Poster Art: Travelers

As I exited the tunnel from Track 3 at Los Angeles Union Station and joined the tide of humanity, the hundreds of recently freed commuters that were rushing to find their exits, I felt the pressure and the urgency that seems to be part of the daily commuting process. Making my way through the main waiting area of the terminal I passed several lines of people that seemed to consist of business travelers, family vacationers, and many others seeking to be elsewhere. They were checking in for one of the Amtrak trains soon departing Los Angeles for points beyond. It seemed a hectic and hurried sense permeated the air for us all.

Just prior to breaking free and reaching the main entrance of the station on Alameda Street, I passed a rather out-of-place scene that reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting. I initially passed it by but I eventually gave in to my urge and snapped the following photo in HDR of a group of seasoned travelers just relaxing, reading, and in no apparent hurry at all - totally contrary to the sense of hustle of the rest of the station.   

Travelers - Seasoned travelers read and relax while waiting for their train’s departure time to draw near at Los Angeles’ Union Station.
[11/4/2010 - River Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe Perry

Cajon Pass in HDR - Crossing Over Cajon Style

While seeking the sunrise shots at I wrote about it the post entitled Sleepless Summit Sojourn Seeking Sunrise (I couldn’t resist!) in Cajon Pass I caught a couple of westbounds. Those opportunities offered a backlit train and shimmering rails - a long time favorite shot of mine. 

Here is a series of photos of one westbound BNSF stack train that is crossing over at the summit crossovers from track #3 to track #2. Typically, because of the different grades on each track, trains use reverse running over a good portion of the run over the Cajon Subdivision. (Reverse running is akin to driving on the wrong side of the road - like those crazy Brits do!)

Crossing Over 1 - BNSF 5095 West rounds a curve at Summit, on BNSF’s Cajon Subdivision. It will crossover from the track #3 to track #2 at the bottom crossover.
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe Perry

Crossing Over 2 - BNSF 5095 West crosses over from the track #3 to track #2 at Summit on BNSF’s Cajon Subdivision.
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe Perry

Crossing Over 3 - BNSF 5095 West crosses over from the track #3 to track #2 at Summit on BNSF’s Cajon Subdivision.
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe Perry

Cajon Pass in HDR - Sleepless Summit Sojourn Seeking Sunrise

Back on Spetember 12, 2010, I had trouble sleeping. I laid in bed unable to get back to sleep. As I replayed a scene from Apocalyspe Now, the one where Captain Willard is laying on the bed and just staring at the ceiling fan, yeah that one. Round and round and round the blades go…

I decided to make use of my restlessness and gathered my gear together. I was going to try and catch a couple of sunrise shots. As I got dressed and packed up, I thought, “Where should I go?” After checking out the sunrise times and azimuth, I decided that the railroad summit of Cajon Pass could offer the scenery and opportunity that I sought. I made the requisite soda (I am a huge Diet Pepsi fan!) and breakfast run, I jumped on the freeway bound for Cajon Pass.

After all was said and done, the trip was fun and fruitful. Here are some of the better shots from the trip:

Cajon Summit Predawn
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe Perry

Cajon Summit Sunrise 1
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe PerryCajon Summit Sunrise 2
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe PerryCajon Summit Sunrise 3
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe PerryCajon Summit Sunrise 4
[9/12/2010 - Cajon Subdivision] © Copyright 2010, Joe Perry