Teen Railfan Place - Winter 2009

[WCfan]

coborn35

 

Myself and Kale caught 3 SD60's today. Here just pics of them:

snip

Boy we just get the best power in the states dont we?

There was also two GP35's, SW1500, 3 SD40-2's, 2 BN MAC's, and GP38-2's nearby. Oh a GP40X also.

YOU SUCK! I need to get back up there.

That stinks Robby, your favorite EJE locomotive 665 has been stored.

I think I'm going to upload my trip photos from the 27th and 29th tonight. I should have the pics up tommrow.

[EJE818]

Another EJ&E update, SW1200s 302 and 316 have been retired. 659 and 665 are no longer stored (that was fast!). The bad news is that CN is starting to put the SDMs into storage at Kirk Yard. 661 was spotted dead in town on a UP train heading for Texas, I have no clue why and nobody else does either. 667 was sent to Gary for some work, hopefully it does not emerge in fresh CN paint.

[Noah Hofrichter]

 Sorry Jordan, like you thought I don't really know anything about the White Pine sub. Not something I've visited (yet anyway).

A trip to Central America, Ty? Sounds like quite the adventure!

Got back yesterday evening from a two day (well, day and a half) swing through the Twin Cities. Didn't get to do much railfanning on the way up on Friday (no trains appeared while we were traveling), but yesterday I took a self-guided tour of the railroad highlights of the Twin Cities, and discovered some nice stuff. It was cloudy so the pictures are just average, but it did give me a chance to do some shots that would have been poorly lit if the sun had been out. It was mostly meant as a research gathering trip for how to get to some of the best spots for when I make it back up there later in the summer. Caught a lot of of nice motive power lash-ups though.

Photos will come (hopefully) in the next few days. Maybe today if I don't end up with a bunch of other things to do.

Noah

[WCfan]

Alright Noah, looks like I'm going to have to go Blind on this one! Unless some one on the Fuzzy forum can give me some info. Can't wait for your pictures. I know the BNSF still has some great power up there!

Alright here is my trip Report.

3/27/09

Well lately, CN's power has been anything but spectacular...or anything good in that case.

By the time we get to Point, the 408 is working in the yard. We caught them at Hoover to tack on a few more cars.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/101_60266.jpg

Not too long after they get an Authority to head south. Since this was a good consist I decided to try a shot at Amherst Junction WI. Which many of you may remember the ex GBW bridge that I caught IC 1004 over. Well I knew the nose was going to be lit pretty bad, and I'd be on the wrong side of the tracks. In the background is the Amherst Junction "Tunnel", which really isn't a tunnel, but more like a wide concrete bridge. The GBW Crossed the SOO here, along with a road through Amherst Junction.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/101_60344.jpg

Once the train had left we heard on the Scanner that the 408 would meet a Herzog Rock train at Wega. It wouldn't take them long to get here so we explored the area. We found a nicely lit afternoon shot at "Orchard". This is where the siding starts, and goes on through Point yard and ends just past the Station.

I knew the Rock train would be heading to the Mathy Rock pit near Mosinee WI, but it was close to the 589s departure time. They had arrived in Point just before the 408 left. A GEVO and Barn was it. At Point they cut the Barn off and turned the GEVO around. They picked a GTW Geep that was sitting on the engine tracks. Not long after they 589 got their train, they left. On the scanner we heard that the Rock train got an Authority to follow behind the 589 to Mathy. We caught the 589 just past the new defect detector outside of Stevens Point.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/101_60622.jpg

Knowing we had some time to kill before the Rock Train came, we explored the area some more. We found this dirt road that was by the tracks. This photo didn't turn out that great. I was trying to get the grade in the photo, but the quality didn’t turn out so good.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/101_60788.jpg

3/29/09

On my birthday we left to go do some more railfanning. One unit wonder GEVO picks up some Ash cars from the Weston Power Plant Complex in Weston WI for the 589s train.

 

At Point it was really dead. We looked around the Area. I found this old GBW bridge that is still in use today I'd like to get a picture of a train going over it, but that will be a very hard goal to get! At the Whiting mill, I saw my first SD40 series since November.

Another train heads into Point. This was a monster of a train. This was my first time seeing mid train helpers other than at Moffat! Sadly I couldn't get a picture. But this train was at least 2 miles long! Here we caught two SD70M-2s at Hoover. The Fred was still at the Station!

