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.