Crossing the Clark Fork

A photo of a BNSF grain train crossing the Clark Fork River
Crossing the Clark Fork

Don’t all little boys love trains?

Trains have fascinated me ever since I got my first Lionel 027-gauge train set.  That set had a locomotive painted with the colors of the Northern Pacific Railroad, the main line that crossed southern Montana.  Northern Pacific merged with the Great Northern and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy to become Burlington Northern in 1970. In 1995 Burlington Northern and Santa Fe merged creating the system marked BNSF.  As an adult, I photograph them every chance I get, such as this grain train crossing the Clark Fork.

What else, The Sales Pitch

The photograph is available from my Etsy Shop, LightIntoArt, in a wide variety of sizes and formats. Choose glossy photo paper prints in three sizes: 8×10, 11×14, 16×20. Or if you prefer something larger, choose canvas prints in 16×20, 24×36, or 30×40 inches. Finally, for a spectacular display, you can get this image in 3 panel side-by-side canvas prints at 24 x 72, 36 x 72, or 40 x 90 inches. The video below gives you an idea of what these sizes are like in a living room, bed room or office setting. 

 

Selected Wall Art Sizes

More about this photo

This is the railroad that follows the Clark Fork River through Sanders County where I live.  In the twenty-two-mile stretch between St. Regis and Paradise, the tracks cross the river five times.  Bridge #208 lies roughly midway between the two towns.  Built in 1908 by the Northern Pacific, the bridge is 543 feet long with its longest span being 150 feet.  I have photographed the bridge in the past and told my partner that I wanted to get a shot of a train crossing the bridge. 

As we were driving to St. Regis at the time, my partner pulled off the highway on the road that leads to the Forest Service’s Peninsula Campground.  This road passes under the bridge on the right bank of the river (as seen in this photo).  We explored the camping area, driving all the way to the end of the road.  As we headed back toward the highway, I screamed “STOP!”  I was about to grab my dream shot.  I saw the headlight of a locomotive coming out of the woods approaching the bridge.  What you see here is that shot, with BNSF locomotive #4127 leading a unit train hauling grain on its way west to the Seattle/Tacoma area.

If you enjoy trains as much as I do, and like wall art featuring trains, watch the short video below.  It has a selection of photos I have taken of trains in various settings.  Any of these can become wall art for your home or office.  Just ask in the comment section.

 

 

More Railroad Photos

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