Your best day watching (photographing) trains

[MP173]

We have been discussing what caused you to be a railfan.

Now, what was your "best" day or most memorable day watching or photographing trains?

ed

[yippinyahoo]

One weekend in February 1999 I packed up my camping gear & mountain bike and headed out to Horseshoe Curve.  I parked my car in Gallitzin and headed out on some logging roads that roughly paralleled the tracks until I reached a bluff overlooking the valley.  The trains passed about 5' below me.  I set up camp, made some ramen noodles, and watched as train after train ascended / decended the mountain grade.  The thunder of those locomotives going up, 5' below me, was astounding....

It was a sleepless night thanks to the parade of trains, and a less-than-hospitable camping location, not to mention temps down to 20°F.  Nevertheless, I got up the next morning, ate some oatmeal, broke camp & back-tracked up the hill.  Then I rode down to the access road for MG tower, got up there & photographed more trains passing through the interlocking.  What a beautiful location!

Finally, by day's end, I worked my way up the hill west of Horseshoe Curve where I watched train after train snake through the valley....

Thus, I fulfilled a dream I had since I was a kid.  My dad & I always planned to do this very thing, but it never came together

 

[tomikawaTT]

Can't remember the exact date, but the year was 1964 and the place was Nogata, Fukuoka-Ken, Japan - a major steam terminal with a public road bridge (with sidewalks) at a near-perfect spot for photographing the yard, the roundhouse and turntable, the engine servicing facilities...  Lots of traffic, all behind coal-burning steam except for some DMU trains.

On the far side of the bridge was a museum that explained the coal mining industry in the area, including an impressive model of the surface and underground workings of a typical mine.  The museum's front yard featured a retired C11 class 2-6-4T that looked as if it had just been detailed for inspection.

Sadly, I've never been back.  Steam finally died in 1975, coal mining is now a defunct industry and I seriously doubt that anything much is still there.  But 43 years ago it sure was interesting!

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[CShaveRR]

I'd have to say that my best day was last October 8, at Camp Mookie, where I saw a never-ending parade of BNSF action, and had the best company one could ask for.  Great conversations, exchange of knowledge, information, jokes, whatever.  Would anyone else who was there disagree with that? 

[JoeKoh]

Everytime I can take matt and get out to watch trains and help someone else with information about the area.June 14th 2004(matts 3rd bday) when the cp2816 came into town.csx let us in the yard here in defiance to take pictures.

stay safe

Joe

[Railfan1]

I would say my last trip to Folkston, Ga would have to be my best day/night watching and photography trip. It was the total package of sitting trackside all day and most of the night. Saw a lot of neat stuff there. You can look at some of pictures of the trip by going to:

http://trainwatcher1.rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=24100

I'm going to Rochelle, Il. in early October so I'm looking to have a new "best day".

 

[blhanel]

I'd have to say that my best day was last October 8, at Camp Mookie, where I saw a never-ending parade of BNSF action, and had the best company one could ask for.  Great conversations, exchange of knowledge, information, jokes, whatever.  Would anyone else who was there disagree with that? 

Nope, not me!

[Willy2]

I'd have to say that my best day was last October 8, at Camp Mookie, where I saw a never-ending parade of BNSF action, and had the best company one could ask for.  Great conversations, exchange of knowledge, information, jokes, whatever.  Would anyone else who was there disagree with that? 

Nope, not me!

I can't disagree either. Camp Mookie was 100% absolutely my best day train watching.

[CopCarSS]

I'd have to say the first day that I was exposed to the Cumbres and Toltec definately was my best day (and night!) ever.

This was a year before I moved to Colorado. I was out here on vacation with my cousin. We were mixing up the trip quite a bit between "train days" and "hiking days." Towards the end of the trip, we went down to the C&TS and spent a couple days there (one riding and one taking photos).

The moment we drove into the Chama yard, I knew I was in love. It's like stepping back in time. Chama of 2000 (or of today for that matter) isn't much different than Chama of the 1950's. The atmosphere is magic, and the ride was spectacular.

