The Zephyr Rocket
publication the most complete history of the train. Available direct or from your favorite dealer.
The often overlooked Zephyr Rocket passenger train is the subject of this lav- ishly illustrated 166 page publication - with maps, photos, graphics, along with Pullman financials and reproduc- tions of the dining car menus. Station track plans of St. Paul and Minneapolis and newly drawn pas- senger car plans highlight this issue. Maps of the Quincy and Burlington operations and foldouts make this
Price: $40 plus $5 postage TRRA Historical and
Technical Society, Inc. P.O. Box 1688, St. Louis, MO 63188-1688 (314) 535-3101 (evenings)
trra-hts.railfan.net
VIA Rail Canada’s Tweedsmuir Park brings up the markers at Howards Siding on the rear of Amtrak’s Adirondack on November 26, 2012 (opposite). A few minutes later the northbound and southbound Adirondacks met in the siding (above). The Evangeline Park is at the rear of the southbound Budd-built stainless trainset (below).
mediately pushed all those thoughts aside and headed out the door. Four hours later, I arrived in Fort Ed-
ward, N.Y. I scouted out my first photo loca- tion, tiny Rogers Island in the middle of the Hudson River (inspired by photographer Gary Knapp). I planned to capture the dome-obs on the deck girder bridge, then try to get the going away shot from Fort Edward station. When I arrived, I was pleased to find the sun shining (and in my favor), so I pulled out my camera equipment and waited. Since the weather was unpredictable at best, I de- cided I would save my Canon film body for sunny shots, and a borrowed Nikon digital for the more challenging conditions. Over the next half-hour I watched the sun duck in and out of fast-moving clouds, making me more anxious by the minute. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard “Am- trak 69” calling the D&H North End Dis- patcher to let him know he was close by. The sun was changing by the second, but I held
my ground as the train came into view… Following the usual Amtrak Genesis was a solid matched set of stainless steel Budd passenger equipment! The best was yet to come… Bringing up the markers was dome- observation Tweedsmuir Park, complete with a purple VIA drumhead on the rear. Wow! As quickly as the scene came together, the train had already disappeared around the bend for its station stop. By the time I had scrambled out of Rogers Island, the ra- dio crackled, “Highball, 69.” The Adirondack had already departed, and I watched the sil- ver obs hastily retreat into the distance as I crossed East Street.
I decided my next photo opportunity
would be at Whitehall, but first I had to en- dure a maddening 30 m.p.h. speed limit through the city limits of Fort Edward on U.S. 4. Once outside of town, I got stuck be- hind a loaded logging truck (common in the North Country). Amazingly enough, I beat the train to Whitehall. If I had any thoughts
THREE PHOTOS: OTTO M. VONDRAK
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