[4K] Ashland, Virginia: Light Up The Tracks 2023 Kickoff

On November 18, 2023, Ashland kicked off their holiday light season with the Light Up The Tracks celebration. As in years past I was trackside to capture a few trains during the event, and this year I was eager to put my recently-acquired Pixel 8 Pro through its low-light paces.
0:00 - Amtrak 90, Palmetto
Amtrak's northbound Palmetto had plenty of admirers looking on as it cruised slowly past the station behind P42 83. The quiet zone was suspended for the duration of the event, and liberal horn use was the order of the evening.
0:50 - Amtrak 91, Silver Star
Festivities were underway at the town hall farther west on England Street, but the station hosted a crowd of its own as Amtrak's southbound Silver Star rolled through behind P42s 48 and 142. Note that 48's number on its flank is worn nearly to the point of invisibility.
1:51 - CSX M421 Meets M416
The carolers under the lights by the station took a break as a meet of titanic proportions was brewing. M421 was the first to arrive, led by ET44AHs 3355 and 3405. The last car of M421 had just enough time to clear England Street before M416 appeared, led by ES44AH 3199, ES40DC 5404, SD40-3 4032, and ES44AH 795. Those poor drivers...
11:56 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 195
'Hark, The Herald Angels Sing' indeed. The carolers' selection seemed most appropriate as P42 181 led Northeast Regional 195 into the station with liberal horn accompaniment.
14:34 - Amtrak 53, Auto Train
The platform crowd harkened once more as P40s 830 and 835 and P32-8BWH 514 led the southbound Auto Train through town.
17:00 - Carolers
With no trains nearby, I took a few still pictures of the station and took one more look at the shops south of England Street before heading home.
#train #trainspotting #railfanning #railroad #ashland #virginia #travel #holiday

[@roadrailer1656]

The lens refraction from the headlights on the night shots is freaky. Like UFO's landing in Ashland. 👽😆Always knew Ashland was a little "different" lol. Cool 4K bud. P.S. Love the carolers.

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

I'm wondering if maybe a polarizer would cut the glare, but first I have to find a lens filter adapter. Ideally it would be 58mm so I don't have to reinvent the wheel and buy a whole other set of filters to fit the phone. I've got my eye on a Beastgrip mount system that looks like it would do the job, but it'll probably be something I acquire piecemeal or just save up the pennies for further down the road. If someone made a minijack-to-USB adapter that would let me use my existing external stereo mic with the phone, that would be peachy.