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Train of Thought
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Matt finds the trains in TRAINS’ backyard: Sunrise silhouette

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Throughout the month of August, I want to try a photography project that focuses on the trains in TRAINS Magazine's backyard. How many different pictures can be taken in a circle extending 10.27 miles from downtown Waukesha, Wis.? I woke up way before my alarm clock the other weekend, got in the car, followed some muffled scanner transmissions, and found Canadian National local L510 putting its train together at North Duplainville, Wis. This local shuttles cars from CN's classification...
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Matt finds the trains in TRAINS’ backyard: The Kalmbach office you might not know about

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Throughout the month of August, I want to share photographs of the trains in TRAINS Magazine's backyard. How many different pictures can be made in a circle extending 10.27 miles from Waukesha, Wis.?Three days into the project, and I'm about to break my own rule. Today we're venturing 16 rail miles east of Waukesha to the town of Wauwatosa, Wis.Here's why: Although trains do not literally run through Kalmbach Publishing Co.'s backyard today, at one time they actually did! O...
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Matt finds the trains in TRAINS’ backyard: Crossroads of Canada

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Throughout the month of August, I want to share photographs of the trains in TRAINS Magazine's backyard. How many different pictures can be made in a circle extending 10.27 miles from Waukesha, Wis.? Spend any time train-watching in southeastern Wisconsin and at some point or another you will wind up in Duplainville, which is 5 miles north of Waukesha. I've dubbed this location the "crossroads of Canada," since there is a diamond here, where Canadian National's main line ...
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Riding through the floods Part 4: Toronto to Chicago by rail… and taxi

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Covering the passenger rail beat is always a challenge, but sometimes you stumble across more opportunities than you bargained for. That was especially true this past May and June, when a simple train trip to North Dakota turned into a week-long, international rail odyssey after Mother Nature unleashed her fury across the Upper Midwest (part 1). Now, I'm trying to get home after a week of alternate routes, rental cars, and unplanned train rides (part 2).  Highways and airlines alone d...
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Matt finds the trains in TRAINS’ backyard: Milepost 0

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Last month, Drew Halverson embarked on a fantastic photography project, taking a different railroad photograph each day and sharing the results with you. He did a great job coming up with new and creative ways to photograph in familiar locations. This month, I thought I would try a photography project of my own with you that involves finding out more about the trains in TRAINS Magazine's backyard. The TRAINS office is 20 miles west of Milwaukee in a suburb called Waukesha. TRAINS moved to ...
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Riding through the floods Part 3: Bob Johnston's Canadian notebook

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Guest blog series from Bob Johnston  Covering the passenger rail beat is always a challenge, but sometimes you stumble across more opportunities than you bargained for. That was especially true this past May and June, when massive flooding turned a train trip to North Dakota into a week-long rail adventure that had me riding trains in two different countries, going hundreds of miles out of the way. Here's a blow-by-blow account of a week-long adventure that contributed to the researc...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: What a ride!

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Top of the morning! Today marks the end of my month-long photo journey. It's been a challenge but fun, and I can walk away knowing that I found plenty of new photo opportunities in the Milwaukee area. Thanks for following along and sharing your comments. Check back later this week for a full recap! July 29 A FedEx MultiModal crosses the mouth of the Menomonee River on this hot BNSF detour train in downtown Milwaukee. The train heads south to Chicago. Canon EOS 30D, 7/29/2011, 1/6 sec, f/18...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Wisconsin & Southern makes an overdue appearance

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Two Wisconsin & Southern MP15 switchers haul the Milwaukee Job out of Canadian Pacific's Muskego Yard on a warm summer night. Canon EOS 30D, 7/1/2011, 1/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320, 70mm. Drew Halverson photo It's been a while since the Wisconsin & Southern has been featured in my photo project. It's been too long. I wasn't able to get trackside yesterday, so I'm taking a photo from the backup folder. This photo is at a new location and of a new train, so it counts! And,...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Canadian National races through the night

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
A southbound Canadian National train races through the night at Duplainville, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, 7/26/2011, 10.0 sec (Bulb), f/8, ISO 200, 18mm, handheld shutter release. Drew Halverson photo After a great round of golf (I shot an 89 and whopped up on Trains Art Director Tom Danneman, Senior Graphic Designer Scott Krall, and Single Copy Sales Director Jerry Burstein), I decided it was time to try another night shot. Being near Canadian National's Fond du Lac, Wis.-Chicago main line, I had ...
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Grab a bowl! I’m ladling out locomotives

Posted 12 years ago by Angela Pusztai-Pasternak
Locomotives are a veritable vegetable soup. If it wasn’t for Jim Kerr’s Official Locomotive Rosters and Kalmbach’s Railroad Reference books, I don’t know what I would do. Between reporting marks and locomotive types, railroads made texting cool before we had a name for it. E and F units, in particular, tend to boggle my brain. So, let’s hash them out, or dice them up, or just julienne this locomotive buffet. Let’s begin with the Es. EMC built 6 models of th...
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Notes from Train Festival: What you might have missed even if you were there

