Tuesday January 18, 1994 was forecast for frigid temperatures and there was a significant snowfall already on the ground. What better time to head up to the top of the Alleghenies at Cresson, Pennsylvania, to take a few train pictures? Listening to the radio on the drive up, the weatherman was warning people that the high that day would be negative 7 degrees. Pretty darn cold.
I bundled up in my warmest parka, heavy gloves and insulated boots. Remembering mistakes I’d made in the past, I made a mental note to rewind and finished rolls of film very slowly. The extremely dry air at that temperature could cause a lot of static between the film stock and the felt seal on the film canisters. I’d seen lots of “lightning bolts” on people’s film at the lab. Explaining what happened with someone’s vacation pictures to some completely clueless customer was not fun.
in the distance to the west I saw two sets of lights, so I got out and picked a spot. It was one of those days when it hurt to breath . . .
The truck’s tires were making that crunching/squeaking sound in the snow as I drove in an access road near MO Tower at Cresson. There were a few trains moving so I sat in the truck and waited for headlights. Off in the distance to the west I saw two sets of lights, so I got out and picked a spot. It was one of those days when it hurt to breath and within seconds snot-sickles formed on my mustache. I took a meter reading and aimed as the Amtrak Pennsylvanian passed a slow freight near the Black Lick Branch jump-over bridge at MO. At the same time, a helper set drifted up behind me, headed for the Cresson helper terminal.
Amtrak had a couple of extra cars on the end. The last one was a Conrail Inspection Car with some suits making a tour of the railroad. As it passed I looked in the big picture window. A few guys were in the cushy seats. The guy on the left was just lighting an enormous cigar. Look close in the picture and you can see the flame from his cigar lighter.
When he saw me out in the cold he leaned forward, took out his cigar and I could see his lips forming what I think was, “What the f***?”
Kevin Scanlon – Photographs and text Copyright 2021
What a great read as well as pictures, wish you had more for this! As someone who lives in the Northeast and has been in and worked in weather like that I can feel the cold and hear it! Never knew about winding film slowly either so many today will never know about that. I have been with my father going to work and walking from the car to the tower through snow like that i thought it was fun! he did not. I can hear him now and know what he said about “walking through this s…” taking off the old heavy rubber boots that would be filled with snow and emptying them out real good for 8 hours later we put them back on the walk back to the car when he was relieved. This brings back so much both when I was a kid as well as later on in life!
Nice ! The fly-over bridge at Cresson was always a great perch to watch the action from. I have also chased a few OCS moves in the snow and cold and have received the same looks from some of the suits looking out that big picture window. I’m sure that my sanity was brought into question. Oh well,it’s what we do !
Great photos and a great story, very well told. Thank you.
Thanks Kevin, wonderful story and I like the shots that communicate the cold so well.
Wonderful!! I love the snow and train pictures and the text written to go with the photos!! Very nice!!