Trackside with Trains.com, Vol. 90

[Bergie]

Hello! 

This week, Mike Yuhas of Trackside with Trains.com is joined by Trackside alum Erik Bergstrom... err... me!  Mike and I started the Trackside series over 4 years ago, and the good-natured fun we have with each other does seem to be dissipating with my time away.

Read this week's installment for my analysis of the past nine installments, and to see some of my (and Mike's) recent photos. Read Trackside with Trains.com Volume 90

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

Erik

[Modelcar]

....I don't know what it is but my eyes see another draw....Even.

Can't say one is enough better than the other to vote in it's direction.

Neither jumps out.....Both decent photos....Just seems the subject is mundane...Sorry.

[sfcouple]

I tend to agree with Quentin, they are both OK but nothing really special.   Since one isn't preferred over the other I'm gonna abstain on this vote.  Sorry guys.

Wayne 

[sdl39]

Well my vote will be for Rio.  That is also a old Cemetary, a few Civil War Graves their also.  Was their several years ago with K5GBW and shot Milw 261 their.  Neat location, to shoot.

 

Mike

 

[Anonymous]

It looks as though Erik is going to win by a nose...  of the BNSF shot that is.  VERY nicely done Erik, and welcome back.  The colors were bright & vivid on the shot and the backround was an added touch to an already nicely done shot.  Mike, sorry, your shot lack any vividness to it that would of made me vote for it, now had that CN truck been in the shot I might of changed my mind.  You should have adjusted the brightness of the shot via photoshop or whatever image software that came with the camera.  Thanks for the shots guys.. good to see ya's Erik. 

[Rocket Man]

I liked the all the parallel lines in Mike's photo and the blue sky. I wish the lead engine in Erik's photo had not already faded into the BNSF "pumpkin" shade of orange, but I like Erik's nose on perspective that I have been missing. I like the cemetery in the shot as well not only visually, but kind of a metaphorical touch as well with the cemetery representing the fallen flags of yesterday. Aw heck, now as I type my sentimental thoughts, I guess I'll go back and give Erik the nod on this one.

[RicHamilton]

You should see the new company trucks.  There have been numerous sightings of the Western Star trucks, some with sleepers some without.

http://tinyurl.com/5kjr6j

[blhanel]

Welcome back, Erik!  Had to go with your shot- Mike, your shot looked too much like a grab shot, sorry.

Any chance you could post a blow-up of that railfan at Rochelle, Erik?  Even with the picture selected, I can't make out any features on that guy.

[Bergie]

You should see the new company trucks.  There have been numerous sightings of the Western Star trucks, some with sleepers some without.

http://tinyurl.com/5kjr6j

Whoa.... that's the coolest tractor since BJ & The Bear's Kenworth! 

  Bergie

[TOMinTN]

First things first...cemetery is spelled wrong beside the results graph.  I don't think that has anything to do with the contest, but magazine editors ought to be able to spell.

Neither shot was very inspiring, but Mike got my vote because his was, um, maybe more interesting.

Taconite train, turpentine train, I don't give a rip (as in Rest In Peace)...it was just plain boring.  I suppose the cemetery added an almost comedic element, but even that didn't inspire my vote.

TJB  --  Nashville, TN

 

[Bergie]

Welcome back, Erik!  Had to go with your shot- Mike, your shot looked too much like a grab shot, sorry.

Any chance you could post a blow-up of that railfan at Rochelle, Erik?  Even with the picture selected, I can't make out any features on that guy.

In hindsight, I'm not sure if I want to invade the guy's privacy too much.

Bergie

[CShaveRR]

I think I'll give Erik the vote this time--just more train in his picture.

Background was a little dead, though.  Maybe that was just taken for granite (or marble).

[dorfantiques]

Mike, what WERE you thinking????? Oh, if my shot doesn't win in Trains I could always submit it to Car and Driver.

