Subdued lighting, dramatic curve, bright light and a red unit on point. Looks like a great shot to me!
There's the difference between railfans and the rest of the people on the road: when we're "stuck" at a level crossing by a train, we pull out our cameras, instead of getting our shorts in a knot (unless we either have camera problems or worse, no camera).
I'll bet a lot of us have odd routes to get to where we want to be. My route to the grocery store takes me to a more distant store and down a bumpy road so that I can read NS's signals. Why would I instead choose an easy drive close to home when I might miss a train?
Driving that extra block or two and seeing a green signal is always exciting!! Then it may take even longer 'cause you have to stopo to watch it or video it or . . . .
I'm always disappointed when I cross the CSX (ex-L&N NO&M Division) tracks and see a yellow board, Oh Rats, Nobody in the next two blocks, east or west. Then I remember when the Meridian Speedway opened and we went from 20+/- trains a day to maybe three or four.
I like the second photo. Interesting angle and closeup of the cab of 4742. Good lighting angle too, bringing out the details.
In the era before Precision Scheduled Railroading, the nearby SAL main saw two long daylight manifests each day, plus a healthy local. The nearby NS saw four trains each day, two in daylight and two at night, plus a local. Both lines are now a sad sight for fans, with only a pair of puny locals to be seen in daylight. (NS runs two manifests at night.)
On my way home from chasing CP 681, I stopped by Oelwein and the Hub City Railroad Museum to get a quick snapshot of CGW 116-A by the Yardmaster’s Tower. January 13, 2021 Most people get drunk, others want sex but as for me, I go Railfanning.
Is that a locomotive cab on the flat car behind 116-A? The visible window has the right shape, and the roof curve too. Looks like it's from a switcher or a round-roof road-switcher.