The Carolinian on the left, and the Piedmont on the right - two state supported Amtrak trains pose at sunset with the skyline of Raleigh in the background. The shimmer wall of the convention center displays an oak tree, as Raleigh i known as the City of Oaks.
This was a rare instance of having everything work as you'd imagine it would only in a rail photographer's wildest dreams. I was asked to get specific photos and had one day to pull it off. The local NCDOT and Amtrak team pulled out all the stops. One of them suggested this location, which I was unaware of and glad they did - a similar image ended up making the following year's calendar. A little luck with the weather, and a lot of assistance posing trains made pulling off a successful mission so much easier than doing it the old fashioned way. What a far cry from staking out a location and hoping for the best!
Three north-south routes run through North Carolina. Auto Train comes by, too. Also, the State of North Carolina sponsors the Piedmont service and supports the Carolinian.
