Kent's photo, with its simple yet strong and dramatic red-on-white impact, gets my vote. Mike's shot is a good composition, to be sure (and I'm not going to deduct for the luck, having had lucky shots of my own published) but the lighting is a bit on the dull side. Actually, and I wonder if anyone else agrees, my favorite of the bunch is Kent's previous shot with the train in the distance. There's a sense of anticipation, and the undulating rails, stark against the snow, add interest and draw the eye deeply into the scene, right to the approaching train. Just a thought.
Ctrain
Sorry, Kent, but I just did not have the heart to vote for your this time, even though it is a spectacular shot, I just HAD to vote for the two UP coal trains meeting for three reasons.
Eureka, MO is a suburb of the City of St. Louis, my hometown, The line is on Union Pacific's Jefferson City Sub (Freq. 161.220 MHz) and three, I was in Kirkwood, MO and saw BOTH these trains. However, the Eastbound stalled on the hill (Kirkwood Hill) when the DPU ran out of fuel.
If Mike had not posted the shot from Eureka, your shot would have gotten my vote...I vote for anything St. Louis!
Two absolutely marvelous shots for this week's vote!! I'm totally stunned by the sheer beauty of both!
In the end, my decision had to come down to a matter of personal evocation of feel. The perfect alignment of the lead engine and DPU in Mike's UP shot is what makes it very appealing, although to me, Kent's CP photo evokes the feeling of much more power, with the consist blowing up snow and the trackside angle giving a strong feeling of "comin' at ya!!" This is what took me most, and Kent got my vote for this week.
Kent modestly noted in the column that he's just lucky to get the lens cap off. Well, let me tell you, his shot makes anything I've ever shot look like chicken feed (I'm so bad with cameras, digital or otherwise, and I don't know why; guess they just don't like me). In my opinion, he's a much better shot than I can hope to be!
- Bryan
I aagree with past posters that Mike probably did enter the wrong picture, because that purple sky shot is absolutely stunning!
But several weeks ago I mentioned his website and the fact that he had some great shots from around Eureka, Missouri (my birth-state). It was neat to see some of that coal train action here. I couldn't help myself. In spite of my partiality and predelection to the asymmetrical, the parallel union of those two trains was just too big of a fascinating coincidence to ignore. Very cool.
Admittedly it always hard to pass up "Red Train White Snow", but I sided with Mike on this one.
Whoops, I just saw the results of the voting so far. hmmmmmm, looks like it's haiku time:
Red trains on white snow
turns Mike's pricey camera
into paperweight.
A mile from the tracks, but I still hear the whistle! Cleveland, Tennessee
Last time I voted for the shot in the snow. And it probably took a similar effort for Kent to get this shot. I wonder what a shot taken a few seconds later would look like!
Nonetheless, I had to go with Mike's shot this time. As somone said, there's a story there. Maybe more than one (this is why the Missouri Amtrak trains can't run on time!). And when you think of all of the probable outcomes of where the two units came together side by side, this was probably the best.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
nanaimo73 wrote: This is just like last week, Mike takes the best shot and then enters the wrong photo for voting. I voted for Kent, but I would have prefered to vote for the photo of WSOR GP38 3803 and WC GP40-2 3017 with that purple sky.
This is just like last week, Mike takes the best shot and then enters the wrong photo for voting. I voted for Kent, but I would have prefered to vote for the photo of WSOR GP38 3803 and WC GP40-2 3017 with that purple sky.
I agree. I voted for Kent because the picture reminds me of what I see outside. It's the sort of shot I could have taken if I had gotten out and scouted the area.
However, that being said....IF Mike had only.....*sigh* Mike, you trying to throw the game or something?
Sorry Mike,
Maybe its the fact I have a soft spot for CP, but if you would have entered the loaded and empty's on the curve, I would have had a much harder time deciding. All are great shots though!
Thanks,
Chuck
Well, I did vote for Mikes photo, it tipped the scale barely. But had Ken submitted the "snowy passing train"-shot ("Blowing snow from the passing train darkens the sky at Pewaukee") he would have gotten my vote .... I really like the fuzzy image of the back of the train and the sharp contrast of the signs to the left. Great Shot!!!
