The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind as I have helped Aaron put the finishing touches on GorgeRail and I chased steam across Washington and Oregon. To top that off I write this on the eve of another 3 day chase as I follow the double header south from Tacoma and the 844 east to LaGrande. Two steam trips in 3 weeks plus a railfan photography presentation, what a blast!
As with most things railroad certain aspects just never run on time. The UP 844 was scheduled to leave The Dalles at 8am. They opened the switch onto main 2 around 7:40. After putting their train together and performing an appropriate air test, they pulled down to Crates arriving at 8:25. At 8:20 the sun went behind a cloud and stayed there even as the 844 headed west around 9:30 after waiting for an eastbound.
The farther west I travelled I could see the weather was not going to improve. By 5:30pm when the doubleheader passed through Stielacoom it was quite dark. Check out the fans hanging out of the train. At this point I chose not to fight the railfan mobs in Tacoma and headed home.
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