Teen Railfan Place - Fall 2009

[EJE818]

Introducing perhaps the best thing to happen for photographing trains in the Chicago area, the Lemont parking garage! http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4238189733/ 

 No doubt, whoever built this parking garage deserves some credit for opening up some neat angles! Oh yes, not to mention there's a SD40-2 leading in that pic!

[BNSF & DMIR 4Ever]

Here's my favorite shots of the year. Not necessarily my best, but just my personal favorites.

 

And some favorite video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_pWdBgZV5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob3qkTPV_qk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIQCxGT25AA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwgR6eurjUc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1cVnQ-kwJc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H54YDRNVzkw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSCmLaLpgec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek1W43AYuBI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byMTpCJihQ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4-cFyDfSkI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkX0pRyRArk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBnFXxbaUWY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2zn4e4wHsI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDUuah4PWy0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJE1dqpO4II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2OalNpf67g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob3qkTPV_qk&feature=channel

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8X_8s3rTLg

 

[ns3010]

Alex, I saw your video... And it makes our MLs look boring... You have that entire wave going on, and we have a rainbow...
Do you guys have any restroom trailers? Cause the only car with a bathroom I saw on that train was the cab (kinda like the time when I was in the first car of a train, and I had to walk to the ninth [last] car, just to use the bathroom! In the end, I walked about 18 carlengths, which is a quarter mile! At least it wasn't Multilevels... those stairs woulda sucked- a lot...)

[Railfan Alex]

Nice stuff guys! Overall, 2009 wasn't that bad a year. I am certainly enjoying everyones fav's from last year.

Brent, some nice catches on your last trip of 09. Nice job catching the SD60M and the NS power.

Noah, gotta love that pan shot of the SD40! Awesome job. Also, the MP15 sandwich chase had some excellent shots.

This is my attempt at a pan (more like pace actually) shot in miniature:

--------

OK! Time to finish that trip report:

After that bridge shot, we head up to Aston Jct. When we get there, 513 is going around the wye, preping to head back to Drummondville. Big power for the Drummonville roadswitcher, a big C44-9LW, only one of 23 with that awful looking cab. As soon as he went around the wye, he took off and easily made it up to 70MPH. We decided to race him back over to Saint-Léonard-D'Aston (the bridge shot). By the time we got there, he was already there. We would have missed him if he didn't slow down for the bridge. So a quick handheld shot after jumping out of the truck:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZhkGDHrRtg

Once again we headed back to Aston Jct. We head 514 being called. I was surprised they called a 2500 series loco, another big GE! We got there, and he showed up light from Bécancour. They headed right out to the siding and picked up the cars left by 513. After about a half hour wait for a snow plow to clear the line, they headed out. Two of the three shots were rushed and shot handheld unfortunetly, but he was running LHF, which looks pretty cool with the big rads of a GE. Location info in "more info".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWTjfMiDCCY&feature=channel

Next we decided to hang around Saint-Basile-le-Grand. There's a fairly new commuter station there. The main intention was to shoot the Multilevels for Joe, but the traffic kept on coming. First theres a westbound CN, which I thought would ruin the shot of the multilevels. Turned out to be a good meet. AMT train is 816, CN unknown. Scanner batteries died at this point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4_Ip6GIZ5s&feature=channel

Next is AMT 818. The St. Hilaire run mostly with Ex-Amtrak F40PH's and ex-GO coaches. The multilevels were bought to replace the GO coaches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofCse42Ro04&feature=channel

Second to last is the last inbound of the day, 813, with two F40PH's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl8Ebbf9kLY&feature=channel

And last but not least 614 the Ocean (which was the whole point of our trip in the first place) heading back out to Halifax at speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6o7t1WDNQg

Sorry about the audio, there's only sound in the right speaker. Found out too late that the Mini DV tape I used was defective...

So that's it from me. Besides the audio, it was a very good last trip of 2009.

I'm going to get in one last trip tomorrow before school starts again on Wednesday.

[Anonymous]

Pace shots are fun too, and much easier to produce. Just move the camera alongside the train and snap away!

[ns3010]

Uh Tyler, is that real or some guy's mrr? Cause it looks too real to be a model, but too fake to be real (if that makes any sense...)

[Anonymous]

Oh, that's an O scale modular layout that's at the Springfield, MA, train show every year.

[ns3010]

Oh, ok. Well, it looks really good!
I saw one of those MTH O SD70ACe's at the LHS, painted in the UP heritage Katy scheme, at it was $450... I'll stick with HO, since it's way less expensive...

[BNSF & DMIR 4Ever]

According to reports, DM&IR 215 did the Flaming Gevo trick(if you've seen the video on Youtube of a former SP unit, you'll known what I mean) in the yard, and is done. The Missabe SD38 era comes to an end, and only 403 remains Maroon.

