WCfan wrote: And Noah, I REALLY don't think those shots need editing. They look REALLY good to me.
They look okay and a couple of them are fine, but to me they do still need editing. Going back and working with the original again makes a heck of a difference. Take these for examples. This first shot in the bunch was overly compressed by my old software when resizing, which makes certain parts look waaaay too sharp. Especially things like the trees, and if you look at small lettering like the numberboards:
The new software not only resizes it, but it makes sure not to compress stuff in the process. Add a unsharpen mask of about 50%, and voilà:
Example two. The shot at the Plover depot came out slightly dark on the original. On the one I posted before, I'd obviously tried to remedy this by using the brightness feature on my old software. While it did lighten the nose of the 3026 slightly, it sort of washed out portions of the shot, and it was also slightly over-compressed:
A quick run through Photoshop Elements, and lightening with the shadow feature, and this is the result:
Still not perfect, but given the lighting it's much, much better to me. Now if I only had time to go back to all of my shots like that....
Nice catch on the 703 too.
Rich, if you feel like working it in, the tracks along Mississippi River is about the best railroad scenery around. And it's a great place to be even if you aren't into trains too. In the morning south of La Crosse is definitely the best for BNSF stuff, and afternoon North of La Crosse on the Minnesota side is definitely some of the best CP stuff. Like I said, when you get things more firmed up as it gets closer, I can fill you in with more specific details of places to go and information on the railroads around here.
Noah
WC 3026 happened to be on the "transfer" today
Thanks guys for your complments!
Noah, those photo's DO look ALOT better. Man I will have to learn how to use my Photo Shop Elements.
Well for my last end-of-the-summer rail fanning trip. My dad and I are going to do a Trip we have Planned MONTHS ago. (We are going tommrow)
First we will head out to Owen WI. This is where the 2 CN main lines meet. I think the subdivision names are Minneaplois Sub, and the Superior Sub. Then we will head up North to Ladysmith WI. After Ladysmith we will cut over to Prentice. Now this is where the L587 (Is that the number Brent? I can't remember.) or Prentice-Wausau local orginates. Now I heard that 2500 was in Wausau and headed north. Like WAY up north. So hopeful I can catch it in the next stop; Bradly. AT bradly I hope I can catch her there. I also heard 3010 or 3011 is up there working around that area. Then We will head down to Thomahawk, I hope I can catch 2500 there be cause there yard is SOOOOOOO accessable. Anyway I know tommrow I probably won't catch 2500 (Not because she's teasing me[long story]) , and I probably won't catch 3011, or 3010, or 3009 (What ever the number is). I will probably catch somthing totaly unxpected. Now that's the joys, and down falls, of Rail fanning.
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JR7582 My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcfan/
Jordan, Photoshop elements does have a learning curve, but if you play with it enough you learn how to use it and it can be a great tool. I was lucky enought to have a semester course last year at my High School called Computer Graphics. We worked with Photoshop (the full blown version, but it was about 5 years old, so it's basically exactly like Elements) as well as Adobe Illustator, and so I got taught by a person who knew what they were doing instead of just tinkering with it on my own (though there was a lot of that too). It's really helped me to learn how to use the software. With a program like Elements (and with even better software) you can take a lot of bad photos and make them at least halfway decent, assuming that it was composed and taken properly in the first place.
I'm hoping to make a couple "end of the summer" trips in the next few days too. Tomorrow I'm heading towards La Crosse with a buddy to see if we can't dig up some of the CP detour traffic on the BNSF, and maybe Amtrak on the BNSF too if they detour it. And of course then Wednesday is the 2816's ferry move through the area. Can't miss that one. I'm looking forward to it, it should be neat.
Well I went on my trip today. I didn't see any CN, or any WC locos. (I'm going to be so jealous if Brent shows up with ALOT of WC pictures. ) But I did get to see something else; CP.
