Trackside with Trains.com, Vol. 92

[Bergie]

This week, Drew Halverson and Cody Grivno square off in a battle of regional railroads. 

Read Trackside with Trains.com Volume 92

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

Erik

[Mookie]

I could feel the sun and the warmth in both photos. 

I could smell it in Drew's. 

Went with Drew.

Mook

[CNW 6000]

I liked the composition and the setting of Drews more than Cody's.  Cody had a neat catch but somehow it didn't shine through in that picture.  I had to go with Drew.

[Modelcar]

....I voted for Drew's photo.  Both are a bit different....Tank car train / Multi engined train....and I like both photos.

Seems I like what the "tank car" train projects best in RR photo interest.

[edalsie]

Both were good, but both could have been framed better (says he who doesn't have to go public with his photos). Cody's would have been better with a greater angle, further from the tracks so more of the train showed. The vertical format wasn't helpful here. Drew should have waited a touch longer for the shot -- forget the railfans on the side -- for a closer shot with the station board.

I went with Drew, but it could have gone either way.

[pawbase]

Wauatosa Gets my Vote! Great Shot.

[rojakaniaa]

I Voted for Cody's shot.  While it was pretty hard to pick between the two shots I felt that the sign in Drew's took away from the shot.  To me the sign seemed to dominate the shot...maybe it was just the angle, but it was pretty good as well.

It will be interesting to see if Drew's lead continues.

[PRRK4s1361]

First and foremost both shots are spectacular...however I do have to agree with edalsie: the vertical stance takes away from it. Drew got my vote and congrats on your KO. I'm sure certain parties won't let Eric live that one down (especially Mike). Good railfanning to everyone.

[K5GBW]

This week I went with Drew. Good compisition and lighting from the sun. If he did wait longer as a couple people suggested he would have lost the long string of tank cars flowing out to the right behind the motive power.

Cody, although slightly more of an angle would have helped your shot I also know that trying to get that with Hwy 59 running along the tracks would have been next to impossible. I am interested in why you shoot with Provia. Fuji's Velvia in my opinion seems to grab a bit more color. 

[TOMinTN]

Both are good shots...neither exceptional.

I chose the DM&E entry because it has a bit more substance (the slanting station sign in particular).  Aside from that, the blue and yellow scheme hasn't been seen much and will soon disappear.

The WSOC photo, while well composed and attractively balanced, doesn't offer anything that reaches out and grabs my attention.

TJB

Nashville, TN

[zardoz]

Cody's W&S image said "railroading" much moreso than Drew's.  In Drew's shot, all we can see is one unit, a few tank cars, a parking lot, and a big, crooked sign that dwarfs (size-wise) the train.  Even pigeons would have been better.

I know that in Wauwatosa there aren't many good photo ops, and Drew probably managed to get as good of a shot as possible in that city.  But there are no handicap points allowed.  The images must stand on their own, regardless of the situation and/or difficulties in getting them.

In Cody's shot, we see 7 matching red & white units "cooking the corn" in rural America. Not much else to see, but at least the image portrays power.  That did it for me.

Voted for Cody.

[thomaspier]

Having grown up in Wauwatosa, I had to go with Drew's photograph.  The string of ethanol tankers stretching into the distance is impressive.

 

Tom

[howard thayer]

Sorry Cody--I watch you on internet TV via Model Railroader every week.  Great show.  This is hard to say.....but I think you probably need to cede "live" train photos to the "live train" guys.  But you and the rest of the Model Railroader folks will never take a back seat to these Trains guys when it comes to Model Railroads.  Look forward to this week's installment of "Cody's Office."

[Rocket Man]

I voted for Drew's Wauwatosa DM&E photo. I liked the sign in the shot and the fact it was leaning appealed to me more than if it were brand new, upright, & pristine. It was nice seeing a uniform clean consist of tank cars for a change.

I have nothing against the WSOR. I think the WSOR has beautiful paint scheme. For what I know from Colorado, the WSOR looks and sounds like a great railroad. I understand that because of the location of the Trackside photographers in proximity to the WSOR lines, this is what they see  in southern Wisconsin. But if I see another WSOR photo in the near future in this competition, I think I might puke! I love the Rock Island and I know it is possible that I may never see a Rock Island locomotive in this competition. (Unless #630, #652 or IANR #678 make it into Trackside) But if I saw the CRI&P every week in "Trackside" I would get tired of it as well.

As far as composition goes, I think Cody's shot could have benefited from the photographic "rule of thirds" by not having the train and horizon splitting the middle of the frame. I think I would have preferred a horizontal composition, placing the train/horizon on the lower third line with the nose on the point wher the lower third line and the left third line intersect. I would take advantage of the brilliant blue sky against the red and silver of the locomotive. Yeah it looks like another wedgie shot but, I think it is still more appealing. 

