Trackside with Erik and Mike, Vol. 29: April 18, 2005

[Mark300]

I went with Erik's photo of the business train.....it's a very unusual, unannounced train and a difficult shot to get on short notice. And yet, the photo tells the story of what the train is all about.

The train is amazingly yellow and colorful for someone living in the Northeast where NS black & white is so common. The saturated yellow of the train really contrasts with those flat horizontal lines of the praire countryside and track (And besides, this photo feeds the imagination what an early 21st century, state of the art , nut-n-bolts passenger train run by a private RR (like the UP) might look like if alot of other things in history hadn't happened).

While Mike's shot is a technically excellent near-andgle head-on telephoto, I can't tell anymore about the train except the locomotives and the place where the photo was taken. A little more of the consist might have told a better story and swayed my vote.

Incidently; while both of you produce great photos, what gets my vote, is the story and Erik's case, the immediacy of grabbing that photo. Now if the UP (or any RR) could announce these kind of special trains with more advanced notice......and you both get a crack at it.......that could be way cool.

No apoligies for the technical conditions Erik, a little dodging in photoshop and filtering on the sky can certainly fix any technical shortcomings.

I'll wait for the next installment; great thread.

Mark

[Anonymous]

What passenger equipment was behind the UP locootive? THAT"S what I'm interested in!

Carl- a railfan from 'way back when....

[Anonymous]

Oops! the word is "locomotive." I'm not acquainted with the UP freight units, so I do not know the name of the unit. But I am very interested in the passenger consist. Carl

[UPTRAIN]

Check my scree name and tell me who I voted for...I love the UP business trains and hardly get to see them, much less a shot. I saw one in February 2003 with the UP 6936 on the front end, quite a show for someone like me with NO CAMERA!

[UPTRAIN]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mrunyan

Mike, why on earth did you not use the website shot? That has to be one of the finest railshots I've EVER seen. The colors and textures of the farm blending with the train, artisticly stunning! How can we get a digital copy of that shot, it is not available off the WSOR site. Would you please publish it for us.
Eric, great capture of the UP business train. I was just at Rochelle, 38 UP trains to 14 BNSF. So I saw enough of those great yellow monsters, but nothing as interesting behind them. BNSF actually ran an SD9, and one of the four Oakway leasing SD60s. I great place to visit!

I thought they had like...90 Oakways...not 4.

[Anonymous]

The decision on Erik or Mike's photo being the best wasn't easy. You definitely get to see more train in Erik's photo and the sight of an Armour Yellow train trimmed in Scarlet and Harbor Mist Gray is sure to quicken the heartbeat of anybody whose breath can fog a mirror. Mike's photo was so sharp and the angle so dramatic I could easily fantasize about being run over by the plow on the lead E Unit's pilot. I swear I could actually hear that train bearing down on me.
On the other hand, although the consist of the business train was a beautiful unbroken band of yellow, its stunted length only left me with reverie for the days of the Domeliners and 16 to 20-car sailings through Sullivan's curve behind a trio or quartet of svelte E units, i.e., the way God intended them to be. As powerful and dynamic as that superpower unit up front looks, it " 'tain't fittin' '' to be hauling varnish with such a utilitarian-looking unit that is all boxy angles, walkways and rooftop clutter. I must admit, though, that, visually, the cab is a vast improvement over the days of GP-40's and their boxy-faced unstreamlined ilk. MIke's photoshows a passenger train being led the way it should be, namely with LaGrange's finest EMD products and their classic bulldog noses parting the air ahead of the consist. Although I wish I could see a bit more of the train that the Wisconsin & Southern locos are shepherding, the sheer vibrancy of Mike's photo, with its hallucinatory overtones of sight, sound, even smell, get my vote.

[Anonymous]

My vote goes for Mike, just love E units. Anyway, don't like what the UP has done to the hobby.
Chris

[jimmac230]

Love the photo of the E-units for the WSOR, but the vote went for Erik and the Union Pacific train. I have photos of the UP cars when used for their Operation Lifesaver at that time and have been through those cars and was totally impressed with them inside and out. The crowning touch would have been the UP E-units coupled to that train.........

