Durand Union Station

I decided to head up to Durand on Sunday.  I was actually thinking of heading down to Fostoria but I like the setting at Durand a little better even though there isn't nearly the same amount of traffic.

 The train station has a little museum dedicated to the railroads in Michigan.  A good chunk of it is dedicated to the Grand Trunk Railroad but that is what passed through Durand the most.

 It's kind of nice that they still use the grand station for Amtrak here.  I kind of wish it were that way in Ann Arbor.

 The clock still ticks.

 A schedule from the Detroit and Milwaukee.

 An old typewriter and adding machine that was used in one of the railroad offices.

 A bell from one of the steam engines.

 Looking to the south.

 Not too bad of a view of the station itself.

A reflection of the train in one of the windows.

The Port Huron Train

As I was waiting for the Speer, I saw that the train was near the park I usually take pictures from.

 So I headed there and got a couple of pictures.

It didn't stay for long though.

Tracking the Grand Trunk

As I was taking pictures of the Callaway, I heard the train horn, so I decided to head over to the part of the park where I could get pictures of it.

 They were delivering a couple cars to the paper mill.  This guy was making sure the back of the train was clear. 

 I kind of liked this, reminded me of some eyes.

 Maybe Pac Man as an old man.

 Similar to the other engines that I see.

 Must be Canadian.

 A shot of the cab.

A shot as it pulls in.

Choo Choo Charlie Was an Engineer

Don't ask me why that popped in my head.

 As I was taking pictures of one of the ships, I heard the train whistle as it approached the paper mill.  I figured I needed pictures and I was hoping the train would stay around long enough to get pictures of it with my next ship.

 I think this is a daily run for the trains.  They deliver materials to the plant and pick up the empty boxcars.  At any rate, it's pretty cool to be this close to the tracks.

 It's funny, as I was taking pictures of the ship on the other side of the dock, I heard the engine say, "Get the hell out of my way".  You'd think people wouldn't argue with a monster like this but apparently they do.

 But it's kind of nice to get different angles on an engine.

 Even one that looks as beat up as this one.

 It backs into the plant one more time.

 An almost head on shot.

And one more shot.

Just a Train

 One of the nice aspects of Port Huron is that occasionally I get pictures of the train as it heads into the paper plant.  She is working her way down the tracks.

 A shot of her engine as she's about to pass.

And from the other side.

Surprised by the Train

After the St. Clair, I decided to return to my spot to catch the next ship.  I also decided to take a brief nap as it would be roughly a half hour before she appeared.  I was a little on the tired side at that point.

 After a briefer than I planned nap, I heard a noise outside my car.

 I was happy to find out that it was the train visiting the paper plant.

 I kind of like this because it gives me a chance to get angles that I don't normally get with a train.

 From the shore side.

 She was pulling out to drop off cars.

 One more stop at the plant.

 The light was just about right.

And one more shot before she leaves.

A Surprise Train

As I was taking pictures of the Algomarine, I heard the horn of the train behind me.  And then I saw it was moving towards the paper plant.  So I hopped in my car and got to a spot where I could catch some pictures of it.

I made it in time to catch it as it was passing one of the parking lots.  I don't normally get pictures of crew on a train though.  So this was pretty cool.

 The train is wearing the colors of the Grand Trunk Railroad.  However, it is owned by the Canadian National Railroad now.

 It's pretty cool catching a train from this place because I can get a little closer to it than I normally do.

 I also have the chance to get angles that I don't normally get.

 Another shot of the engine.

 These may be a little underexposed though.

An angle of the train that catches the factory.

And Yet I Still Got a Train

Originally I was planning to go to Fostoria because I was thinking I wanted to see trains.  But I decided to go for boats.

 Little did I realize, I would still see a train.

 Every so often, this train pays a visit to the paper mill to either delivery supplies or pick up products.  It actually makes for a nice picture because it is fairly unusual to see a train this close.

 I tried an angle where I had the moon in the shot.

 As it was getting light, the light was just about perfect but it made for pretty long shadows, as evidenced by mine in the picture.

 A shot of the cab.

 The long view of the train.

 This is a shot that I couldn't get in Fostoria, as the train was stopped.

 And the train started to back into the plant.

 If only there were a plane in this shot, I would have had my trifecta.

And one more shot.