Casselton, North Dakota.
On a recent trip to Casselton where the North Dakota Wing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) homes their glider, in the distance, I heard train whistles blowing the warning at road intersections as the engine drew closer. Normally, when the train passes the airport just yards from the airport border, it’s usually a Burlington Northern freight train. This time, I was surprised to see Red River Valley and Western livery on the two engines that were headed southerly. (Livery in this context means an insignia or symbol that identifies the object as it relates to an individual or corporation.)
The RRV&W line serves eastern and central North Dakota and extreme western Minnesota since 1987. They are a freight hauler and can handle other railroad based services along their right-of-way. They even have a rail car repair facility in Breckenridge, Minnesota where they can repair and inspect rail cars for federal and state regulatory compliance.
About the photo: Captured on my Samsung S20U cell phone, the image was taken in automatic mode on a sunny and clear day. The lens was set to f/3.5, shutter at 1/850 sec. and ISO set at 25. As usual, I imported it into Adobe Lightroom for cataloging and basic adjustments. The image then went to Luminar 4.3 for final adjustments. I toyed with using Luminar’s sky replacement to provide a more dynamic sky to the image but decided the completely blue sky looks fine just the way it is. In most browsers, you can click on the image to enlarge it for a closer look.
John Steiner
Flare Legend Adventures
Not specifically related to this particular train/train line, but I grew up close to a section of track of the Western Maryland Railroad. The sound of the train was and remains quite soothing to me. I suspect, though, that if I had lived much closer I probably wouldn’t have felt the same way.
I know what you mean. For over 30 years, we lived less than a quarter-mile from one of North Dakota’s busiest rail routes. At first, they were a tremendous bother, but after awhile, we hardly knew when they went by.
Are you a CAP member?
I am. Member of North Dakota Wing, former ND Wing Commander, now active in sUAS and glider programs.
I am retired NYWG member. In the past I volunteered at a few cadet glider encampments in an administrative & PA Affairs capacity. In my former squadron I wrote articles & was contributing editor of its newsletter.
Our wing is short on active PA members. Guys like you are valuable to the continued growth of the organization. Thank you for your service to CAP. If you check out my blog, you’ll find occasional CAP related posts. I’m glad you stopped by to say hello.
Thank you for sharing the story behind this beautiful shot, John!