Yes CP is still rerouting over CP. Sadly I wasn't quick enough with my digital, so only my dad got pictures. They still need to be developed along with the pictures of Owen 2 days ago. So at Owen I saw 2 Trains. One had 3 CP AC4400 "Beaver Units", and the other had a Signal 4400 in the regular scheme. Next stop was Ladysmith. No trains there. Prentice was next; I got a nice shot of the depot:
A WC plow was also sitting there:
Next stop was Bradley. NOTHING! (Wow what a surprise) At Tomahawk, I did catch a train. It wasn't WC or CN. But I did catch something. A short line that not many people have seen or heard, with only 4 miles of track and 3 SW1500 locos. I caught the Tomahawk Railway SW1500 #83, or as her nick name is, "Susie". (I'm pretty sure her name is Susie.)
Not bad of pix there Jordan :)....I just wonder how many pages this topic will go before starting a new one....
The Tomahawk Railway. Now there's an interesting little shortline. Used to be the Marinete, Tomahawk, and Western if I remember correctly. Neat little railroad, though I've never shot it myself (it's on the list though).
They had the greatest little set up going for themselves for a while. They served a couple of paper mills, and though they were only a few miles long, they connected with two different railroads (CNW and SOO if I remember correctly). While they had only a few miles to take the cars from the paper mills, and other railroads did the bulk of the haul, they always got the most money for the cars they moved (and the originating railroad usually gets a good cut, but they got better than normal). This was because the CNW and SOO had to compete to keep the traffic, and so they would cut the MTW the best rate the could. They knew that if they tried to hike rates on the MTW, that the little shortline would just go give their business to the other railroad. So it kept them on top for a while.
Then the WC bought both the lines in the area though, and they were now left in exactly the opposite predicament. They were now at the mercy of whatever the WC wanted to give them for moving cars. I think the paper mill eventually bought the railroad and now runs it themselves under the name Tomahawk Railway (though the mill may have owned it in the first place, I don't remember to be honest).
Neat shots of a not-often photographed little railway.
Great shots, Jordan, and great catch with the TR train. As I promised here are photos from the last part of the Indiana Beach trip, the Hesston Steam Museum. The first 2 shots are of Hesston's 0-4-0, built in Checkoslovakia.
This next one is of all three of Hesston's railways, which consists of 3 different gauges, departing at the same time. This is one unique thing about Hesston. The Checkoslovakian 0-4-0 in the previous shots is among the departing trains.
Here is the star of the Hesston collection, Oregon Lumber Company 7, and it does run.
well tomorrow
im takin a trip down to milwaukee.
Starting in neenah, then to fond du lac, then butler yard then duplainville. then tuesday if i have time muskego. & hopefully i not during rush hour cause then ill have a heck of a time findin my way out of their
ill post pics
Made a trip to the Mississippi River today near La Crosse. That's the area where all the detours and washouts have been lately do to flooding. The CP was down for pretty much a week, though they just opened their line to traffic again last night at about 9pm. They had a bridge washout near Winona, MN, and you could pretty easily get right up near the thing. It's just an impossible thing to describe. It's truely amazing what a bunch of water can do. Lots of washed out bridges, and washed out sections of fill. But the CP managed to get it all back in order, and they were running trains like Mad today. Lots of good photos, and lots of trains. Photos will hopefully come sometime in the next few days.
today has been a proud and glorious day for me, Lord Atmo. or i should say ENGINEER Atmo!
i doubt many of you know of the Chippewa Valley Railroad: http://www.2719.com/pages/cvrr.html
well i just joined them today and am already an engineer of their diesel unit. i know. it's not full size or real, but man was it amazing to run! especially when you look at it and see how detailed the replica really is! since i was 2 i rode with this railroad. now the years have passed and here i find myself PART of this road! driving the very train i once rode on as a child! they needed members too. and i'm glad i'm doing my part to keep the CVRR alive.
so ride with us...carson park in Eau Claire, WI every sunday and holiday
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.