[Anonymous]

One has to admire the Union Pacific for its ability to survive intact throughout all the merger wars of the last 50-60 years. Graphically, the UP's wings and shield over Armour Yellow have become an indelible icon in the minds and hearts of railroaders everywhere. This is a railroad of legend, of history and of Hollywood. In Western railroading, it has no equal. The BNSF is the present - day conglomeration of four legendary roads, but in and of itself is not yet the stuff of legend.
...Which is why I have such mixed feelings about how the UP does business today. As much as I love the UP, I find its behavior in the area of railroad crossing safety reprehensible. Its fleet of lawyers have struggled mightily to portray the majority of the victims of malfunctioning crossing equipment as being guilty of fomenting their own deaths. In well-known published reports in respected national newspapers, the UP has been found to have hastily repaired crossing signal equipment within hours of some accidents and before the railroad safety authorities could inspect the scenes. This negligence toward safety has been brought down on the heads of other railroads that must use UP trackage. Amtrak has had to foot the bill for legal costs and damages for accidents, even though the maitenance of the rails it rides on in some cases are UP's responsibility, as in the case of an Illinois school bus being rammed by an Amtrak train at a UP-mantained grade crossing. Numerous people fell victim to the poor sightlines of a UP grade crossing in rural Arkansas, yet were painted by UP lawyers as being guilty of violating safety rules. Grade crossings in Texas have been put off limits to inspection by the Texas Railroad Commission because the UP managed to manuver the costs of their upkeep to include Federal funds. The head of the Federal Railroad Administration recently was forced to resign because of her overly-close relationship with a UP representative.
In another arena, the UP appears to be at the center of an effort by America's multibillion dollar super railroads to put the squeeze on the model railroading industry – a mere gnat on the hide of the UP elephant – to pay licensing fees for the use of their corporate image on locomotives and rolling stock because they wi***o keep their corporate ID from being "treated in a less than respectful manner by those wishing to put the UP image on their model trains and equipment." Far from disrespecting the UP's image, the model railroading and toy train industry has done everything to glorify it and instill its glory in the hearts and minds of boys and girls of all ages. In addition, the UP claims to have the right to collect royalties on the use of the heraldry of fallen-flag railroads it has acquired over the years. This heraldry was immediately abandoned by the UP as soon as the railroads that bore it were assimilated into the UP. This means that the UP has effectively given up the rights to this heraldry and has no legal basis for claiming ownership of it. That, however, would not stop UP's battalions of lawyers from dragging this issue throught the courts for years, thus insuring the bankruptcy of all who would defy their claims and use the heraldry without paying tribute to the mighty Union Pacific. Is the UP so venal as to squeeze this money of a relative cottage industry? Let's face it: they don't need the money. It wouldn't even be a blip on the UP's (and CSX's) radar screens. If one must look at it from a purely financial angle, though, the argument could be well-put that the UP owes all the model railroad manufacturers for the amount of free advertising UP's getting at the model railroaders' expense. the last thing the model railroad industry would want is to cast this legendary railroad in a bad light. By its actions, the UP is doing that all by itself.

[Anonymous]

When I saw Erik's photo of that gorgeous UP business train, I was sure that that was the picture I was going to vote for. But then I saw Mike's photo and immediately knew that it was the one I had to vote for! I'm partial to first generation diesels and it really is just such a great picture!

[Anonymous]

i like the full view of any pasanger trail glennbob

[kicksvette]

OK So it's Sunday afternoon. I'm enjoying an ice cold adult beverage while catching the NASCAR race and unwinding from some spring yardwork. The phone rings and it's a friend of mine saying that he's out at Rochelle and that Uncle Pete just sent a business train through headed eastbound. Hello... That means it's coming at me. I grab the camera, the cooler and the scanner and head over to the Harley Road bridge over the main between Elburn and LaFox. I figure I can catch a bit of action while waiting for something a bit special. Got there in time but not much happening. Off in the distance looks like a parked westbound. Finally see eastbound headlights and figure it's the biz train, As it gets closer I realize that the power is all wrong. Seems my so-called bud forgot to mention that it was a late model GE and not UP's excursion E's pulling a rather short consist. When I heard from him later that day I chewed on him for the incomplete info. And now I have to vote on a pic of that same train. Had UP sent 949 and 951 Eric would have got the vote but UP screwed us all allowing Mike's shot of some classic units on WSOR to get the vote this week.

[lhtalbot]

Looks like I've gone against the flow again this time. Both photos leave something to be desired, but, as Eric said, you don't always have the chance for the "perfect photo" opportunity. So, you do the best you can with what you have to work with. That's why I picked Eric's. You got a complete shot. Mike's is good (the sign really helps) but all you can see is the front of the engine (well, maybe a hint of passenger cars?).
Actually, the best shot is the one on the WSOR page, it should make their calendar!
Larry in Wauwatosa

[Anonymous]

I used to live in thew western suburbs seeing the CN&W go by and seeing the UP cruise by into Chicago. Living out west now I have to go with the UP, since thats what goes thru Las Vega$. Rich Essig

[Anonymous]

Mike's web shot is the best of all. Must get myself one of those cameras as you people do a great job.