Trackside with Erik and Mike, Vol. 75

[Bergie]

Hello! 

I just posted the latest installment of Trackside with Erik and Mike in our new section within the Railroad Reference area of TrainsMag.com.  Read Trackside with Erik and Mike Volume 75.

Voting for Trackside with Erik and Mike now occures at the top of the Trackside with Erik and Mike section. Click here to vote.

Please add your comments regarding this week's photos here.

Thanks!  Erik

[blhanel]

Tough choice again, fellas- both are excellent shots.  Went with Bergie only because he got two trains instead of one.

Good thing Mike didn't use the shot from the Cessna, that would've gotten my vote based on the factor...

[bobnbobca]

This was a very close call; Mike's picture was an attractive choice -- the sky, the snow fences, the depth perspective were all winners. Erik's picture was a little more unusual in its composition (the V formed by the two trains), the gritty appearance of the lead locomotive. Erik's picture got our vote, but by a nose.

BTW, speaking of noses, we were curious bout the wedge-shaped plates on the front of the locomotive in Mike's picture, symmetrical, not the usual asymmetrical door. Is this some kind of safety (anti-collision) device? It may be standard on newer engines, but we haven't seen this before.

[CNW 6000]

I agree with Brian: the shot from the Cessna is very cool and it would've earned my vote.  To me neither photo really screamed 'WOW'.  I hate to say it but I don't like either one especially as of now.  I'll look back later!  Neat action anyway guys.

[CShaveRR]

I chose Erik's this time--more color, more train!

Bobnbobca, welcome (I should wait until tomorrow to welcome you--that's when the date says you joined!)!  I think your straight door (if I understand what you're asking about) is standard on the SD70ACEs purely because of the nose shape.  All of the other engines in the photos are GE's standard wide-nose design.  Just a difference between manufacturers.

Edit:  I just got this week's e-mail update:  Had you used those two shots as your nominees (the aircraft shot and the arch/tunnel shot), I probably would still have gone with Erik's, though Mike's is certainly spectacular.  Speaking of that, is there a loop somewhere connected with the plant, or do they have to dissemble and reassemble the train every time (also, is the road next to the tracks publicly accessible? )

Erik, our inbound Amtrak train went through that tunnel on the way in, on the trip we took last month.  Couldn't see much from the tracks there; nothing of the arch itself.  Outbound, we went straight out over the MacArthur Bridge.

[asnjoe24]

First, congratulations once again to Mike and Erik for reaching yet another milestone (or milepost, rather) with Trackside!! Prosperity to Vol. 100 and beyond!

I like the narrow, distant perspective of Erik's Eureka photo, with the close-up detail of the dirty lead engine (yet look how shiny those cab windshields are; perfect contrast). The reflection of the yellow paint scheme off the side of the metal of the auto carrier also produces a pretty cool effect. The color, along with the perspective, make it a nice shot.

I think, though, that the wide-open grass space, snow fences & poles, and the SD70ACe of Mike's photo actually grabs me a bit more. I especially like how you can see the rest of the stack consist, thanks to the curve. There seems to be more a feel to this shot, kind of a "(engine) power across the prairie" feel to this shot, and so Mike's shot ended up winning my vote for this week.

- Bryan

[Rocket Man]

Eureka! You're back! And it's about time! I have been needing my "Trackside" fix for awhile now.

I would have liked Mike's photo even more if the trained could have been framed by some snow fence and poles in the foreground, but, that may not have been possible. Erik's looked crisper to me and I liked the up closeness of it.

My tremors and delirium are starting to subside now, hopefully I can last for another 2 weeks.

[Noah Hofrichter]

I too am glad to see you guys back again! And congrats on the 75th volume milepost! 3 1/2 years huh? Boy, it doesn't seem like that long ago that I was clicking on a link to check out a new feature at trains.com, something about a couple of guys near the tracks...

Tough choice on the photo side of things again. Neither shot is overly spectacular, but niether is bad either. In the end I went with Mike's curve shot, as I usually prefer a decent curve shot over a standard overhead shot on straight track. The old fence and pole line to the side kind of added a little interest to me too.

Noah

[Anonymous]

1st of all, I want to say congratulations to both of you for reachign #75.   I am sure we all look forward to each installment to see what you two have come up with this time.  As for the photos, I had to go with Eric's perspective shot of the two trains meeting.  To my eye just looked better.

[kicksvette]

Truth is, I'd have preferred either of the overhead shots (Arch or Cessna) to what was submitted. I guess it's the chance of having something unusual that makes them stand out from what we usually see or expect to see. Maybe that's why I left the platform at Rochelle a couple weeks ago and went back down by the diamonds the way most of us used to before the Railfan Park was ever built. I discovered that the view had changed. I threw on a 400 lens and got a couple shots of a stack train snaking it's way out of Global 3. That's not the typical shot anybody gets anymore from Rochelle. Same thing with St Louis. There are all the normal shots that can be had including pics from the shoulder of the interstate, but the overheads give a different perspective.

[NYC]

Congratulations Guys.....Vol 75. That's 150 great railroading shots.....can't wait for the next 75 volumes and 150 more special pictures.

I think the Cessna shot would have been great to use in the competition.  It was an unusual and fantastic shot of a long consist of hoppers.  Too Bad.

