Waiting for the 9:55

Not every rail photo I take has a train in it. Sometimes the image is even better without.  Case in point is this shot from Fresno, California in 2009.

My friend Matt has a condo there, and I go down to visit him periodically. Since we're both interested in trains and photography, one of our "must go to" places in town is the Amtrak station. Fresno is on the busy San Joaquin route between Bakersfield and the bay area, and has 12 passenger trains a day stopping in town. The station is classic Santa Fe Railroad, California Mission style with stucco and arches and a tile roof. It has has been beautifully restored. It is well patronized, every time I've been there there has been a good sized crowd coming and going.

This particular shot was taken one night as we were waiting for the last southbound train of the day, due at 9:55 PM. It is just about train time by the clock, and the green signal on the left indicates the train is very near. If you look closely you can see Matt taking a picture of the signal. I've set my camera on the ground, to get the low angle perspective with the station lights reflecting off the shiny, well worn rails. Had to shoot from across the street to get everything I wanted in the picture. It took awhile to actually get the shot, as I had to wait for a break in the street traffic. You'd be surprised at the amount of vehicular traffic in downtown Fresno at that time of night.