Trackside with Erik and Mike, Vol. 30: May 2, 2005

[Bergie]

This week's installment of Trackside with Erik and Mike is now live within the Railroading section on the Trains.com home page. Please read this week's column and then vote for your favorite photo below. Click here to read Trackside with Erik and Mike Vol. 30.

[Anonymous]

That green BN was a killer! Such great color!

[Anonymous]

Mike, interesting close-up.

[Anonymous]

Erick gets my vote, I like the shot of the ballast being dumped along the right of way and
the shot of the BN engine with the man on the front. It adds the man in controll effect !

Robert McLeod
Shamrock, Texas

[Anonymous]

Erick gets my vote, I like the shot of the ballast being dumped along the right of way and
the shot of the BN engine with the man on the front. It adds the man in controll effect !

[knowsme]

Erik's shot touched my heart - very special to me.

[lhtalbot]

Both shots pretty good. I kept going back to Erik's so it gets the vote.
Not very scientific, I know!!
Larry

[brilondon]

I voted for the BNSF picture because of the detail it shows and the old locomotive it is showing.

[Anonymous]

Man over machine.

Mike's photo and caption are a recognition to technologie, but still requires a man (person(?)) to do the job. That's what Eric's photo captured.

Damián
=============

[ValorStorm]

Neither photo shows any sky. But Erik's is taken FROM the sky, and that's just as good for drawing in my attention.

[Anonymous]

I voted for Erik's photo this time, for the color, the detail, and the human element.

I also liked Mike's photo, but not as much. I found it educational (I didn't know how that was done), but visually a bit boring, despite the action that's taking place. If you ever compile all of these into a book, however, I would want to see it there.

[Anonymous]

I liked all the pictures this time. Erik's is a very dramatic comparison of how a grown man is tiny compared to a locomotive, but it is the tiny controlling the strong. Mike's picture is interesting in showing how ballast is deposited. But being a long time BN fan, I like Erik's picture better.

[Anonymous]

I too went with Erik. Seeing the groundhog out there on the front porch reminds me of my days on CSX and taking power to the house after a long long trip. Mike's photo is interesting as a document of a new technology which very few people have seen in action. It is my understanding that the Hertzog train actually uses GPS to open and close the doors at crossings and bridges. They are already working on a technology (or it may already be in use) where a track inspector will basically ultrasound the trackbed to see where any lowspots or weepers and various other things are, using this along with GPS the ballast train can be programmed to dump just the right amount of ballast at certain locations instead just opening the door and letting it drop.

Personally, I would have voted for the "roster" shot of the WC unit at the crossing with part of the Grand Am and the gates...:)

[081440]

Too close to call!! Mike's shot is great, for those with "proper" monitor settings, and so is Erik's. [(-D] [:D] [tup] [wow]

[Anonymous]

I like eric's pic because it shows how tiring(spelling?) the job can be!