Posted 12 years ago by Jim Wrinn
It's been a couple of days now since Train Festival 2011 concluded in Rock Island, Ill., and I finally have had time to adjust to not baking in 100-degree heat on a daily basis while thousands of people mill around hot, heavy metal and fawn over live steamers and model railroads. I've also become reconciled to fact that there's not a steam train running every afternoon at 2 p.m. For shame! So, from the air-conditioned, steam train-less comfort of my office, here are a few thoughts an...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Lovin' the low, wide angle

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Two Canadian Pacific (ex-SOO) SD60Ms haul autoracks at Maple Street en route to Chicago. Canon EOS 30D, 7/25/2011, 0.5 sec, f/22, ISO 100, 18mm. Drew Halverson photo With only one week left in my month-long photo challenge, I'm finding it difficult to find new vantage points in my familiar territory. However, I wanted to hit a popular location, in this case Maple Street in downtown Milwaukee along Canadian Pacific's C&M subdivision, and try a shot that isn't a typical wedge, fea...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Catching up!

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
July 22 A Union Pacific distributed power unit pushes the rear of a westbound coal train on the Adams line in Merton, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, 7/8/2011, 1/1250 sec, f/8, ISO 250, 141mm. Drew Halverson photo What I like: The black-and-white treatment. This motif isolates the gleaming rails, the locomotive's silhouette, and its exhaust. What I don't like:  Those "lovely" high tension wires adjacent to the Adams line for miles. What I learned:  When th...
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Riding through the floods Part 2: What do you do when train cancellations put you inside the story you’re covering?

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Guest blog series from Bob Johnston Covering the passenger rail beat is always a challenge, but sometimes you stumble across more opportunities than you bargained for. That was especially true this past May and June, when massive flooding turned a train trip to North Dakota into a week-long rail adventure that had me riding trains in two different countries, going hundreds of miles out of the way. My discretionary train-riding soon gave way to booking trips of necessity, as travel options quic...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Attempting a pan shot

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Canadian National No. 2319 quickly moves a southbound manifest through Sussex, Wis., as the sun prepares to heat things up. Canon EOS 30D, 7/21/2011, 1/40 sec, f 16, ISO 125, 18mm. Drew Halverson photo I started the day off right today! I met up with Trains Art Director Tom Danneman to railfan before work. This southbound train showed up when I did and provided for an early effort. It's a "pan shot" attempt, where I basically tried to capture the train with the background ...
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Riding through the floods Part 1: Bob Johnston’s Empire Builder notebook

Posted 12 years ago by Matt Van Hattem
Guest blog series from Bob Johnston Covering the passenger rail beat is always a challenge, but sometimes you stumble across more opportunities than you bargained for. That was especially true this past May and June, when massive flooding turned a train trip to North Dakota into a week-long rail adventure that had me riding trains in two different countries, going hundreds of miles out of the way. My discretionary train-riding soon gave way to booking trips of necessity, as trave...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Canadian Pacific in the morning

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Led by lone Canadian Pacific GEVO, Minneapolis-Bensenville, Ill., train 182 heads south at Grand Avenue in Milwaukee, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, 7/20/2011, 6:42 am, 1/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400, 18mm. Drew Halverson photo  I crawled out of bed early this morning in hopes of catching some action on the Canadian Pacific. The railroad did not disappoint! Four trains in an hour around Milwaukee made for fun railfanning before work. What I like:  This location on the Wisconsin Avenue bridg...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Fresh perspective at a less-traveled location

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Elgin, Joliet & Eastern No. 666 leads a freight northbound at Ackerville, Wis., on a sunny July afternoon. Canon EOS 30D, 7/2/2011, 1/1250 sec. f/6.3, ISO 125, 18mm. Drew Halverson photo I pulled this one out of the backup stash from this month, as I wasn't able to get trackside yesterday. This image is taken from a new perspective and from a location I've only photographed a few times. However, Ackerville, Wis., is a popular railfan location. What I like:  The wide a...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Featuring Canadian National, Union Pacific, Indiana Rail Road, and bird poop

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
What a scorcher of a weekend, with a lot of action on the local railroads! Here are a quick three, featuring Canadian National, Union Pacific and Indiana Rail Road. Please leave your comments here or on our Trains Facebook page or Twitter. I'll be sure to check in throughout the day! July 16 A northbound CN freight rounds a curve into North Sussex, Wis., passing beneath the Union Pacific Adams line. Canon EOS 30D, 7/16/2011, 1/1000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 125, 92mm. Drew Halverso...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Busting out the telephoto lens

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
A hot RoadRailer train works its way south on Union Pacific, about to roll under the intersection of Highway 100 and Bluemound Road in Wauwatosa, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, 7/15/2011, 1/800, f/5.6, ISO 400, 141mm. Drew Halverson photo I've been using my wide angle lens a lot throughout my photo project this month, since it helps me to gain new perspectives around the city. I decided to try my telephoto lens this morning at a spot I've often wanted to try. At the busy in...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: If at first you don't succeed

