So, I just registered on RailPictures... I submitted three photos, so far two were rejected. Haven't heard back about the third. Maybe some of you can offer advice?
EDIT:
Got rid of the junk... Here's one of the photos... The other can't be fixed...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewreject.php?id=634331&key=0
First off, what is all that junk before the links?
Railpictures is really fussy. If you want some tips, there is a good amount of info on the RP forums.
Alex
Main line trains certainly are getting more mundane. I'll shoot GEVOs and AC4400s around here on the CP when they come though, but I'm never really that excited over it or never go out specifically to look for them. But I've always kept at it, as one day I'll probably be happy for the shots I do have of the GEVOs. And, who knows how long it'll be before something new comes around and starts to replace them.
I will go out on a limb and make a prediction here though; the Upper Midwest is starting to come due for another round of spin-off regional/shortline railroads. With the CN and CP buying anything and everything around here lately, they are bound to get to the point where once again they feel like they have too many lines and will want to spin off anything that isn't a main line where they can move traffic from Chicago to Canada. While I'm not expert, I can see the ore lines of the CN around Michigan, and maybe even the Two Harbors subdivision of the ex-Missabe being spun off. Central Wisconsin seems like it keeps seeing more and more cutbacks by the CN, and I've got to believe at some point they'll want to just get rid of the main lines. And perhaps some of the lines in southern Wisconsin will get turned over to the WSOR.
What I don't think you'll see out of this spin off stuff is a regional that can be as competitive and profitable as something like the WC or the ICE/DME because of what the Class 1s will want to keep. The CN and CP will probably always want their "main line" though the area, and so it will be hard for a new regional to build any overhead traffic like the WC had. But I could see a few railroads like the WSOR or ICE turning up; decent sized regionals that make their money off customer service and basically all their traffic either originates or terminates on the railroad, meaning no overhead traffic. Direct access to a major interchange point (like Chicago) would be key of course.
My guess would be that with the economic slump especially this won't happen soon, but I wouldn't be suprised at all if something like this happens in 5-15 years. Of course, on the other hand I could be completely wrong as this is all just speculation, but there's been just so much buying and consolidation lately that at some point things have to get too big and the railroads will decided to cut down to essential lines.
Tyler, neither of those are bad shots at all, but I think you're going to have a hard time getting them into railpictures. The first shot is cropped much to wide, as the trees and poles really add nothing for me to the left side of the picture. You're also standing on the dark side of the train and the nose lacks sunlight thanks to tree shadows. Like I said, it's really not a bad shot, but it's not something rp typically accepts.
The second shot (before you edited your post and took the link away) seems slightly soft to my eyes. That's an easy fix and makes it a good picture in my opinion, but rp is probably never going to get over the fact that the trucks are in shadow (thus the high sun rejection). To me shadowed trucks never really matter if they are like this one where they are well exposed (trucks that are seriously underexposed are another issue), but rp.net seems to need direct sunlight on most of the trucks to accept a picture.
Noah
I agree with you Alec. Things have been going down hill fast. I don't know how much longer I'll be rail fanning, I already cut back a bit, and compared to 2007, I have had a dramatic decrease. There's just no, excitement. People say "Well, a train is a train, you should be happy to see it." A train really isn’t a train. You can see a GEVO any day, but catching something that you have never seen before, it’s just so much better than seeing any old train. I've had a lot of fun chases, and hope to see more as I start converting to regionals, but there will be a major cut. I'm sorry to the people who do like any old train, I'm glad you can enjoy that rail fanning, but for me, it's no fun. I'm not sure it's worth spending a good about of $$$ on gas for that.
Noah, I do think we will see some short lines come out of this. I know the WSOR wants to buy the CN line from Leithton through Schiller Park to MP 0.0. I think if WSOR could pick up the Trackage in Janesville and the line down to Davis Junction, they'd be set. I just hope in the future some regional or short line would buy the Valley Sub from CN.
Tyler, good luck with RP, like I've had any with them. But I do have to admit, RP did show me how to be a better photographer. I use to have things un-centered, cut off, on the dark side of the tracks, ect, but I have gotten better. I would only send in your best pictures. Ones that have good nose light, trucks are lit, pilot is lit, good cropping, non cloudy sky, you are on the right side of the tracks ect. And even then they might reject it. I seem to get the impression that RP only accepts photos they like.
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I have hardly decreased my raifanning at all, in fact with the threat of losing the J I've picked up the intensity big time recently. After the J is gone, I'll be railfanning the remaining regionals in the area before they get sucked up or drastically altered with gensets or GEVOs. I mentioned before IHB was getting some gensets so that motivates me to get the IHB now also. I will admit though, once the J power is all gone or repainted it will be a huge loss that I will admit will never get back and a huge dent will be put into the way I think of railfanning. However, from now until all the orange fades it's GAME ON!!!
I'll say it again, get all your photos of older EMD engines from SD60M on down because someday all this stuff will be like Rock Island or DRGW stuff is to us today. I see this transformation period as a time to document history. I'm not saying it's a good thing but it motivates me to get out and shoot the heck out of older EMD power, like the EJ&E SD38-2s for historical reasons.
It helps that is very rare that you don't run into a train here, and the fact that there are operations like the Illinois Railway, the Chicago Rail Link, the Belt Railway and the IHB. Given that the BRC and IHB are partially owned by several class ones, it would be rather hard to buy out one of them outright without lawsuits and other problems. Another fact is all of my relatives live near busy railroad lines and my vacation spots are near railroads (I hardly EVER go on vacations for just railfanning purposes).
Tyler, I will warn you very sternly right now that RPs will not take everything you send. I have over 500 photos and they still accept maybe 1/15 photos if I'm lucky, the ratio has actually gotten worse recently.