[Bergie]

First things first...cemetery is spelled wrong beside the results graph.  I don't think that has anything to do with the contest, but magazine editors ought to be able to spell.

Thanks for pointing out my typo (i.e. no magazine editors were involved with this).

Bergie

[Partsman_ba]

 Akofyholic wrote:

It looks as though Erik is going to win by a nose...  of the BNSF shot that is.  VERY nicely done Erik, and welcome back.  The colors were bright & vivid on the shot and the backround was an added touch to an already nicely done shot.  Mike, sorry, your shot lack any vividness to it that would of made me vote for it, now had that CN truck been in the shot I might of changed my mind.  You should have adjusted the brightness of the shot via photoshop or whatever image software that came with the camera.  Thanks for the shots guys.. good to see ya's Erik. 

Exactly!

Heck, I would have voted for Erik's rain shot over Mike's shot as well. I don't know, maybe I just don't like interstate highways much!

[mandelswamp]

EriK, welcome back to Trackside!  I agree with Mike that your shot of the BNSF locomotive on the CN coal train taken in the rain was very nice.  Mike, I liked your water tower shot best.  Its funny because the tower leans to the right, the telephone pole in the middle looks upright, and the telephone pole on the right seems to lean left somewhat.  Do you have a trick lens?  I wasn't much impressed with either shot submitted for the voting but finally settled on Erik's, perhaps because its a closer shot of the train.

[Chris Owens]

 Erik Gets my vote....Very Good Job...

[K5GBW]

I think sombody's going to get a whoopin' and it's not going to be Bergie...

Seriously though I-43 and the traffic on it is a distraction for me on Mike's photo. As for the BNSF power on Bergie's photos; I think it's safe to say that BNSF orange fads faster than Santa Fe red. 

[Bergie]

As for the BNSF power on Bergie's photos; I think it's safe to say that BNSF orange fads faster than Santa Fe red. 

I know... they really should have stuck with Cascade Green.

Stop laughing; I'm serious. You can see old BN locomotives still floating around the system and that green is holding true (for the most part). It's certainly not turning pink (like Warbonnet red) or peach (like BNSF orange).

Bergie (the guy who grew up near a BN mainline and is thus biased)

[buddyburton]

I think I know now where they will bury me when I die--next to the railroad tracks so my spirit can watch them trains roll on by. :)

[PE 3&4]

Nice work as always, I went with Mike because I liked the broader view his photo showed. The shot I really liked was of the CN train in Waukesha. The rain, lights, crossing and reflection was for me the best. I hope the cemetery in Bergies shot is not prophetic for rail traffic like happened here. As always, thanks and happy shooting.

Fred

[Stephen Clark]

Good to see you back Bergie. Both photo's were great. Had to go with Bergie's photo. Mike your phtot appeared to be too far away and the highway was a distraction.

 

Steve C

[asnjoe24]

Well, it's just like old times this week! :D

Both shots were a challenge for me to decide over. Mike's UP shot has a nice wide view, good lighting, and a nice angle. Although some may find it distracting, I like the fact that there are some vehicles on the road in next to the track; it gives a feeling of action (don't you just love the feeling of pacing a train!).

The best thing about Erik's BNSF shot, even though it is in the background, has got to be the cemetery. Those stones look awesome!! The color of the hoppers and the faded warbonnet scheme of the lead engine give this shot a power feeling.

Given that I relate more to BNSF, and the fact that I really dig that cemetery, my vote has to go to Erik this week.

- Bryan

[gapotter09]

I just had to place myself there also, or, find another cemetery were there is a curve.  If this is Deadman's Curve, I am sure there must be some additional stories to tell (?)  Or Buddyburton might not have any other spirits to play with.   That would be awful for a railroad fan.

 

 

[dknelson]

The first question is, what was Mike Yuhas doing on the west side of the freeway shooting train pictures?   Gathering another of those famous roadkill dinners?

