Allston train yard, October 2, 2008. I drive by this view a couple of times a week and dream about getting a great shot of this train yard with the Boston skyline and converging tracks. The problem is the chain link fence that spans the overpass, complete with a security canopy. I have fantasized renting a ladder and setting it up on the sidewalk, which would position me and my camera high above the fence (but maybe I'd get arrested), or maybe even standing on the roof of my car (yup, definitely would get arrested). I have snooped around in the yard and climbed up the watchtower, and have also scrambled around an embankment on the edge of Cambridge Street, but nothing offers the view that is enjoyed from the overpass; it is exactly the right height, angle, and position.

Today, while out on a bike ride, riding over the overpass, it dawned on me that perhaps the small size of the lens on my ever-present G9 would fit within the links. It worked, for the most part, but I was somewhat constricted by the angle of the fence. Nevertheless, this is not so far from the image I've imagined.

The exciting part was, as I stood on the overpass, a freight train - seen on the lower left of the photo - rumbled through; I could feel the raw power directly beneath my feet. Can you tell? I love trains.

Sometimes, when the wind is just right, I can hear the train whistles from this yard all the way over in Coolidge Corner.

Allston train yard, October 2, 2008. I drive by this view a couple of times a week and dream about getting a great shot of this train yard with the Boston skyline and converging tracks. The problem is the chain link fence that spans the overpass, complete with a security canopy. I have fantasized renting a ladder and setting it up on the sidewalk, which would position me and my camera high above the fence (but maybe I'd get arrested), or maybe even standing on the roof of my car (yup, definitely would get arrested). I have snooped around in the yard and climbed up the watchtower, and have also scrambled around an embankment on the edge of Cambridge Street, but nothing offers the view that is enjoyed from the overpass; it is exactly the right height, angle, and position.

Today, while out on a bike ride, riding over the overpass, it dawned on me that perhaps the small size of the lens on my ever-present G9 would fit within the links. It worked, for the most part, but I was somewhat constricted by the angle of the fence. Nevertheless, this is not so far from the image I've imagined.

The exciting part was, as I stood on the overpass, a freight train - seen on the lower left of the photo - rumbled through; I could feel the raw power directly beneath my feet. Can you tell? I love trains.

Sometimes, when the wind is just right, I can hear the train whistles from this yard all the way over in Coolidge Corner.