 

The railroad that made me a railfan is about to officially die.

[Railfan Alex]

You mean this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSJw8AhtdrA&feature=related

[BNSF & DMIR 4Ever]

Yeah, that'd be the one(I was mistaken, as I thought the flame was from a GE unit). Given CN's past, it's not likely they'll replace the turbo.

[WCfan]

BNSF & DMIR 4Ever

According to reports, DM&IR 215 did the Flaming Gevo trick(if you've seen the video on Youtube of a former SP unit, you'll known what I mean) in the yard, and is done. The Missabe SD38 era comes to an end, and only 403 remains Maroon.

 

The railroad that made me a railfan is about to officially die.

Wow, the last remaining Missabe locomotives have been dropping like birds lately. 211 had a major mechanical failure, and 215 blew up. I could have seen that coming though, 215 got pulled from its usual assignment at Two Harbors because it was having mechanical trouble. I guess we were all right when we figured 403 would be the last Maroon locomotive left...although it's not really maroon anymore. Somehow it got covered in soot and is completely black. Knowing CN it won't get washed for a couple years. Here are two shots from two years ago.

[Noah Hofrichter]

Robby - that shot from the parking garage is scha-weet. I've seen a couple of other angles from there too in the last week, and it definitely is a nice location.

Nice videos Alex!

The 215 escaped my lens on the two trips I made to the Missabe. I'm certainly sad to see it gone, but in a lot of ways I'm amazed it's taken the CN this long. I made the prediction when I last visited the Missabe in 2008 that the 403 would be the last maroon unit, but I figured that'd happen by early 2009, not by early 2010.

If it weren't for North Shore Mining, I wouldn't really feel a desire to go up to the Iron Range anymore. Though, that could change if a set of J's were to be assigned to the T-birds on a regular basis, but that remains to be seen...

Noah

[EJE818]

Now for a summary of 2009 for me. We all know that one dreaded day, February 1st, 2009, the day CN officially took over the EJ&E. 2009 got off to a very bad start! From there, it brought historic steam power, new opportunities for stuff that's never been seen before, and it finally brought BC Rails out of their home, even though I have still have yet to see one leading. I met many, many new people this year and ran into friends I've seen in the past. It brought events that occur every year again, like Franklin Park Railroad Daze, and events that may never happen again, such as Trainfestival in Owosso. 2010 promises another Railroad Daze, maybe the last year to regularly catch J power on J rails, and who knows what else. We're supposed to have another mainline steam engine visit the midwest this year, and who knows what that'll be! 2010 could be a pretty exciting year.

Yeah, the 215 went down in flames, literally! Sounds like it starting shooting fire out the exhaust stacks and it probably won't be back. Also, the turbo couldn't have failed since SD38-2s don't have turbos! :P

Here are some good catches so far in 2010. I already posted the parking garage shot, so here are some other ones.

First was the snow day in Naperville where at one point, five of us were there taking photos at the same time, and after two left, another person showed up! Here NS power heads west. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4219303879/

 This was totally random, a BC Rail C44-9WL trains on this westbound. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4218560191/ The CB&Q signal bridge in the background is slated for replacement in the very new future, as the supports for a new signal bridge sit next to it, out of view in the BCOL photo.

Amtrak pulls into Naperville, and there is a much better shot of the CB&Q signal bridge I mentioned on the last photo. I believe it's the only Q signal bridge on the racetrack where the supports widen as they go down, kinda weird. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4220844284/

In Franklin Park, IHB showed off their only two SD20s currently active together! They own 6, but 4 are stored in Indiana. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4223458245/

Back in Naperville, one of BNSF's experimental "pill" units heads west. I do not know how long the CB&Q signal bridge visable here will last. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4228390127/

On the way home from a trip, a CN 75I ducks under the Crest Hill bridge after flagging a crossing. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4237290441/

J 656 switches in Joliet. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4237306413/

Unfortunatly, all this stuff at Homewood is slated to be scrapped, including DM&IR 308. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4238296241/

Meanwhile, J 673 switches in Homewood. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4226698907/

A few days later, J 671 switches at Homewood, looking like it needs a wash! http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4237259249/

Then the same day as the SD40-2 off the parking garage, CN 5554 heads west down the BNSF in Joliet. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4241983368/

Then at Naperville again, a BNSF intermodal with junk leading kicks up the snow. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4241252193/

I'll have more to post soon!

Oh yes, and since I posted about Franklin Park Railroad Daze, I'll give a early heads-up to the date of the event much like I did least year. Mark your calendars for June 5th if you're interested! It will be occuring in late June this year instead of the mid-May time we're used to, so don't get tricked!

Early 2010 brings a new mission, to get as many shots of the CB&Q signals in Naperville as possible before they're gone forever!

[ns3010]

bump?

Never thought anyone posted enough in this particular forum to bump down from the first thread listed...