General Discussion

Really liked all of the shots. The new folks really brought out some incredible stuff! I simply found the mood of Otto's shot irresistible. Plus, the technical aspect of getting the indoor and outdoor lighting balance correct was impressive! I probably would have popped my flash for a little fill, and completely screwed up the shot with the window reflection. Bravo.

(did I get enough multisyllable words starting with "I" in that paragraph?)

This one is not easy at all... Right off the top Elron's shot captured me, then I saw Kathi's, then Andy's, then Tom's shots... I must have gone back and forth a dozen times... before I picked Andy's. This is not to say the others weren't fantastic... but these four caught my attention. In fact, I'm still looking them over... Alex's Heber Valley picture would make a nice jigsaw puzzle with so many great textures and shapes... Mike's picture of the returning local was a great end of shift picture... I could almost sense the weariness of the crew.

So much to look over... so many great shots.

Thank you!!

 Allen

This is the hardest pick in a good long time. WELL DONE to all the photographers. I went back and looked at each one several times. Each time spotting something else I liked in another shot. I finally settled on Elrond's shot, but it was difficult.

I have some Amtrak shots at that Tosa bridge location,so I am familiar with that spot. There used to be a signal just East of the bridge, but I see they took them out.

Who would have thought 'vertical shot' in a bridge theme, but I see we got not one but two!  Both nice.

Thanks again for an outstanding Vol

Larry in Wauwatosa

I am impressed by the variety, shape and size of railroad bridges in the photos submitted this week.  My vote went to Mike Yuhas, not because the bridge itself was impressive, but because I like the way the sunrise's light perfectly silhouetted the bridge and glints on the rails.  I have to say, I am a bit surprised nobody had a photo of the bridge made famous in the 'Harry Potter' movies tucked away in their archives.  

What a super group of photos in the running this time around.

Andy gets my vote for a couple of reasons.  As I type this I'm about 3 miles from the BNSF Mandan-Bismarck bridge.  Long ago, I snooped around out there and marveled at the ageless beauty of the structure.  I worked in Bismarck for several years...later, my parents had a home less than a mile from the bridge...and I also remember it even earlier when visiting Bismarck as a kid.  Oh...I neglected to mention that I've ridden across it many times on Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha, and Northern Pacific's North Coast Limited and Mainstreeter.

Anyone who's ever seen the photo of the long line of steam engines parked on the bridge shortly after construction to "test" it just has to be at least a little impressed.  I don't have a copy on the laptop or I'd insert it here.

Sentimentality aside, the shot could only have been better if the beautiful North Coast Limited had been gliding off the bridge.

By  the way...where were you for that shot Andy?  Soaring with a flock of Canadian geese?  What a vantage point!

TJB - Nashville, TN (on the road in North Dakota)

Lots of excellent pictures, but as usual I consider how they match the theme to be equally important.  Had to go with Andy's shot.  We see the entire bridge and it stands out as a primary visual element.  Its purpose is clearly shown in the picture, and the train confirms the railroad context. 

In a number of other entries the bridge is very much secondary to the train or scenery, even if they might be deserving winners under a different category or theme.

 John

WOW! I felt like a kid in a candy store. I am a big time bridge fan.Looking at each picture was like opening presents on Christmas morning. After a long debate with myself,I voted for Elrond's shot of the Santa Cruz local.The fog set the perfect mood for the photo.I rode the Santa Cruz branch in 1996 on a Suntan Special fantrip,which was another reason I voted for that picture.

So many to chose from.  All great photos.  Worked it down to three but unfortunately could only vote for one.  Andy's, Tom's and Drew's all stood out for me but Tom's got my vote.  The different coloured loco's and bridge really did it for me.  Good one Tom and well done all.

Choo Aussie

TOMinTN:

By  the way...where were you for that shot Andy?  Soaring with a flock of Canadian geese?  What a vantage point!

Tom —

Thanks for your vote! The answer: I parked in the back lot of one of the buildings at Bismarck State College and walked back to that location. At the time, the snow was melting and the hillside was covered in mud. Jerry and I were in a bit of a hurry to get to that location, as we knew our train was taking a pull from Mandan, and I slipped on the mud and stuck my hands out underneath me to break my fall. One hand landed in a pile of snow, the other in the mud. Fortunately, I had a minute or so at the location before the train showed up to clean my hand off so as not to get any mud on the camera!

My co-workers often poke fun at me for my obsession with the Dakotas, but that region is absolutely beautiful. I'm planning to return to the Mandan area later this year in the hopes of shooting trains between there and the Montana border, particularly in the Badlands. I also want to shoot the Zap Line, which we scoped out this spring but weren't able to catch any trains on.

Thanks to everybody for your enthusiasm this round. It's good to see a tight competition like this. I'd add that, after seeing all the shots, Elrond's became a fast favorite of mine, and I began to suspect he'd eventually pull it out. It's looking that way right now, though things could still change. I note I was below Tom Danneman first thing this morning, but just now I looked and am ahead by just a tiny bit. I agree with what seems to be the consensus here: This is a really cool edition of Trackside.

Best,

Andy Cummings
Associate Editor
TRAINS Magazine
Waukesha, Wis.

I hate to say it,but if the public had sent a couple of these dark pics in they would have been returned to sender...TOO DARK ! Ireally like all of them but dark dont do it for me...

Voted for Kathy's shot which I thought unique for its' perspective and great camera angles. It has a rather epheremerial feeling as if the bridge and track were a unity, suddenly appearing, then , dissapearing into the beyond. Unfortunately to these old eyes the image also has the appearance of being "photoshopped": i.e. the tracks / bridge weren't really there at that beautiful gorge (creek, gully, streambed) but was shot somewhere else and the whole image edited to produce the result.

But then Kathy wouldn't do such trickery to submit a possibly winning photo.

I still intend to use it as wallpaper - reminds me of my "growing up" days in Ohio and Indiana.

Thanks LOTS, DadH

All good photos for a bunch of reasons.

But Elrond's photo seems to tell a story better than the others, and it is a beautiful picture.