the airport. One shot I have not been able to manage is one of a train crossing the bridge over Butler Creek just before the airport and today was not going to be my lucky day.

Still, it was a much better walk than I expected when I set out.

(Full size images located at
http://www.paullantz.com/ )