Thanks again to all at Trains.com for having this feature. It is a great way to armchair railfan when I don't have time to go out to the tracks.

 

[Anonymous]

I had to go with Drew's shot even though your 7 loco shot was more colorful Cody.  For some reason (to my eyes anyway) with the engines dead center in the shot made the photo seem for lack of a better term "unbalanced"  Maybe its due to not going on the "Rule of Thirds".  I dont know.

[HarveyK400]

Sorry Drew, I think you might have walked back from the sign to keep it from overwhelming the train.  It wasn't the smoke or red locomotives.

[LVJJJ]

wasn't terribly impressed with either, but liked the all the loco's in a line and the blue sky and wide open spaces of Cody's.

[saldana17]

   I am a sucker for a lot of power.

It's Cody for me.

Brad 

[lhtalbot]

OK Drew,I'm going with your shot again. I realize they were shot on different days, but this shot is only about 6 seconds East of your vol 91 shot. Not that it matters, only those of us who shoot around this area would know that.

I would like to dispute the person who thought there are no good locations in the Tosa area. If you win again this vol, may I suggest the Plank Road bridge with the CP under you & UP over you, pretty awesome if you can get a pair together.

 Cody, I have to agree with the comment about vertical vs horizontal for this shot. I would like to have seen a little tighter shot to see all those engines better. Nice shot though.

Thanks again guys,

Larry in Wauwatosa

 

[zardoz]

I would like to dispute the person who thought there are no good locations in the Tosa area. If you win again this vol, may I suggest the Plank Road bridge with the CP under you & UP over you, pretty awesome if you can get a pair together.

Larry, just to avoid any misunderstanding, please note that in my post I said "there weren't many good spots for photos"; I did not say there were none. Ouch, I think I twisted my grammar bone.

And FWIW, I agree: the Plank bridge is a very cool place to photograph trains.

[lhtalbot]

Thanks Zardoz....

No offense taken & certainly none intended. Just trying to stick up for my neck of the woods.

His shot was taken from the parking lot at the Chancery. Let me know next time you get up this way & we can check out the spot, & then check out a beer or a bite or both in the pub.

Larry in Wauwatosa

[Ed Porter]

I have to agree with the others who thought the sign was too prominent, Drew. You should have backed up about twenty feet (and perhaps more to your right) and let the train get closer so you had a better balance between the two elements. Although Cody's shot would have been better in a horizontal format and a little more from the side, his faults were the lesser ones.

[loadmaster747]

It's nice to see a relatively rare (but still Midwestern) locomotive featured in Drew's photo.  Even though I've voted in the past for WSOR's red against the bright blue sky, a steady diet of WSOR photos gets boring.  Besides, that ugly smudge of diesel smoke detracts from the photo rather than adding interest... it's just not as nostalgic as, let's say, a coal-fired steamer's stack exhaust.  Sorry, Cody, but as far as I'm concerned, Drew is the winner and still champion.

[D-Halv]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I always enjoy reading the feedback.

I've tried this spot, next to the Wauwatosa sign, a few times prior to this. Due to the specific train (being a DM&E ethanol train with one unit, running on detour) I decided to leave it tucked back behind the sign.  I will include a photo in the recap installment, showing CP #8568 "skating" through this same location over the winter; this one will feature a much closer train to give you an idea of what it looks like compared to the sign and other elements.

 

[tree68]

I liked Drew's shot because it just has 'character.'  Impressive as the long line of locos is, it's still just another shot of a train.  The crooked sign, the railfan with his tripod, all add something to Drew's shot.

[CopCarSS]

I'm a sucker for a sign in the shot:

so I had to go with Drew.

[corwinda]

Two good shots make for a close call this week. I voted for Drew but a if Cody's shot had been horizontally framed it would have gone the other way.

[CShaveRR]

The station sign is still too big, but not so big that it can't be ignored by someone interested in the train.

I saw everything I wanted to in Drew's shot, particularly an attractive paint scheme on the locomotives, and the railfan, and a good curve, and--most importantly for me--the train!  Not being familiar with Wauwatosa firsthand, I don't think that the unusual movement did anything for me either way.

Seven GP38-2s notching it out may have made for a tremendous trackside experience, but I just saw a picture of locomotives.  I've heard--and used--the "I guess you had to be there" line often enough, and I'll bet that this was one of those times. 

[LU-Trains]

I've been out of town for several weeks on an extended concert engagement and missed voting on these last photos.  However, IF I HAD VOTED, I probably would have gone with the Wauwatosa picture - but not because of the major subject matter, but because . . .Over on the far right of the picture is another photographer, taking HIS picture of the same train. 

Each photographer, with his own thoughts about the heritage of the train and for his own individual reasons, trying to capture a moment in time on the rails.  For all of us who love trains, it's a pretty neat coincidence.