In that map that Bergie included with his shot in Rio, IL -- the now-gone diverging CB&Q line headed west and south to Alexis, where it met the Rock Island Southern, then continued on south and west to Monmouth IL, which is due west of Galesburg on the line to Burlington Iowa.  The line then continued through Monmouth directly south to Swan Creek where it turned east again through Walnut Grove and eventually met up again with the BN at Bushnell, which is directly south of Galesburg and is on the BNSF line to Quincy.  So it was a pretty significant link for the old Chicago Burlington & Quincy.  

As for the Rock Island Southern, for those who have railfanned Galesburg and gone out to Cameron, where the old Santa Fe crosses over the old CBQ to Burlington, the bridge still shows the space where the RIS (electric interurban) paralled the CB&Q under that bridge. 

That line through Rio IL on which Bergie made his picture is the line the goes from Galesburg north to, eventually, the Twin Cities.  That abandoned line to the west is not to be confused with yet another abandoned CBQ east west line that went through Alpha IL the next town north of Rio on the BNSF. 

Alpha is famous for being the childhood home of Erik Bergstrom. 

Back in the old days, in that part of Illinois the CBQ made loops around itself almost continuously.   But [nearly] all routes lead to Galesburg, in one way or another!

Dave Nelson  

 

[LVJJJ]

welcome back Erik!  had to vote for your pic of a headstone sales yard and some big trains.  Sorry Mike, Erik took all your lighting. 

[freightcarguy]

Nice shot, Eric!  The line that train is on is BNSF's "Barstow (IL)" subdivision, running from Savanna to Galesburg - a single track railroad that sees a dozen or more trains a day.  The ore train you caught is probably U-SEMBIR, (Steelton, MN to Birmingham, AL) which uses larger, traditional hoppers for the taconite pellets.  The taconite train with the shorter ore cars is U-KEEMAD (Kewatin, MN to Madison, IL), which also traverses this line.  Both of these trains run several times a week along with their northbound conterparts U-BIRSEM and U-KEEMAD.

Tom Persoon

[zardoz]

While I much prefered the colors and composition (main object in the TOP third of the frame) in Mike's image, those darn autos are just way too distracting. 

Erik's image is more in-your-face hard-core railroading. My main criticism is the faded colors of the entire image (Erik, you DID use a polarizing filter, didn't you?). 

The gravestones in Erik's image adds a bit of something to the image to the same extent that the autos in Mike's image takes away.

Vote went to Erik by a nose [pun slightly intended].

[Rocket Man]

I think I'll give Erik the vote this time--just more train in his picture.

Background was a little dead, though.  Maybe that was just taken for granite (or marble).

I thought about mentioning all the puns that could go with this photo, but I decided it would be a grave mistake.

[loadmaster747]

Welcome back, Bergie!  Is it true that you came back to photograph trains near your birthplace along former CB&Q trackage?  As a kid of the early 1950s, I lusted after Lionel's F3 Santa Fe set in the silver and red Warbonnet paint, even though I never saw the real thing in person... it just looked "right".  I guess even then, they had problems with fading paint, as does the current BNSF, whose nose logo is derived from later Santa Fe Warbonnet designs.  Compare your photo with the roster shot of AT&SF 92, an FP-45 at the Illinois Railway Museum (www.irm.org).  If BN's Cascade Green is your favorite color, IRM recently repainted the still-operational U30C, BN 5383, in its as-delivered green and black.  This is turning out to be a long-winded way of saying why I voted for your photo over Mike's UP coal train.  Besides, I can look out my living room window to see UP coal trains pass by several times daily (northbound full, southbound empty), sometimes with all 3 locomotives on the head end, occasionally with 2 in front and one on the tail end.  The cemetery in the background of your photo adds interest; maybe Mike's shot would have benefitted from shooting from a location from which the interstate would have appeared in the background, although I realize the lighting would have suffered.  Finally, thanks to everyone whose comments included the history of the former CB&Q diverging line in Rio, IL and surrounding areas... I just spent an hour on Google maps tracing them from your descriptions!