I went with Mike's shot of UP power on the prairie.  It was a stately shot, again showing the pulling power of the locomotives with the rest of the train visible as it went around a bend in the roadbed as it traversed the prairie.

Both of you.... Keep up the great work

 

[lhtalbot]

Hi guys, glad you are back.

Voted for Erik's shot this time, just more content I guess. Mike's is also a good shot.

I really liked the air shot of the power plant...not everybody gets a chance to shoot one like that. Nice job.

Larry in Wauwatosa

[Anonymous]

Sorry Mike, but I had to go with Eric's photo.  I was out in Wyoming a few weeks ago, a tried taking photos of trains. It's not as easy as it seems. Yours is a great photo, but this is a COMPETITION!  Let the best man win!

 Both are great photos. keep up the good work.

 

Bill Kobernus a.k.a the idiot on the motorcycle at Galesburg Railroad Days

[freightcarguy]

As Eric's photo demonstrates, the UP has taken a page from the SP operations book and no longer uses the wash rack.

[DadH]

Eriks photo by a "nose" . But really, if you're expecting a concise judgement, you both should submit comperable photos: i.e. Erik had submitted two passing trains, while Mike also had a photo with two passing trains but submitted the standard solitary drag.

[Modelcar]

....Both photos are nice RR scenes.

I am chosing Erik's photo simply for:  I like the green foliage, the way it brackets the scene and the clear concise detail on the engine.

[Mike M]

Both photos were great, but I had to go with Mike's. It really reminded me of my childhood in SO.Dak. The wide open prairie, telegraph(telephone) poles, and the snow fence made me feel as if I'd been there and seen that before.

 Congrats and keep up the good work guys.

Mike

[loadmaster747]

Congratulations on your 75th.  I voted for Erik's photo, but it took me a LOT longer to decide this week.  I guess I'm just a midwestern boy at heart, and prefer the greenery as a contrast to the roadbed and hoppers, as well as the straight-line perspective angling across the photo.  The Wyoming photo, to me, seemed more drab and dusty, and the wires and fences on the left distracted some of the attention from the train.  Having said that, my first choice among all of this week's photos would be the "grab shot" of the train about to enter the tunnel under the Gateway Arch... sometimes that one hasty snapshot beats out everything you spent hours setting up or waiting for!

[CShaveRR]

Just a comment about the competition in general:

Where you show the results (in percentages), would it be possible to also show how many votes were cast in order to achieve these results?  I'm pretty sure the results I've seen have to be generated by a couple hundred votes.  This, in turn, suggests that the majority of voters don't comment here.

(I voted early, should I follow through on my Chicagoland pedigree?)

[espeefoamer]

I voted for Mike's Wyoming shot .I really liked the train rounding the curve on a double track main line with the snow fences as an added bonus.I thought both ariel shots were great,especially the one taken from the Cessna.That is a real winner in my book.

[mandelswamp]

Mike submitted a very nice photo but I happened to like Erik's passing train photo slightly more because of the added interest of there being two trains.  If Mike had gone with his Eureka photo which also had two trains passing, I would have voted for that one instead of Erik's.  Congratulations on making it to volume 75.  I look forward to voting and commenting on the next 75 volumes.

[CNW 6000]

After going back two or three times I've concluded that I liked Eriks shot a bit better.  Not sure why but it got my vote.  Nice job both of you!

[IRONROOSTER]

I voted for Erik's picture.  I thought Mike had a little better setting, but the light and shadows didn't work out well.  Erik's setting wasn't quite as scenic, but the lighting was better and that gave the nod to him, at least for me.

Enjoy

Paul 

[LVJJJ]

MIKE & ERIK, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 75TH TRACKSIDE PHOTO CONTEST.  I've noticed that you both seem to like to concentrate on trains, which I like, a lot.  That said, went with Mike this week, only took a second to make the choice.  I love the shots from below the locomotive and the lack of anything green to be seen, love the wide open spaces, dead grass, blue sky and of course, a train!  Erik's is good too, but the green trees detract from the yellow trains.  Larry of the overly green Pacific Northwest.

[Railfan1]

Had to go with Erik this time. The only thing better than a train is two trains.

[Anonymous]

It's good to have you guys back! The weekly diversion from work, if only for a little while, is something I llok forward to. I had to go with Erik's shot. The foliage and the overall appearance had more eye appeal for me today than the vast Wyoming landscape. Incidentally, had Mike submitted the Eureka shot for voting. I would have voted for it.... Thanks for including the extra shots to look at. 

[CNW 6000]

Erik/Mike:

Have you considered going back to the 'anonymous photograph' submission by not telling us who shot what?  Might be an interesting twist.

[bnsfkline]

Being from St. Louis, I choose Eriks. That first photo from the arch shows the A&S Gateway Yard and Wiggins #5 yard.

 

Hey, did you get stuck in the arch?????

 

[Old Goat 69]

WOW!!!!!!  More long trains!!  Haven't seen that subject for some time now...well, at least since the last contest...and the one before that.  

Hmmmm...identical railroad company too.  Wait, is there a photo contest for an upcoming UP annual report you're not telling us about? 

Still not digging very deep in the old camera bag for inspiration.

C'mon guys, there has to be something else out there.

Matt