After our excursion, we took some night shots in the Chama yard that remain some of my very favorite (I'll have to dig out the slides and scan them sometime). After our night shoot, we headed back to the campground at Cumbres Pass. We wandered around the abandoned structures by moonlight a little bit, and again, it was like stepping back in time.

Later that night (I think it was around 1:00AM), I was hearing a steam whistle. Initially, I just thought it was part of a pleasant railfans dream, but it continued with enough regularity and increase in intensity to cause me to don my shoes and run over to the tracks in my pajamas. Lo, and behold! K-27 #463 was at Cumbres Pass taking on water. K-27 mudhens are by far and away my favorite narrow gauge locos, so seeing this bugger in the middle of the night on an extra run to take care of some business down the line was magic.

The next morning we awoke to find a track crew having issues with some sort of track machinery up on the wye at Cumbres Pass. This was back in the day when I was a generator technician, so I asked if I could be of any service. The track crew was only too happy to have me take a look. Within a couple minutes, I had the problem traced to some bum wire to the ignition coil. We cut off the corroded part and reattached the wire and Voila! the thing started up on the first try! It certainly was one of the proudest moments of my life!

We spent the next day chasing the trains, and getting many, many excellent shots. Places like Lobato, Windy Point, Tanglefoot Curve, etc. that had only been names in books suddenly came to life!

To this day, I don't remember a better railfanning experience, and the C&TS remains my favorite tourist operation around. I just hope they can keep on hanging on, and that someday I'll get to see #463 running again.

[SSW9389]

In my 37 plus years of train photography I would have to say chasing down the Super C on July 4, 1975 was a very memorable occasion. Besides the Super C, there was a westbound PC pool train, another westbound led by a pair of U33Cs, and the eastbound Amtrak with SDP40Fs. You can read about the Super C chase here on Photo Page 3  http://home.earthlink.net/~cooper2001/trainsarewhereyoufindthem/index.html 

 

Ed 

 

[SimRacin40]

Racing L&N #152 from New Haven to Boston earlier this month was pretty nice.

 I'd say my best day was back on July 9th. I only saw 10 trains,but I photographed or filmed each one.Most of my trips usually see me miss a train or two.

10-12 trains a day for me is good,I bet some of you probably consider that to be nothing. 

[steamfanatic]

May 1977 - watching 2102 and 4070 doublehead on Horseshoe Curve.  I also just found a video of it.

[edbenton]

For me would have had to have been catching the 3985 out on a frieght in 1999 during a break in after some repairs in WY.  I knew there was something different about the headlight and there she was at night pulling a freight in WY.  Called driving a truck across WY you never know what you will find.

[spbed]

EVERY day that I am watching trains is a A+ day for me

[eolafan]

The last day out railfanning and the next day I will be out railfanning.

[inch53]

I can say, I've never had a day of railfanning, but a lot of darn good moments in time, I guess. A few good times of chasing or racing one down, but the best seems to be finding one by accident, then catching a great photo of the unexpected, always seems to be the most satisfying for me anyway.

inch

[traisessive1]

Went to Cobourg Ontario where the CN and CP Toronto-Montreal main lines parallel each other. You can see CN, VIA and CP. I arrived at 0530 and left at 1730 (12 hours ... i was tired ... needed to go lay down) and in those 12 hours I saw 39 trains. 

Got some of them on youtube. My user name is GEES44DC if you want to take a look!

[alstom]

I have had tons of great experiences trackside. I railfan every weekend, and on both days at that, and sometimes in between. Though on April 8, 2006, I stayed at Berea, Ohio, a location where Norfolk Southern and CSX run alongside each other, for 10 hours (actually 12 if you count the extra two hours where I went to a restraunt for dinner). 40-something trains passed by. One thing I liked about being trackside at such as busy spot for 10+ hours is the fact, if you stay there long enough, you will see something good, motive-power-wise. I really like GE AC6000CW units too, and CSX ran about 10 in 10 hours at Berea. I videotaped and photographed the entire experience.

