I love photography, but my primary craft (the one I went to school for and have spent years of rigorous training in) is singing and performing in live theatre. For the past few months, a steady job for me in this field has been with Sunrise Theatre Company and their paid, touring Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) productions.

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A few of the venues we hit on the road are in Maryland. For the most part, during these road trips, I'd leave my car on Long Island and travel with the show's cast in the company rental van. As much as I love spending time with like-minded artists on the road, this setup drove the photographer side of me absolutely bonkers. We passed so many interesting landmarks and railroad vnntage points along the route - none of which I had the means to document. I wasn't going to slow everyone else down while spent hours of time in a photo session. But, I was supposed to be there for work, so I tried to ignore the insatiable urge to go out and shoot.

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Until now.

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In early March, I received the call from Brian (my boss) that I was needed to fill in as the King in Sunrise's TYA production of Cinderella for the rest of the month, and a road trip to Maryland was included. I couldn't handle it anymore. I of course accepted, but politely told Brian and my new cast-mates that I'd be taking my own car and bringing my camera gear!

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At around 10:00 A.M. on March 18, I hit the road and was on my way to the BWI Airport Hotel in Dorsey. The roads were relatively open and the ride was smooht. My two Maryland performances were the next morning, on March 19. You may be wondering - why leave so early in the day?

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It's because there was a location I needed to visit on the way. I crossed the border from Delaware into Maryland around 1:30, and was soon set up with my camera along the cold, breezy bank of the Susquehanna River. It is here, in the lovely town of Havre de Grace, where Amtrak's Northeast Corridor crosses overhead on an impressive, astonishingly long bridge.

 

I would spend the next few hours sitting in my car at the boat launch along the river, going over my King lines for the next day, and hopping out with my gear when I saw a train passing by. I didn't really feel the need to be outside all the time, as the sunlight was shining on the other side of the bridge, and I was shooting on the "dark side" of the train (when only the nose of the vehicle is sunlit, and not the side). The scene's light and color wouldn't be where I wanted it until around 5:30.

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This was perhaps an oversight on my end. While I was running lines in the car, a bizarre configuration of HHP-C control cars with an ACS-64 sandwiched between whizzed overhead. This was the HHP-C test train, and it was heading back to its home base in Philadelphia. It's an elusive catch - one I embarrassingly missed.

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I did my best to brush off the disappointment. The light was starting to get nice, and there was work to be done. I did my best to incorporate different aspects of the river in my photography; the birds, the boats, the rocks, and the fishermen alike. Train after train passed in golden light. There was tons of variety - MARC push-pull sets, Amtrak ACS-64 Sprinters, Legacy Acelas and NextGen Acela sets. They all have unique characteristics, but they looked equally fabulous in this impeccable lighting.

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After sunset, I drove the remaining hour to Dorsey, where I enjoyed drinks with my cast at the Stained Glass Pub, and then fell asleep in my hotel bed.

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I never sleep well during my first night on the road, so I was up bright and early the next morning, before sunrise. Since I had an early 8:00 A.M. call at Chesapeake Arts Center (just outside of Baltimore), I decided to head to the area early and photograph more Northeast Corridor trains at Halethorpe.

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It was unfortunately an overcast morning, so I didn't get much exciting color in the sky. Still, I was able to get some nice "blue hour" twilight shots of D.C. bound MARC trains passing beneath the CPL signal bridge west of the station. I even managed to capture one of MARC's elusive HHP-8s in action. The shot wasn't one of my best, but I'm still glad I got to see one.

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The two shows at Chesapeake Arts Center were successful, and around 1:30 P.M, I was back on the road. Most of the cast went straight back to Long Island, but I had other plans.  I had gotten word that the HHP-C test train was out again, and I wasn't going to mess up a second chance at it.

 

After getting out of Baltimore, I stopped at the Martin State Airport MARC station along the NEC. As a Long Islander, this barebones station comprised of wooden planks fascinated me. Travelers have to cross active right-of-way to board trains as the conductors keep watch and help them up the steps.

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Apparently, the test train was a big news story in the railfan community, as there were two other photographers already set up for the train. Within five minutes of my arrival, the HHP-Cs zipped past, and I had completed my redemption arc.

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I spent a few more hours train-watching at Martin State Airport (and saw ACS-64 "Veterans" 642 while at it) before hitting the road for New Jersey. I had decided to break up my trip home and stay with my aunt in Spring Lake, NJ along the way. I got to her house around 7:30. We enjoyed some New Jersey bar pizza and watched television until it was time for bed.

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I was once again up with the milkman the next morning - this time, bound for Princeton Junction, a true railfan Mecca. Acela trains can travel through here at speeds of up to 160mph, and it's an impressive thing to witness. The sight-lines are amazing as well, so I used my telephoto for most of the morning. As I arrived at 6:30 A.M., I just missed NJT Heritage Unit no. 4640, which was a bummer, but I caught a double-headed Cardinal and another run of ACS-64 642, so I'm not too disappointed. Perhaps my favorite photo of the day was of a woman running for her NJT train as a NextGen Acela overtakes them both. 

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Around 9:30 A.M., I hit the road for home. There was heavier traffic on the way back, but it was a Friday and that was to be expected. I'm glad I decided to bring my car and gear this time. I saw lots of amazing things I wouldn't have ever had the chance to notice otherwise.