From a different source:
BNSF is planning to store all of the SD60M's and the remainder of the EMD SD60's because of traffic downturns. Also, these are chosen to cut back on fuel.
Well, they already have about 20-25 SD60M's drained here at Northtown, and a few more SD40-2's showed up recently, even the 6847 (which is pretty much in fresh swoosh paint). CITX 3101 (former SP SD40) showed up from Galesburg also, so it should be interesting to see how much of this stuff is being kept here. Also of note there is a line of Oakways here, about 4 or 5. I'll do my best to get shots of the storage lines around here, hopefully they will move the 6847 out from the load house soon so I can grab a few shots.
Alec
UP has also started storing SD60s and SD60Ms based on photos I have seen, along with any remaining C40-8s. UP has even started to put GP60s and C40-8Ws in storage.
Edit: I know I was mentioning to Alec about the interesting features of the Dolton/Riverdale/Blue Islabd area, It just happened that I went to Dolton Junction today and saw some stuff.
First was a quick stop at Homewood, where CN GP9R 4935 sat, relettered for MNN. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1466711
First up at Dolton is a NS train on the IHB with a C40-9W in the lead. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1466714
Next up is BNSF AC44 5604 on a coal train on the CSX mainline, not exactly what I want to see at Dolton, but the second engine isn't bad! http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1466715
After a UP transfer on the Villa Grove Sub with a GP15-1 that didn't result in that great of a photo (I'm not going to post the pic), CSX GP38-2 2762 leads a local down the CSX line. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1466748
Then a IHB transfer showed up which took the wye from the IHB mainline to the UP mainline. The big surprize is both of IHB's two GP38-2s were on the train! The white building in the background is the still manned Dolton tower, which may be coming down soon as the wye is realigned. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1466716
Another shot, the location of this photo and the previous one is the crossing on the UP just to the south of Dolton Junction. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1466717
Back at the junction, another train led by BNSF junk heads through on the CSX. http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1466718 The second engine will probably be stored soon, and I did get a roster shot but I won't post it because it isn't really a very good shot to say the least.
NOO!
Man seeing three of those babies on a coal drag sure was neat.
Ok so everyone around here has been whining about how much new power there is and no good stuff... I think you all just need to come to Duluth!
We do get these,sure..:
Now I must warn you you may want a bib to stop the drooling
We get these:
Oh yes and one of THESE:
What a great sight:
6 Axle spartans is what you crave? We have you covered!
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Max, you are lucky to have all that old power up there in Duluth, B&LE SD40-3s, you still have some maroon DM&IRs including SD38-2s (you know how much those make me drool), tunnel motors, geeps and even a GP40X! Duluth seems to be the one city in the midwest that time hasn't taken its tool as badly as everywhere else. I'm not saying we don't get decent power here, I mean I did see some good stuff today for example.
Alec, what about the SOO SD60s that are leased to the BNSF, are those going into storage too? I'm glad I have gone out and photographed some of the green SD60Ms including the one today.
Also, it seems there is one class one that isn't storing much, the CP. They only have a few dozen engines stored, and those would be the SD9043MACs and SD90MAC-HIIs.
NS isn't storing much, if any, older stuff. All we get is geeps and the occasional older SD, never seen a GEVO or SD70. But you see that new stuff if you go east to Newark and places like that. This is the Washington Secondary, no need for high hp, but you can find high hp locos on the Lehigh Line and such, where there's more traffic.
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Yeah, I don't think NS is storing much either and I don't know if CSX is or not. BNSF, CN and UP are the three worst railways when it comes to storage right now.
Cool stuff Robby, no, I really doubt that those are going to be sidelined.
Max, yes, since the DMIR is up there you pretty much get the stuff that all of us want, standard cab power. That GP40X isnt too bad either!
Ive been asking around to see where CSX is storing their power, and no one can tell me, so I believe your right, they probably dont have too many big lineups anywhere. The NS is storing stuff, just not theirs, they have a crapload of leasers sitting in Chattanooga.
Good, I hope more SOO SD60s come this way before they are returned to CP!
I think CSX doesn't really retire much, they run it until it breaks, then retire. Their management might not be the greatest but don't forget they are still the last railroad with unrebuilt SD40s! In reality CSX probably always had one of the better motive power rosters of all the class ones and today with everyone retiring SD40-2s, SD60s and SD60Ms left and right, it is amazing that CSX still has SD40s.
I know a lot of the maroon on the DM&IR is gone but they still have a good roster, plus while it isn't like it used to, it is still possible to catch pure duos of maroon SD38-2s on the t-birds. Even if it wasn't pure maroon, one Missabe SD38-2 on the point would for sure be acceptable for me!
Yeah, I gave up on RP... I just don't have enough photos that meet the criteria, as most of them were taken years ago when I had really no idea of composition... Try teaching an 8 year old that taking a picture of a train is more than just point the camera at it and press the shutter button... I've cropped, fixed exposure, and otherwise got most of the photos looking acceptable, but any photo for RP has to be really good right off the camera... I've still got RRPA!
TrainManTy Yeah, I gave up on RP... I just don't have enough photos that meet the criteria, as most of them were taken years ago when I had really no idea of composition... Try teaching an 8 year old that taking a picture of a train is more than just point the camera at it and press the shutter button... I've cropped, fixed exposure, and otherwise got most of the photos looking acceptable, but any photo for RP has to be really good right off the camera... I've still got RRPA!
Keep in mind, it's not impossible to get pictures onto RP. Here is a relatively easy composition to get onto RP that I have taken. If I can get a picture on RP, you should be able to to, just remember to keep a few things in mind. It'll take time.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=244128
Max, nice power there! You live in a standard cab haven! Nice catch on the GP40X.