The first ding is always the hardest...

The first ding is always the hardest...

…whether it befalls a shiny new car…or a shiny new locomotive…

Amtrak ACS-64 No. 605 Sprinter-class electric locomotive looks like she’ll be happier after
a trip to the body shop to take out that unfortunate ding in her otherwise smoothly contoured face.

Nonetheless, she will not allow that cosmetic imperfection to interfere with her high speed transport of this Northeast Regional train she’s leading out of Baltimore Penn Station on this late afternoon…that is, once she negotiates the tightly curving Baltimore and Potomac tunnel (*) she’ll enter shortly on the first stage of her journey to Washington.

The train is passing under the colorful Howard Street bridge, one of several that carry north-south vehicular traffic over the railroad canyon. The green trestle below and just beyond carries the tracks of the Penn Station spur (**) of Baltimore’s Light Rail system.

©2017 Steve Ember
(*)