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Leading a locomotive trio featuring the YN2 paint scheme, CSX C40-8W No. 7834 rolls west on the Adams line in Merton, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, July 13, 2011, 1/800 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320, 84mm. Drew Halverson photo   Let’s add CSX to the list of railroads featured in this monthly photo challenge! For this photograph, I returned to Merton, Wis., on Union Pacific’s Adams line (see “Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Starring Union Pacific, CITX, with special guest Miller...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Slaying Duplainville

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Amtrak's westbound Empire Builder, piloted by legendary hogger Craig Willett, flies by Duplainville, Wis., on a cloudy July afternoon. Canon EOS 30D, 7/12/2011, 1/1000 sec, f/9, ISO 200, 34mm. Drew Halverson photo I'm back on the saddle today and quite happy after slaying the proverbial dragon of Duplainville. If you're local, and even if you're not, you've probably heard of Duplainville, Wis., where the Canadian Pacific crosses the Canadian National....
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Practice makes improvement

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Union Pacific's MSSPR rolls by Habanero's Mexican Kitchen in Wauwatosa, Wis., on a clear summer night. Canon EOS 30D, 7/11/2011, 0.8 sec, f/11, ISO 250, 18mm. Drew Halverson photo Here's the first photo of the series I'd like to have back. I contemplated not even using it, but then Trains Senior Graphic Designer Scott Krall reminded me that this is what the month-long adventure is all about: trying new shots, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. As always, he...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Starring Union Pacific, CITX, with special guest Miller Park

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
July 8 Union Pacific No. 7261 leads Weston coal loads through Merton, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, 7/8/2011, 1/1000 sec, f/8, ISO 250, 161mm. Drew Halverson photos I'm soaking wet right now, after this month's first big storm. And I fell climbing the stairs at work this morning (just thought I add that for a laugh)! Still, the weather this past weekend was really nice, even though, as far as the trains go, it was just "one of those weekends." The lack of timely rail ...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: Starring Canadian Pacific's former Iowa, Chicago & Eastern

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
Canadian Pacific's former Iowa, Chicago & Eastern SD40-2 No. 6404, named the "City of Everly," crosses the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, 7/7/2011, 1/800 sec. f/7.1, ISO 400, 39mm. Drew Halverson photo  That right there is my favorite shot of the month so far! The whole reason I took on this rail photo challenge was to find new perspectives within the territory I thought I knew so well. Last night, I explored three different locations ...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: July 6

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
The recently remodeled Sixth Street bridge stands tall over the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. Canon EOS 30D, 7/6/2011, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 125, 70mm. Drew Halverson photo Last night was one of those difficult evenings because the weather was perfect, but the railroads weren't very busy. So, I went downtown to the Milwaukee Intermodal Station where one of Amtrak's Milwaukee-Chicago Hiawatha trains was parked at the platform. No. 186 caught my eye, providing an entert...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: July 5

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
A northbound Canadian National freight passes under Union Pacific's Adams line in Sussex, Wis., and prepares to roll under the photographer's position on the Bugline trail. Canon EOS 30D, July 5, 2011, 1/1600 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100, 18mm. Drew Halverson photo On this fine summer afternoon, Trains Art Director Tom Danneman and I stopped trackside after work. Knowing we had a northbound Canadian National train approaching, we opted for a shot from the Bugline bike trail in Sussex, Wi...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: July 4

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
A pair of Norfolk Southern engines moves alongside State Street past Hector's Mexican Restaurant in Wauwatosa, Wis. Canon EOS 30D, 7/4/2011, 1/100 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, 18mm. Drew Halverson photo On July 4, I went to Wauwatosa, Wis. The Canadian Pacific double track main runs parallel to State Street, where you can find great restaurants, bars, and parks. One of my favorites is Hector's, known for great Mexican cuisine and an even better view of the rail action! I wanted to tak...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: July 1-3

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
July 1 SOO GP38-2 No. 4449 and crew rumble back to Canadian Pacific's Muskego Yard in downtown Milwaukee after switching out cars at Lonestar. Canon EOS 30D, 7/1/2011, 1/800 sec, f/8, ISO 200, 141mm. Drew Halverson photos What a great Fourth of July weekend, filled with a lot of relaxation and trains! Just a few days into my rail photography project, where I'm striving to photograph 31 different trains from new perspectives in Southeastern Wisconsin, and time is flying!...
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Drew's Fantastic Train Photo Adventure: July 1

Posted 12 years ago by D-Halv
The Norfolk Southern-powered RoadRailer heads west into the sunset on Union Pacific's Adams line in Sussex, Wis. as cattails reach for the sky, on June 29, 2011. Camera info: Canon EOS 30D, f/5.6, ISO 400, 18mm, 1/400 sec. Photo by Drew Halverson Happy July everyone! We've got temperatures in the 90s today in Waukesha, Wis., and I'm pumped! Summer has finally arrived, which is one reason why I decided to challenge my railroad photography skills. Summertime ...
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