Another day (well, trip) I like was from June 8-10, 2007 when I was on the CSX and Norfolk Southern Lakeshore Lines between North East, PA and Brocton, NY. I scored alot of good power on that trip. UP 7605, GECX 7336 (in SoPac paint) and an old CSX SD40 came by, and that's just off the top of my head. Plenty of action. And lastly, I also like railfanning Norfolk Southern in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, around Altoona, PA and vicinity. I was there in early July 2007 catching the PRR E8 units in action pulling the Amtrak specials. I would have liked to have seen them more, but I was treated to some other good things like NS SD9m units, a patched CNW and the NS F Units. 

Currently, I have two notebooks that have almost every train I saw since May 2005 written down. It is a good way to keep track of things.  

[TimChgo9]

Just about any day is a good day for me...

One of my best days was about 13 years ago, at County Farm Rd, in Wheaton, it was November, and the day was sunny and cool... an endless parade of UP/CNW trains.  My girlfriend and I were there for 4 hours and probably saw 14 trains, I caputred it all on video (the tape, unfortunately, was broken about 5 years ago, when the VCR it was in decided to eat it)

That was probably my best day...

[Railfan1]

(the tape, unfortunately, was broken about 5 years ago, when the VCR it was in decided to eat it)

Uhhhhh....I know that feeling all to well.

[SSW9389]

inch53 I have to agree that chance, that unknown element in life, does make for some great rail photographic opportunities.

 

I can say, I've never had a day of railfanning, but a lot of darn good moments in time, I guess. A few good times of chasing or racing one down, but the best seems to be finding one by accident, then catching a great photo of the unexpected, always seems to be the most satisfying for me anyway.

inch

[MP173]

Ed Cooper:

I enjoyed your website.  I hope you place more photos (both yours and Terry's) on the site.  Probably the best day I had was at Cosino, more specifically at "the office."  I really appreciate all your help in getting me there.  The weather was lousy and the photos really didnt turn out well, but my son and I saw 11 BNSF trains in a little more than 2 hours.

 A close second occured a couple of months ago at Ridgely Tower in Springfield where I was invited in by the operator and given the complete tour and got shots of passing trains.  The time passed far too quickly, as I had an appointment.  I never really thought I would make it inside a tower again.

ed

[SSW9389]

Ed: Great thread you got started here. I used that office for about ten years. It was the Santa Fe transcon then. Hot and cold running Santa Fe all day and night. I remember one night sitting in with Al Wheelock at the Flagstaff Freight Station. Al was the second trick operator and it was back in the early 80s. Something like 51 trains rolled past Flag that day and Al who had been railroading since 1946 said it was one of the busiest he remembered in a long time. You did well.

Another time a fellow named Bruce and I went out to Canyon Diablo one morning. We knew we would at least see the eastbound Amtrak. We got lucky and saw seven eastbounds including Amtrak's #4. The trains were running like street cars every 15 minutes, with the current of traffic being east.  Mainlines with heavy traffic are a great way to pass the time.

ed 

 

 

 

Ed Cooper:

I enjoyed your website.  I hope you place more photos (both yours and Terry's) on the site.  Probably the best day I had was at Cosino, more specifically at "the office."  I really appreciate all your help in getting me there.  The weather was lousy and the photos really didnt turn out well, but my son and I saw 11 BNSF trains in a little more than 2 hours.

 A close second occured a couple of months ago at Ridgely Tower in Springfield where I was invited in by the operator and given the complete tour and got shots of passing trains.  The time passed far too quickly, as I had an appointment.  I never really thought I would make it inside a tower again.

ed

[tcwright973]

Actually, it was today. Went first to the Railroader's Museum in Altoona, PA and saw two trains on Norfolk Southern's mainline. Then went over to Horseshoe Curve and saw one train there. Then went down to the Gallitzen Tunnel and saw three or four trains there. And lastly, went down to Cresson, PA and watched eleven or twelve trains there. By the way, Cresson is about the best site I've been to for railfanning. There's a nice little observation deck just yards from the tracks, with great lines of sight both east and west.

