Trackside with Trains, Vol. 87 with guest Jim Wrinn

[mandelswamp]

This edition of Trackside with Trains.com was extremely tough to decide.  I welcome Jim Wrinn to the photo competition and must commend him for his very nice pictures of the Washington DC Metro and the view from the southbound Crescent.  The photo of the noses of 3 Amtrak Acela locomotives was quite nice but my impression of the cold, isolation and loneliness in Mike Yuhas' picture of the northbound WSOR train made me vote for Mike instead.  Perhaps it was the golden hour lightening that Mike took advantage of that tipped me to his picture.

[CShaveRR]

Rocket Man, try for a seat on the left side of the train, headed north out of DC.  In case you're into timing mileposts, that's where you'll find 'em.

I forgot to mention that, from an artistic standpoint, Jim's shot out of the observation car was a knockout!  If I were my wife, that would become a quilted wall-hanging!

[Rocket Man]

Jim's image of the sleek, modern Acela trainsets just didn't move me emotionally.  It just somehow doesn't look or feel like 'real' railroading.

Mike's very poignant shot of that lonely, little, lost wayfreight, out in the middle of nowhere, cold, dark, with snow piled on the front, exhaust smoke drifing away, spoke to me much more eloquently. (Plus the composition and lighting were excellent).

Voted for Mike.

I don't think I could have said it better than "Zardoz". Jim's photo might have won with me any other day but Mike's photo takes me right to my mind's image of railroading! Mike that was a truly emotional photo for me.

On a side note... I may have some time to take a ride on Acela in April. Anyone out there have any tips that would enhance my experience???

Thanks in advance!

[tree68]

S-P-E-E-D.  Even if they are sitting still. 

Mikes shot was nice, but there was too much dead space in the picture - a nice landscape with a train in it, versus a train in an interesting landscape.

[LVJJJ]

Never much liked bullet nose trains, love Mike's picture with lots of snow on front of engine

[Modelcar]

....Voted for the Acela photo....Just a little different.

I did so before I checked who the photographer was.

Just seem to like a photo that appears a bit different....Different perspective.  And of course the Acela profile helps make that difference.

[CShaveRR]

I had a couple of thoughts as I was going through this.

Before I opened the story:  "Mike's going to go up against a Shay!"

After I read the story:  "I'll bet I know how WSOR 3801's going to vote!"

Unfortunately for Mr. Wrinn, so am I.  And so is my wife.  To each of us, the WSOR shot was just more interesting.  As always, photographic talent, composure, etc., don't influence me too much, though the "sweet light" shot did something for Mike's photo.  Pat thought it wa a sunrise shot.  But how cold would that have been?

An aside:  the best shot I ever took, in my opinion, was with a Kodak Instamatic camera in 1970--caught a consist of F3s on GTW at Battle Creek, not too far from one of their brand-new SD40s.  I got the red nose of the CN-lettered F3 in fantastic sweet light.  Timing is everything!  Color helps, too.

[zardoz]

Jim's image of the sleek, modern Acela trainsets just didn't move me emotionally.  It just somehow doesn't look or feel like 'real' railroading.

Mike's very poignant shot of that lonely, little, lost wayfreight, out in the middle of nowhere, cold, dark, with snow piled on the front, exhaust smoke drifing away, spoke to me much more eloquently. (Plus the composition and lighting were excellent).

Voted for Mike.

[Bergie]

Hello! 

This week, Trackside with Trains.com is joined by Trains magazine editor Jim Wrinn. See some of Jim's recent photos, as well as our old buddy Mike Yuhas (including another less-than-impressive photo of Mike... on the ground... covered in snow).

Read Trackside with Trains.com Volume 87.

Click here to vote then add your comments about this week's photos here.

Erik