Regards
zikkan
Red engine, white snow...repeat after me...red engine, white snow...red engine, white snow.....!
Have I been hypnotized by that repetitious siren call, or are the photos really that good?
Must be, because I voted for my second of that ilk against another very striking competitor. What didn't I like about the UP shot? Too perfect! Is that possible?
TJB
Nashville, TN
I will also repeat....'Great job to both of you.' It was tough, but I had to go with the CP Snow scene of Kent's. The side by side is a 'chance in a lifetime' shot. I must congratulate both of you for your great shots.
Of all the pictures in this posting, I chose the picture with the odd light showing two trains in the snow including Wisconsin Southern. This is the one that's going in MY screen saver. It's so good that my wife, who is NOT a train person, appreciated it. I voted for the intermodal in the snow, but I would have voted for the half-light show.
This is gonna be a close one. I wasn't sure a t first which one I was going to pick but in the end I went with Mike's. If Kent's had been taken from a little farther back and showed a little more of the trees on either side it might have won with me. Also it was a tiny bit washed out along the bottem of the pic in front of the train(one of those problems with well lit snow shots). As for Mikes the two trains lined up on the curve and with the interest of the empty vs. loaded railcars and the little bit of green with the trees above the locos noses made it my pick.
Good job to both and thanks for another great edition of Trackside.
emmar
P.S. As the winner (for me anyway) Mike's shot has taken its rightful place on my computer desk top till the end of the week .
Like previous posters have commented this is a tough battle for the win! At time of voting, Kent was just ahead. BTW aboard Kent.
My vote went with Mike and his UP shot. That is a very rare event that is almost imposible to achieve unless you know specifics of each train you want to capture. The thing that got me with this shot is that the DPU (I'll have to Google that for definition) is pushing. I would have expected the unit to be the other way around. But I can see that it then leaves the loco pointed the right way for decending the hill after the climb.
The competition could have been made a little harder Mike if you had used your first shot. That one tweaked my interest.
Kent, nice shots, but like others, I would have a harder time with the distant shot for same reasons already stated. However with your selected shot you missed out only because of the uniqueness of the meet of the front of one train with the back of another and the cab being in at the very back of the uphill train.
BTW Erik, I counted 11 pics. Thats unless you were not counting the shot of Kent in the "van".
StephenDx: Computers and trains are my greatest interests GMT +12hrs (+13 in summer)
mandelswamp wrote:Mike, it looks to me that you are letting all of the guest photographers win the first go round so you can sucker them in on the future rematches!
Sssshhh! Don't spoil my fun
These were great! I understand the timing, rarity, etc of the two UP trains, but Kent's shot shows movement and direction . . . a great shot. While a wider shot might have been better, this shot conveys all I need to know that the CP is moving fast and furious toward me. Mike, I actually liked the line of empties with the engines coming up on the inside of the curve better than the one you entered. Had you entered that one I'd still be bouncing back and forth trying to decide the best.
Allen
Having worked for 15 years for EL/Conrail, I remember many winter moments. So I really enjoyed your effort Kent, keep up the good work. I enjoy this feature very much and I thank all who contribute to the column, it's a blast.
PE 3&4
WOW again! This IS getting harder each vol. I think this is the first time I have voted & seen the results exactly 50/50. Both shots excellent. I went with Mikes because the "difficulty of getting the shot" factor is a little greater. Admittedly, the luck thing has great bearing, but I think we all have a shot or two we are proud of, even tho we lucked out on it.
Thanks again for a great Vol 85
Larry in Wauwatosa
....I like both shots. I must use the fact Mike's shot contains two UP trains perfectly caught side by side, and I understand moving, is kind of a rare encounter.
Kent, your shot is equally as good as a photograph. I simply must use the content of Mikes shot to make a distinction and hence vote for the UP encounter.
Edit: I did my commentary before I peeked at any other...
Quentin
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