So the Union Pacific 4014 “Big Boy” Eastern tour schedule is …

Well, I now have confirmation of what will happen with the Union Pacific 4014 “Big Boy” train as it crosses the Eastern time zone.

And … well, here’s the New York stretch of this trip.

So what am I looking at here?

Well, there’s plenty of opportunities to photograph this monster steam engine as it passes through the Empire State.

However … after much consideration, I’m going to nix photographing the train at Letchworth State Park. And as much as I still think it would create a killer photo … a guaranteed Competition Season ribbon-claimer …

There’s some serious logistics that will work against me on this.

The train would pass from Buffalo to Hornell on Thursday. That’s Western New York. I live in Eastern New York. And I have a trivia hosting event that Wednesday night that I really don’t want to cancel or switch out.

So if I host that event … then for me to drive all night and get to Letchworth by, oh, let’s say 6:00 in the morning … pay the park access fee … hope nobody closer to Letchworth has camped there overnight … then jockey for position with 5,000 other railfans … and deal with at least 100 different drone photographers …

Trust me, I’ve done enough train chases with the CPKC Holiday Train to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.

But I want to capture this train on film and on digital and on any other possible medium.

Thus begins a different plan.

The train has to travel from Buffalo to Hornell on that Thursday, then it goes from Sayre PA to Binghamton that Friday. And on Saturday, I’m at Hamilton College to host an alumni lecture on the 85th anniversary of WHCL-FM.

So theoretically, I could drive from Western NY to the Southern Tier and then up to the Mohawk Valley. This I could do. And just completely skip Letchworth and photograph Union Pacific 4014 at other locales.

According to reports, the train has to travel on the Norfolk Southern’s “Southern Tier” line. So as long as I find small towns and cities along that route … park my car in a safe spot … set up for the shot … get it … then travel to a different locale while the train is parked for a display stop somewhere …

I could theoretically get two or three swank train shots that would still work well for my needs.

But as for Letchworth State Park … I’m reluctantly going to skip that option.

I’d rather have the logistics work in my favor … than work against me.

And if I only get one shot to capture this train in motion across New York …

I don’t feel like wasting that shot. Or shots.