When I think of trains, I automatically think of Nancy Haun. From the photos she snaps, you can tell she loves trains and everything about them, the sound of the whistle, the clickety-clack of the wheels on the rails, the lights coming into view and even the sight of the empty tracks off in the distance while she’s waiting for the train to come around the bend. Folks who love boats are called “boat nerds”, but Nancy calls her fascination with trains, “railfanning”, I like that term. No matter what her love of trains is classified as, we’re lucky to get to share in the time she spends keeping up with the trains in the L’Anse/Herman area, so she can capture these photos and share them with us all.

Nancy commented that no matter how much time she spends planning her rail-fanning day, it changes many times before she goes to her desired locations. Timing can be critical, it can mean the difference between waiting an hour or two or just barely making it to catch the CN as it rolls down the tracks. She made it in time for this video last week. I wonder how far away she can hear the sounds of the train, before it comes into view?

I stayed up late just waiting for you Mary.

What can I say? I love trains too, but those are some very rickety tracks there. I can't imagine their speeds are ever much faster than shown in the video.

Those are some squiggly-looking tracks. Wonder if they're really bent or if it's just the camera angle(?)

I share Nancy's love for the railroad. Always have
lived within a rail line all my life. I have a
huge photo collection of many current and long ago
lines. The term "foamer" is used for someone who
has total excitement of railfanning. So from one
foamer to another, Nancy these are a great catch
of pictures!

Nice pics and video, love to hear those whistles
blow!!

"She's got 93 cars in tow" Bob Seger

George.... I thought the same thing about
the tracks lol, I think (hope) it was just the snow
around the tracks.

I could qualify as both a boatnerd and a railfan!
Love to chase them both down. I had a great
teacher, my father, would gather us up to head to
Duluth to catch both the boats and then we would
head up the North Shore to sometimes catch both at
Taconite Harbor. Some of my favorite memories.
That rail looks like it doesn't have a lot of
continuous rail in that section. Amazing that it
stays on the tracks.

"Sometimes I consider my pace, I'm reminded of a train gathering speed for the climb to the pass...It's no matter, no distance, it's the ride."(S. Stills)

There is an explanation for the squiggly, crooked tracks-it is because Nancy is using her zoom lens which squishes the tracks and makes them look that way. She said the CN is continually doing repairs and laying new track. She also mentioned being thankful they do so, because if they didn't, the loss of jobs would be a blow to the community!

That ol' CN sure streaks through Herman at blinding 'lectronic, er… diesel speed!