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/101_61333.jpg

We decided to chase the train to Amherst Junction again and try a different shot. This shot didn't turn out that great either as there are branches in a way.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/101_61433.jpg

Well we heard they where going to make a meet a Nelsons, which is just south of Amherst Junction. We caught the train on the Old 10 Bridge over the SOO. Nose lit and over exposed, but I gave it a shot.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/101_61477.jpg

[bubbajustin]

Awesome shots WCfan! I got a shot today. Not a really good one though. I had literly no time to set up. Grainy. I wish We had more SD70M's and their kins around here. All we see is -8 and -9's. BTW I live near Lafayette IN. A Midwest Hot spot. Amazingly today the manafest I saw had, yet again, a -9 from NS leading and  non-relettered Conrail -8 following it. At least I still get to see fallen flag Conrail a lot.

[bubbajustin]

Since everyone else puts their shots on here I thought I would put some of my better ones on here for you to view. This is a NS train inbound (NB) to Lafayette IN. There is a ES40DC trailing behind the -8. This one really snuck up on me!

A CSX -8 departs the CSX yard at Lafayette

A BNSF -9 re-paing PBTH miles on NS.

This is my favorite one. NS Manafest being pulled by a -9 on the head end and trailing that a -8.

These aren't as good as youre guy'ses, but I thought I would share what I have. Well back to school Monday, AKA tommorw. Have a good week!

[nssr9169]

coborn35

 

Myself and Kale caught 3 SD60's today. Here just pics of them:

Boy we just get the best power in the states dont we?

There was also two GP35's, SW1500, 3 SD40-2's, 2 BN MAC's, and GP38-2's nearby. Oh a GP40X also.

and thats just BNSF...dont forget the 2 LLPX GP38's....UP SD70M......and i think we average about 4 to 6 CP GP40's in the ports too......thats all

[bubbajustin]

nssr9169

coborn35

 

Myself and Kale caught 3 SD60's today. Here just pics of them:

Boy we just get the best power in the states dont we?

There was also two GP35's, SW1500, 3 SD40-2's, 2 BN MAC's, and GP38-2's nearby. Oh a GP40X also.

and thats just BNSF...dont forget the 2 LLPX GP38's....UP SD70M......and i think we average about 4 to 6 CP GP40's in the ports too......thats all

Speaking of BNSF we get a few around here once in a while

A -9 racing through Lafayette.

[Railfan Alex]

Nice photos and videos everyone!

I have been absent for quite a while on Youtube and around here, so I will get back into the posting routine shortly. Later this week I will start editing videos with Adobe Premiere Pro, and hopefully I will be able to save videos in widescreen format.

Also, videos will be much better quality, ever since I have been using my friend's semi-pro camera. I have also learned quite a lot of stuff from him about using cameras, and compositions. I really have more and more of an appreciation for composition, and less and less of my older "quicky grab shots."

I also have to thank him for dragging me around everywhere. I mean I don't think I would ever be able to convince my parents to make several 700 + km (~450 miles) trips only to get a few shots.

[bubbajustin]

Finally someone, I think, noticed I'm here! Alex, my folks don't take me rail-fanning that often but I manage to get around. One thing that I managed to remember to do is always take youre camra with you whereever you go. That way you can kind of ask youre parents to pull over at the next crossing. I have to admit, I'm more of a point and click guy. I need to get a tripod badly! How mutch will that run me? Also Alex, you look really cold in youre' avatar! But like me, anything for a good shot!

[Railfan Alex]

bubbajustin

Finally someone, I think, noticed I'm here! Alex, my folks don't take me rail-fanning that often but I manage to get around. One thing that I managed to remember to do is always take youre camra with you whereever you go. That way you can kind of ask youre parents to pull over at the next crossing. I have to admit, I'm more of a point and click guy. I need to get a tripod badly! How mutch will that run me? Also Alex, you look really cold in youre' avatar! But like me, anything for a good shot!

Sorry about that.

I guess I'm pretty lucky to have stumbbled upon quite a few nice railfans in my neighbourhood, so I don't have to worry about bugging my parents all that much. Plus I live pretty darn close to the tracks, about 2 minutes by bike, or 10 minutes walking.

You can pickup a decent tripod for about 50 bucks. I picked a really nice small lightweight video tripod for 75 bucks, the best investment in my hobby for sure. It is small enough and light enough for me to strap to my backpack when I go railfanning on my bike.

I usually don't have time to setup the camera and the tripod if I happen to see something coming, so that's why I like to pick a location, shoot a few trains, and then find another location. I've tried the "jump out of the car" thing many times, and it rarely works out on video. Photos can turn out good though.

Oh yea, my avatar, that is a really old picture! I should change that soon.

[coborn35]

Tripod wont help, its the camera.

[Anonymous]

WCfan

 

 

First of all, Jordan, that is a great photo! The sky really makes it! (And I think the vertical orientation is my fault, since I never saw any of yours like that before you commented on mine!) 

