Operation Lifesaver

Thursday, May 20, 2010 was a rainy day in Pacific MO.   St. Louis Chapter NRHS President Ron Gawedzinski had arranged for a group of railfans and friends from St. Chapter NRHS and Gateway Division NMRA to ride Union Pacific's Operation Lifesaver train from Pacific to Washington MO.  An estimate of 80 people were present and rode.  There was a group of school students that planned to be on the train for the Operation Lifesaver program, but scheduling complications caused them to cancel.

 

Despite the rain, all seemed to enjoy the ride and many cameras and camcorders were busy.  Umbrellas and rain gear were in heavy use.  The major problem the rain caused was getting good pictures through the rain drops on the dome and other car windows, but that didn't dampen the spirits, it just provided special effects.  After the return to Pacific, the train stayed a while and more photos were taken.  Ingenious methods were used to protect the cameras and camcorders from the rain and still get good pictures and video.  A special treat for those who had not seen it was UP1982, the SD60 painted in the new MoPac livery.

 

Thanks to the Union Pacific Railroad, their crews, police, and especially Ron for arranging the trip.

Pictures of the trip are available here.