| The only reason to post this shot is that it's from the first roll of film and the first day I ever shot a picture of a railroad subject. The camera was the ultimate simple, point-and-shoot of its day, a Kodak 126 Instamatic with its drop-in film cartridge and practically no exposure control. The train is NP's no.13, which met the Mainstreeter in Fargo ND and then ran north across the wilds of Minnesota and North Dakota to Winnipeg Manitoba. The temp is near zero and the location is the tiny farm town of Mekinock ND, roughly 14 miles west of Grand Forks. Budd RDC B32, a former WP Zephyrette, has the job today. The train will last only until the spring of 1969; the Budd car would end up with Amtrak. The tracks were pulled up by BN in 1983. |