Justin, I don't remember if I gave a proper welcome, but here it is just in case! 

Still cameras only need tripods when there is a long exposure involved. Regular cameras can be hand-shot at a 30th of a second or faster (although I don't recommend less than a 50th of a second until you're more experienced.) I've shot several (non-railroad) photos at up to three seconds, and had them turn out fine. Of course, even if you can hold it steady enough, the train will move in the photo.

This is an example of a long-exposure shot, at 30 seconds on a tripod, ISO 100 at F.22.

Video, however, needs a tripod. While you can hand-shoot, it will be very shaky and un-enjoyable to watch. I personally can't stand most videos shot without a tripod. Rocks, benches, and other things can be used when you don't have a tripod. I've been shooting for a year and I can keep it pretty steady, but I still prefer a tripod. Here's some examples from my videos:

With Tripod

Without Tripod - Steady

Without Tripod - Not Steady

Here's another "cold" photo... Amtrak's westbound Lake Shore Limited departing Palmer, MA, in January 2009's single-digit weather... And I was wearing fingerless gloves and had been standing outside for 2 hours!

 

Alex: I will be watching for new videos. I'm trying to obtain an HD video camera, since my current video camera used Mini-DV tapes, which is a real pain since they don't work in cold weather, and half the time it doesn't record since the tapes are all messed up! Plus the HD part will be great... I do need a video tripod though, my current one is a bit jerky when panning and such.

Noah: Yes, the trip was great! A real eye-opener, seeing the poverty of a third-world nation. I took several thousand photos, and still have a couple hundred left to slog through and edit. I think I'll have around 100 keepers, and perhaps 30 picks. Here's a link to a Photobucket album of the best ones so far.

I think I've covered everything...

[WCfan]

Thanks Tyler and Justin!

Tyler, for some reason I was in the mood for that type of shot that day. Seemed appropriate with the Structures in the background.

Tyler summed it up for long time lapse exposures. You need a tri-pod for those. Cameras don't really need a tri-pod unless it's very bulky and heavy at the lens. One thing though from experience. I would turn your ISO ALL the way down, no matter what. ISO is the reason time lapse shots get grainy. I learned that from some non-train related photos I did. Here's one of them.

Here's a train related time lapse. Try to keep your camera pointed out of very bright lights as they can make an over exposed look.

[Noah Hofrichter]

 

The photos you've got in that album so far are neat Ty. I especially like the footprints in the sand.

 

So I know this page is already loaded down with photos, but I'll add a few more just for good measure!

 

Still haven't got to the Twin Cities photos, but I do have a few new photos from yesterday. A friend called yesterday afternoon to alert me to a WSOR northbound train on the Reedsburg sub. Daylight trains have been rare as of late, let alone on a Sunday afternoon, so despite the fact that it was mostly cloudy I decided to see about a chase. To cut a long story short, I ended up finding the train in Rock Springs (between Baraboo and Reedsburg), where I found an additional surprise: another engine sitting a track by the "depot" in town and a second crew appearing to go on duty at the little office.

 

I had heard rumblings that the WSOR was going to change the operating scheme on the line. Instead of running one local that runs the whole length of the railroad (Madison to Reedsburg), they are now switching to one train that brings the cars from Madison to Baraboo or Rock Springs, and another train that originates in Rock Springs and simply switches the industries in Reedsburg and Baraboo before tying up again.

 

First shot is of the two trains' power by the "depot." The crew of the two trains were talking things over in the office, and so they were sitting for quite a while:

 

 

Finally the 4008 and it's crew left and the new job's crew came out from the office and went to work. One shot of the 3801 passing the Rock Springs office was then required:

 

 

They switched out the train for about an hour to seperate out the cars they needed, and after they finally had things in order they left for Reedsburg. I shot one cloudy wedge, and then since it was cloudy I decided to try a shot on the opposite side of the highway 136 bridge than one can normally do when it's sunny:

 

 

I did one runby at another crossing (another ho-hum cloudy wedge), and then headed to South Dewey Ave in Reedsburg for one last shot. The clouds were getting kind of ominous, and since I've shot here so many times I decided to go a little artsy:

 

 

Gotta love the track conditions around here! And the railroad just did a tie replacement project through here a little over a year ago. Tie replacement doesn't do much when you don't properly ballast and tamp as well, but whatever...

 

It's an interesting new job in my eyes, and it'll definately require another chase on a sunny day. Only problem is after I do the chase once, not much will really change because the power won't rotate very often.

 

Haven't gotten to the Twin Cities photos yet, but hopefully that will come in the next few days.

 

Noah