After a late afternoon rain shower, clear skies returned to Rutland, Vt., and the sun bounced off of the raindrops on the coupler lift ring of NREX No. 4211. The roundness and softness of the rain and the glint of the sun are juxtaposed here with nicks and dings in the paint job and the tough, raw steel of the lift ring. To me, this image speaks to the brute strength this unit brings to the rails and to the roughness of railroading in general. Details like these are sometimes not apparent in wide shots, yet they tell part of the story that makes railroading fascinating. This unit and sister No. 4212 worked briefly for the VRS before being made "famous" on the SMS in the Albany, N.Y. area by fellow contributors John Sesonske and Dean Splittgerber. Taken on private property at the invitation of Vermont Railway staff.
Generally speaking, shots where less than a full engine is shown. But I want to feature details, not half engines or full cabs, and definitely not full nose shots. Just shots where someone has zoomed in with purpose.
