I’m fortunate to have like-minded railfan friends who were always looking for better locations to capture images. At the same time, most of us had a friendly rivalry, and we were continually looking for better vantage points to one-up, or “skunk”, each other.
On this day, a friend and I started out in southeastern Pennsylvania with CP/D&H train 700 as it found its way into Philadelphia. Train 700 was a relatively new addition to the schedule, and was a Baltimore-bound sulfuric acid train. At Philadelphia, the train was handed over to CSX, and it was resymboled as R140. The CP had been good enough to send an M636 leader, so we decided to go to the massive B&O bridge at Havre de Grace, Maryland to shoot it. Before taking my planned exposure, I panned to the right to record my friend, who had found a way to gain some elevation and better view of the bridge. I had been skunked.