Parked along the Chillicothe sub. in Coal city Il. the other day, saw an East bound on Main 2 coming slow, thought I would get some great shots as he went by. I waved with camera in hand as the Train went through the crossing, to my surprized he stopped with 4 UP Loco's in the consist. Was able to get some great shots . (3) SD70ACe and (1) SD 70AH haualing Containers, he gave 2 short horn blast and started putting in the power. I gave another big wave and headed back to the car, what a great Railfan day that was.
Not stop for a photo per say but for other reasons and I grabbed some shots like that. I have had them cut their ditch lights, etc off as they pass so I could get some shots which I think is really cool!
Jay
Chances are the train was stopped at a red signal and not just so you could take photos.
How did you wave? Waving both hands over your head is an emergency stop signal.
Ran the locomotive for a photo special for a PBS program last fall. They had several locations they wanted good shots of, so it was stop, drop them off, back up, run past them, stop, back up, run past them again. Maybe a third time. Then back up and pick them up so we could do it again further up the line...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I live across the street from the Union Pacific main line in West Chicago, IL. Back in March of 2009 I was working in my yard when I heard a train coming. I looked up to see that it was the UP Olympic Torch units 2001 & 2002 heading east, running light with UPY 635. I just happened (for once) to have my camera with me. I fired off 2 shots as I ran down the driveway to the street as the train was in front of my house. About 100 yards past my house, the train came to a stop, with the previously open cab window now closed. I ran down the street to get in front of the train and get 5 or 6 more shots. The cab window opened, and the engineer yelled "Did you get your shots?" I said yes and he gave me a thumbs up and off they went continuing east.
I once was photographing a Reading Company local in the Anthracite region of Pennsylvania and the locomotive stopped right in front of me. The engineer leaned out and asked, "Are you getting on or not?" Of course I did and for the next two hours I was treated to the sounds and smells of an RS3.
Left hand wave and right hand holding camera.
LION was riding the cab with an LIRR engineer/friend. Approaching Oyster Bay, he stopped his train so that we could get some photos of the bay. Needless to say, this was a long time ago.
About 25 years ago I saw a locomotive sitting on the main line. Since I was up on the team track dock, I stepped on to a flat car to get some pictrues of the locomtoive and with the train behind it. It did not occur to me that the locomotive was long hood forward. LIRR always ran long hood forward in the C-421 days.
I took my pictures, stepped off of the flat car, and there were two loud blasts from the locomotive attached to the flat car, and they pulled it away.
Situational Awareness, you gotta see everything at once.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
The train charters that the late Bill Raia organized -- where a steam powered freight train would make repeated runs through a pre determined set of locations, often with historic automobiles "just happening" to pull up to the crossing -- are about as close as I have come to that situation. They'd make repeated runs for as long as we (paying) customers asked, then a caravan to the next spot. Great fun and well worth the money.
Dave Nelson
DS4-4-1000 I once was photographing a Reading Company local in the Anthracite region of Pennsylvania and the locomotive stopped right in front of me. The engineer leaned out and asked, "Are you getting on or not?" Of course I did and for the next two hours I was treated to the sounds and smells of an RS3.
Had a similar experience with a Class 1. It was just me and the engineer in the cab. Conductor had other means to get where we were going. Names and other identities withheld to protect the guilty.
Had a Portland Trolley stop mid-block for a couple of photos. Does that count?
John Timm
Wow getting a 2 hour ride would be fantastic, so far I have only been in an SD50 Loco that was parked. Great Story.
crew from a local moved cars so we could get shots of the B&O anniversary caboose.Also told me of a move that had them go get autoracks from storage on the MAW(now ND&W).All crew are now happy in retirement.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
Not a stop for photo's, but I have had a crew switching out an industry invite me aboard their road switcher for about an hour as they shuffled cars. Was just myself and the engineer, as the rest of the crew (head brakeman and conductor) was on the ground for the switching maneuvers. (Between lining the turnouts, and cutting cars, the one brakeman and one conductor were quite busy.) Was first cab ride, and although it was just back-and-forth the whole time, I did get several in operation in cab photo's, and learned a lot more about the line than I would have otherwise through conversing with the engineer...
All names of line, railroad, crew, and train symbol withheld, and no photos posted anywhere, per crew request.
I have also had trains (and crews) stopped for signals, converse with me, and make sure I got my shots (with full lights, and without) before they left the siding.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
It didn't stop for me but waited for me. Way back in the mid-60's I found myself down by the depot in Wallace, ID on the NP branch out of St. Regis, MT. Talking to the crew, they said they were leaving at 10 AM the next morning and I could ride if I wanted. That was a no brainer. At 10 AM I found them waiting for me -- 3 Geeps, 11 GS gons, 1 boxcar, and 2 cabooses. I rode in the rear caboose up to the top of Lookout Pass, then transfered to the open door box car for the descent down the East side.
It was 4% all the way, and those 3 geeps were in run 8, with about a yard of new snow on the ground. It was a memorable ride, especially on MILW Road trackage rights when we met MILW #263 at Saltese with 2 Little Joes and a Geep. Got sone mice pics that day. Both the NP branch and the MILW are long gone.
Once in Grafton WVa I came across two unique maroon painted lease units at the CSX yard. The units had just been serviced and were parked in a shaded area so I waited to see if they were going to be moved into an area with some sunlight. A gentleman seen me and yell over to me to wait a minute. He went into the cab and backed them into the sunlit area. When asked if I got my shots I acknowledged I did, he then went in the other direction to couple on to his train. I gave him a thumbs up thanking him for his kind gesture, he waved and told me to have a good day.
Great stories, hope to get to ride on a loco one day, and ride back of course.
power58 Great stories, hope to get to ride on a loco one day, and ride back of course.
I hope the day comes when I don't have to ride a locomotive anymore.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
Zugman, you should be happy that your health is so good that you CAN ride a locomotive every day!
The one occasion that I rode the Ratian Railways (Ratichitabahn?) meter-gauge "international interurban" from St. Moritz, Switzerland, to Tirano, Italy, spring of 1960, I first took pictures of the train at the St. Moritz station. The engineer then invited me to ride the front platform of the mu with him. There were two wood yellow and green passenger mu cars pulling about four 4-wheel freight cars and one double-truck empty tank car. I all the line an interurban because, it is 1000V dc overhead, not like the rest of the system 12,000V 16Hz AC, runs through the main street of nearly every town enroute (with farmers pulling their horsedrawn wagongs directly adjacent to the freight-car doors for loading and unloading), and lots of stations are street storefronts. The northern part of the line has spectacular mountain scenery. At on point the line crossover over itself with a full 360degree loop, mostly on a bridge. At that point the engineer (we spoke basic French, since my French was better than my German and his French was better than his English) stopped so I could climb down the embankment and photograph the train circling over the bridge, and then he stopped to pick me up.
At that time the standard gauge connection between Tirano and Sondreo was three-phase with two ovehead wires!
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