Trackside with Erik and Mike, Vol. 44: December 5, 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. 44.

[JoeKoh]

always like yard shots.thats why i voted for A
stay safe
Joe

[081440]

B is just better! The locomotive seems to be nicely framed in front of the biulding, it is not just a run of the mill three-quarter shot. Great Job!!

I like seeing the annonymous voting return. [:D] [tup]

[Anonymous]

Yard shot got me. I had to go with A.

Also, did anyone else notice that the locomotive numbers are 6214 and 6215? On 14, the ditch lights are mounted high, and 15's are mounted low, just above the plow. Also, 15 has a replaced AC unit(?), as shown by the BNSF orange. Looks as if the road grime is about the same on both units. Hmm, I'll have to add this to my "Weathering Inspiration" file.

Thanks for the great photos again, guys. Since BNSF doesn't run around here, I have no way of knowing what locomotives 6214 and 6215 are. I'm guessing GP60. Can anyone clear this up?

[PBenham]

Shot B with the CP AC44 coming out from under (Chicago Union?) looks colder in that the snow in the beam of the headlight, conveys the conditions more dramatically. Not that shot A is bad, but yard shots without more snow are still yard shots.Also, the railroaders didn't look too uncomfortable.As to BNSF 6214 and 6215: they are among the surviving SD39s Santa Fe bought way back when(1969). They have been rebuilt once (1985,mostly) and moved to their current duties in hump yard service. I hope that helps, USPSCSX. There aren't too many SD39s left these days!

[Noah Hofrichter]

Went with Exhibit A because I thought it was better composed, although Photo B intrigued me. I belive it was taken at the East end of The Amtrak Station in Milwaukee WI, and I've never seen exactly this angle tried before. I may just have to try it myself sometime when I'm down there!

Noah

[Anonymous]

I went with A. Like the 2 locos together, and the bird's eye view.

HAPPY TRAINWATCHING IN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON[C):-)]

[Anonymous]

Even though you can see the snow coming down in front of the headlights in Photo B, you can almost feel the cold in Photo A with the frozen ground around the tracks. Around where I live, when it does snow on those rare occasions, the air doesn't feel as cold as when the snow isn't falling.

The twin locomotives in the yard almost side-by-side was definitely a nice touch for the day (in spite of the orange replacement A/C unit).

[Anonymous]

Both shots are great but have to go with A. Thats a real working railroad - people and all - in less than ideal weather.

[Anonymous]

What's seems even stranger to me about A is that the horns on the locos are on the engineers side as opposed to the conductors side.

[Richard A]

Given the topic, exhibit A wins my vote hands down. Although, neither picture shows visual evidence of really cold weather (I live in upsate New York, so I know!), exhibit A shows the two yard workers bundled up against the cold. And a yard always connotes "work" to me.

[jgfuller]

Looks like trim engines at maybe Argentine or Galesburg. Track in extremely good shape for a yard -- looks like a recent upgrade or rebuild. The humps always get the glory; the work is at the trim end of the yard. One roster on the web shows BNSF 6200-6219 as SD39's. It shows the ATSF units as 1556-1575. Typical trim power.

[jwillard44]

Photo B didn't stand a chance with me. My choice had little to do with the quality of the photography, except that I like to see shots from above once in a while, to counter the humdrum of shots from the ground (even I can get those, and I am handicapped). But photo A had these points going for it: ..1) Santa Fe, my favorite RR until the merger. ..2) The overhead view. ..3) Two old men (the engines) still in SF colors with the old Logo. What a find. ..4) EMD. While not a GM fan, I have always liked EMD locos over GE, especially since I learned that some of the GE engines burned as much fuel in the exhaust stack as in the cylinders. ..5) I liked the inclusion of the real world, people, moving truck, snow, tracks, without too much foreshortening from a long lens. Congratulations Photographer A.

[Chris Owens]

Hi Folks,
I really beleive that Pic. B is the Best Shot, It is more Complete than the Santa Fe's, in pic A. The yard effect is not complete, where as you see more texture in Pic. B ie Snow and sleet[^]
and I to agree Cascade Green Rules[bow]

[Anonymous]

Love Yard Shots, I just wish more of it (in the rear) was in the Picture!
A for Me.