It wasn't a bright and shiny penny, but it was head-up and that's all required for good luck. So our intrepid author pocketed it, hoping that the good luck it would bestow lasted longer than the Everything bagel with cream cheese he shared with his wife. Then, bidding adieu to his spouse, our intrepid big game hunter was off to bag a Cardinal or two in central Virginia.

No respectable big game hunter goes into the wild without a guide. In this case the guide came in the form of Fredricksberg local Peter Pfotenhauser, a University of Virginia graduate and railfan extraordinaire. His guide abilities were put immediately to the test as the brave duo struck due west from Fredricksberg across winding country roads to the first destination Orange, VA. There they would find the start of the C&O, the reputed lair of the rare Amtrak Cardinal.

Once a prevalent species in this country, the Cardinal is now a rare bird, migrating along its historic path only three times a week, and frequently at odd times, rarely on schedule. But cardinal hunting was really just a diversion for the trip. The real purpose was to gather photographic and dimension data on some of the ancient railroad artifacts that grace the C&O line. Perusing the Central Virginia Railfan website led the author to believe that the first example of the C&O triple track signal tower would be in Charlottesville, VA. He planned accordingly. The route went through Orange, VA primarily because of his desire to personal inspect how the C&O and Southern railroads managed their interchange. At Orange both guide and hunter were pleasantly surprised to find a well maintained station, and behind it a beautifully preserved example of a C&O triple track signal bridge.

After finding a local store to purchase important equipment left behind (a tape measure); the duo went about the business of documenting the signal tower. Peter learned from the local agent that the westbound Cardinal was due in 15 minutes. They planned to shoot it from a hide position immediately adjacent to the signal tower. Ten minutes later they heard the distinct sound of its call, a low whistle. Low and behold the Cardinal was running early. The duo scrambled to their places. The 10-mile per hour speed limit was the only thing that prevented them from missing the shot completely.

As the Cardinal ground past the hunters were in for a second surprise, trailing the train was a private C&O observation car, the Chapel Hill, with rail fans sitting on the back deck. After exchanging waves, the duo went back to the task of measuring the signal bridge. In ten minutes they were done. With the primary objective of the trip complete and bright skies and warm temperatures beckoning, the duo decided to chase the Cardinal.

Using Peter's intimate knowledge of the local roads, the author put their chariot to the test. The red coupe swallowed curves and bumps in stride, nearly plastering a family of geese and goslings on a sharp curve. Try that in a hulking SUV. Calculating that they could not intercept the red fowl before Charlottesville, they headed for Mechums River to catch the bird on the unique truss bridge.
The hunters began to worry that they had missed their quarry as the game was now apparently running behind schedule. But minutes later a whistle sounded calming their fears. The variable clouds parted providing a beautiful blue-sky backdrop as their silver feathered friend flew over the bridge.
No time to waste, the duo mounted the chariot and headed up the mountain for a last shot at Afton tunnel. They reached the summit and had scant minutes to scout a firing position when the bird again flew past.

With several cardinals in the bag the hunters decided to have lunch. Dropping into Waynesboro, they spotted where the C&O overpasses the N&W. After a quick meal Peter led the way to his childhood home behind the enormous Dupont plant. Crossing the tracks, the author noticed a green signal facing south and a corresponding red signal facing north. If these are approach lit, then a train was coming soon. While trying to find a suitable spot to shoot with the sun at their back, they spotted three black stallions rounding a curve. Hurrying into position they fired off a few less than ideal shots.

The train slowed in town so chasing it was easy. Just north of town they found a location where they could cross to the west side of the tracks ahead of the train and shoot the black beasts with the sun at their back. But the engine rumbling quieted and as the ebony beasts rounded the curve the hunters could see that it was on the siding with the ditch lights off. This had all the signs of a meet. Turning to the north they spotted four bright lights rounding a distant curve. The tangent track disappeared under the southbound locomotives as this guy was making good time. Three brand new NS Dash-9s on the point hustled a long merchandise train past. Moments after that train cleared, the northbound fired up and accelerated past.

Not wishing to wear the penny out, they headed back to Charlottesville to investigate the putative objective of the trip, the triple track signal bridge at the NS/CSX diamonds. With Peter pointing out the landmarks along the way, the two arrived at the Charlottesville station to learn that the eastbound Cardinal was one hour late. The ticketing portion of the station is nicely restored but heavy renovation progresses on the remainder of the structure. The author was able to purchase a souvenir of the trip, an Amtrak Cardinal Tee shirt.

Sitting in the yard a few blocks from the station was a set of CSX power, a GP40-2 and a road slug. The coal dock still stands although disfigured by years of neglect and graffiti.

With waning light the two hunters sped back to Gordonsville to photograph the cabin and signal bridges there. One could only admire the beautiful country surrounding this quaint town. The author was again struck by the perfectness of Gordonsville as a model railroad subject.
Wrapping up the trip the author had an opportunity to inspect the progress on Peter's NTRAK and oNeTRAK modules at his apartment. They are progressing nicely.
All in all a fun day chasing an endangered avian, the Amtrak Cardinal.