My 2024 CPKC Holiday Train Chase: Albany in the Morning

Day 3 of my Holiday Train chase. And I have to get up early. Rise and shine.

This will be a tricky part of the train chase, in that I can’t be sure that my timing will be accurate.

And in the end, it wasn’t … until it was.

I shall explain.

The Holiday Train has to back its way down from the north country, and park in Albany’s Kenwood Yard. Then, it will pull forward in the afternoon to its scheduled concert stop in Menands.

So here’s what I plan to do.

The train has to cross the Cohoes-Waterford Bridge. All I need to do is get there, set up my gear, and I’ll get the killer photo of the train crossing the bridge just as the sun rises.

I checked my previous blog post from 2019. The train should arrive at the Cohoes-Waterford Bridge at about 8:15. Which means, if I get there at 7:00 a.m., I’ll have plenty of time to park, set up, and get the shots.

I crossed the Cohoes-Waterford Bridge at 7:00 a.m. – just in time to see the CPKC Holiday Train already on the bridge. Unless I jump out of the car – in moving traffic – to get the shot … it ain’t happening.

Nuts. I’ll just have to save this image for the 2025 train chase.

But wait … I have an idea.

The train still has to get to Kenwood Yard. Which means … it has to pass a few locations on the way.

And if I get there before the train does … now that I know the train is on its way to the spots …

There are moments when Chuck Miller is the safest driver on the highway. This morning is NOT one of those moments.

I drifted a U-turn and hopped back on I-787, gunning it like the cops were chasing me. Thankfully, the cops WEREN’T chasing me, or we’d have a different type of blog post to write.

I have an idea. There’s an old field next to the former Montgomery Ward building (now an office complex called Riverview Center). I can park there, walk down around some weeds and growth … and if I play my cards right …

I’ve got the sun in my face. Sunrise. Maybe I can make this work.

A few minutes later …

Look what arrived.

Caught it right with the sunrise. Fist pump.

Okay, time to go home and rest.

Hell no. If I can catch this train at this spot on its trip to Kenwood Yard …

Let’s see if I can go 2-for-2.

There’s a railroad crossing in Albany’s Warehouse District; it’s adjacent to the best fried-egg-sandwich place downtown, a little food truck called Eggy’s Place. Two fried eggs, four slabs of bacon, cheese, salt and pepper to taste, all on a buttered, grilled Kaiser roll. Tasty.

But Eggy’s is only open during warm weather; so his parking lot is wide open for little old me to park.

And just as I pulled into the parking lot … the railroad crossing signs started flashing.

Grab the camera, Chuck, and haul ass to the crossing.

Got there just as the gates went down.

And sure enough … CPKC 2249 came chug chug chugging along.

And I caught it. Just in time.

I’m not sure if you can tell …

But I’m having fun. Serious fun. Incredible fun.

And my photo journey isn’t over yet.

Not by a mile.