Acela Express at sunrise, 2000s.

The Acela Express trainsets were designed and manufactured by a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom. Each of the 20 trainsets includes six passenger cars between two power cars at each end. To prepare for the arrival of high-speed rail service in 2000, the northern end of the Northeast Corridor between New Haven and Boston was electrified, which included the installation of catenary poles, catenary wires and electrical substations.

Retired Amtrak employee and avid photographer Gary Pancavage recalls, "Several years ago I was asked to participate in a photo shoot at Perryville [Md.] with...Doug Riddell. Our mission was to photograph an Acela trainset at sunrise crossing the Susquehanna River for the cover of the annual report. Saturday was the only day we could spare equipment for this purpose...

The wind was blowing so hard we could barely stand, and I remember telling Doug I was having a hard time capturing acceptable images because I couldn’t keep the camera still. The wayward gull appeared at the right time (no Photoshop tricks) and the rest is history."

Digital image by, and courtesy of, Gary Pancavage.