Until just a couple years prior, GP9s were not uncommon on local jobs in and around Waterville, Maine. Pan Am liked to keep them close to the "home" yard, and most had been sidelined or stored by the time the Holiday Season came around in late 2011. That year, however, PAR was feeling a bit festive as they put a group of GP9s on the SAPPI jobs with repainted #52 facing south for favorable light. Missing my chance the day before Christmas, I would risk the drive again on December 26th. With a successful pursuit already in hand, SAPPI-3 was led alongside Ricker Street in southern Fairfield as its engineer adds his dose of sentiment to the air.