Tom

[midnight]

My best train watching experience must have been a couple of days in June of 97 when we drove from Denver along the ex-DRGW line to Glenwood Springs. The best catch of the day was the eastbound "C-train" with 4 Rio Grande units up front.

The next day we drove to Leadville over Tennessee Pass and saw the very impressive operations over this mighty pass before UP closed then line (exactly when was that?) Watching those long trains climb towards the summit tunnel was awesome!

Some pictures from this trip can be found at:
http://www.midnightwonder.com/travelusa1997.asp

Morten

 

[METRO]

When I was growing up my grandparents lived along the Water Level Route upstate in New York. Every time I'd go visit them, my grandfather (who worked for ALCo, NYC and PC) and my uncles (a couple of which worked for PC and continued on to Conrail) used to sit in the field behind my grandparents house and watch Conrail mainline traffic all afternoon.  

That's where my love of trains started, sitting there listening to baseball on the radio, or the history of Northeastern railroading as told by my grandfather, and watching the absolutely endless parade of Big Blue and patched PC engines fly by on four tracked mainline.  

The absolute best was whenever we saw a Susquehanna Alco roll by and my grandfather just smiled, pointed at it and told me "I helped build that engine."  

My grandfather died in 2001, after a long battle with cancer, but my grandmother still lives in that house along what is now CSX trackage, but whenever I'm visiting my uncles and I still sit in the big backyard and watch the action.

Cheers!

~METRO 

[karldotcom]

27 straight trains while sitting at the Tehachapi Loop, and watching MononFoamer, RustedFlange and Deadmanscurve drink all that beer and tell war stories.

A conductor talked to my buddy while waiting for a rollby, and gave us some paperwork as souvenirs, and my friend said that day that is what he wanted to do....and while it took a while, he is now a conductor on that route for BNSF. 

 

[TheS.P.caboose]

My most memorable day I was at Sylmar siding (Los Angeles area) when Southern Pacific's JRCIP train came along with 8 units on the point with a 9 unit set of mid train helpers.

[alphas]

Summers in the early and early-middle 1950's when I got to spend many hours at Frankford Junction Station in Philadelphia with family.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the Junction, that's where the 2 tracked Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines branched off from the 4 tracked main Philly-NYC line of the Pennsylvania in the northern part of the city.  It had a small station with 3 "low" platforms that most of the PRSL trains and the commuter trains stopped at.  It was before the Pennsy dropped many of its west-bound long distance passenger trains, the non-commuter Pennsy trains were all pulled by GG-1's, there were still quite a few PRSL passenger trains (especially busy Friday through Sunday) and many were powered by steam, many passenger trains were headed down to the sunbelt states, and there was a considerable amount of Pennsy freight traffic whenever the passenger traffic fell off enough to let them travel down the 4 tracked main plus some departing the Frankford freight yard (usually headed west to Enola) via the PRSL trackage to the main line.   It especially seemed like an endless parade of trains on Friday later afternoon into the night--8 to 10 passenger trains an hour was fairly common.   The long distance trains had lots of Pullmans--and lots of parlor cars, particularly on the Washington to Boston runs.   Lots of different railroads supplied the many types of many-colored passenger equipment that went by to and from NYC.   Some of the neighbors would come to the little station in the late afternoons and evenings (it was before everyone got TV and AC) plus weekends to talk and watch the trains go by.  It was a different era when safety, gangs, and drugs weren't the concerns they are today and the railroad didn't mind if you sat on the benches underneath the platform roof and watched the trains go by.  

[anb740]

Well, let's see.  My best day ever for watching trains didn't involve seeing 30+ trains in twelve hours....nor did it involve brilliant sunny skies.  No, it involved one train 5 years ago over the course of a 90 mile chase which ended on an overcast day with a temperature of 28 degrees, and a wind chill close to zero. (my fingers started to turn blue while photographing this train!)  The subject worth all of this?  A quartet of WC SD45s' way down in Central GA with OLS 7525 leading the pack.  Without a doubt, one of the best consists I've ever caught, and will never see again. 

http://anb740.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=42299

anb740