Hello!
Trackside with Trains.com is back with another big edition (10 photos!). This week Mike Yuhas is joined by Kent Johnson from Classic Toy Trains magazine. Read Trackside with Trains.com Volume 85.
Click here to vote then add your comments about this week's photos here.
Erik
Congratulations to you both! For me, this was one of the most difficult choices in quite a while.
I really liked the "in-your-face" feature of the CP photo; the way the train stands out against the snow is really nice. The snow-covered ties next to it add nicely to the shot. I would have liked to see a bit more of the surrounding area, to give the image more perspective. BTW, the 'distant' shot was really cool, also. I can just imagine the 'dusting' Kent received as the train went by.
However, for me, Mike's UP shot had the 3-L's (luck, lighting, location). The composition was great, and the clairity was excellent. There was much to look at, and although this might be unfair, as I am quite tired of winter already, Mike's shot seemed so much 'warmer'.
I truly liked both shots, but I went with Mike's.
Edit: Perhaps because Milwaukee just got 8" of snow and most everything is, for now, very pretty, I am wondering if I made the right choice. Because of this fresh white covering, I feel inspired to go out and try to get a shot as good as Kent's.
Superb shooting by the both of you! Welcome to trackside Kent! as much as I liked your snowblowing shot as it comes rushing towards you I had to go with the UP shot instead. Had you posted the shot off in the distance it would have been a different story as that shot would have really shown the loneliness that is a part of railroading. Great first effort!
Kofy
As mentioned by others this is a very tough choice. Great photos! Mike edged out the vote from me with the UP side by side.
Always hard to decide! I must admit for voting the first few times I went for the newer members to Trackside, so they didn't feel like outsiders.
This was a hard choice though, I ended up choosing Mike's photo. Great photos Mike and Kent!
Dan
Two excellent photos again this week. Thank you, gentlemen. I chose the excitement of Kent's winter scene with the blowing snow as my pick of the week. Great light, blowing snow, it all brought back memories of chasing the D&RGW on the Moffat back in the '60s. Ah, but this is about Kent's photo. He framed it well in the landscape, nice composition top to bottom, left to right. I'd hang it on my wall.
As just about everyone has said, another tough choice. The hard-charging, "gotta get there" mood conveyed with Kent's shot wins here for me, though.
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...
It is clear, by the voting percentages to date, that it is a 50/50 split. This tells me that both are great and it was tough to choose. While I thought the snow picture was a prettier picture, the side by side shot was a better train photo.
I too, thought the long shot of the snow train was the better snow photo, but they were both super. Mike, your timing was so fortunate, and would bet that to duplicate that shot at that spot would be almost impossible. One of the better contests in recent memory.
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 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
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
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.
Thanks,
PE 3&4
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
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
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)
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 .
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.
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.
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