Bummer for a RailFan

[Anonymous]

Joe [8D]

In baseball a "tie" goes to the "runner". [;)]

I don't think I want to be around to watch a tie at a crossover. [:(]

[athelney]

What did I see today ? -- Zilch - no trains , I decided to check out a new spot - Colebrook on the BC Port sub to Roberts Bank .BC -- Should have seen at least one from the following -- BNSF freight, BNSFcoal train , Amtrak , CP coal train or intermodal ,CN intermodal - but no - not one , stayed for 3 1/2 hours , not even a MOW on the scanner . Ended up watching aircraft landing at Vancouver airport! - pretty sad for a railfan day out!! - maybe tomorrow at my usual spot .

[Anonymous]

being a long time fan of Conrail

Jim

[Anonymous]

My latest "bummer" is writing down an engine number and forgetting to post about it. I lost the paper with the number. [:(] Now I have found the paper and engine number but don't remember what day I saw it. [:(] [:0] [B)]

Well anyway, I saw UP 5654 pulling a train sometime about a week ago. The horn on it sound like only part of the horn was working. Might have been one of the chimes was stopped up with something. But anyway it sounded really funny and kinda bad.

[ericsp]

A Southern Pacific locomotive being patch or repainted.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

A Southern Pacific locomotive being patch or repainted.

Yes, I know what you mean. I am seeing lots of SP locos still in SP paint but with the UP number patch.

[AlcoRS11Nut]

The latest one I can remember were we were at the Burnside Bridge in KY, and I was there for about an hour an no trains, just ticks and more ticks. Even if there was a train I probably could have got a shot of it because I was trying to hard to keep the ticks off of me. (forgot bug spray). Then I said enough and decided to find another spot and got into the car, as soon as I did a NS Autorack went across the bridge. Thats my luck!

[snakespol]

Being new to the world of railfanning, reading alot of the forums and not having hardly a clue as to what you all are saying. But at least I know where to look to say I've learned sometihing new today. I'll keep trying.[%-)][%-)][banghead]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by snakespol

Being new to the world of railfanning, reading alot of the forums and not having hardly a clue as to what you all are saying. But at least I know where to look to say I've learned sometihing new today. I'll keep trying.[%-)][%-)][banghead]

Hello and welcome to the forums. [:)]

Look into the "Stupid Question Thread". You can learn a ton there, and don't be afraid to ask questions. That is how we all learn. [;)] The "gang" is always happy to answer a question (I am afraid to list them by name knowing I will forget someone) and it is always nice to have someone ask a question as the gang is "foaming" [;)] at the mouth just to get to answer it. [;)]

[Anonymous]

On the way to work Monday afternoon I saw 3 CN boxcars on the old Rock Island overpass. Trees blockes me from seeing one boxcar's number and the other two boxcars were faded AND had so much grafetti on them that I couldn't ready any numbers.

They were still there on the way home from work but it was dark. Now there is a light but the light shines down on the road and not on the train. [:(] [:(!] [V]

[Modelcar]

...A "bummer" for me occured down in Saluda, NC...several times, several years ago. My situation occured several times while returning back from Florida in the Spring and turning off the interstate to drive back into Saluda..[only about 2 miles], to take a look at the famous location and try to see some action on the "hill"....I did that several years and tarried up to 4 hours waiting for action...which I never saw....The last time I was there several years ago I waited at least 4 hours and saw nothing again, but little did I know that would be my last chance as it was "embargoed" soon after that so we may never have the chance to see any action again at that famous location. If I would have known that was coming I perhaps would have waited longer still.....But I really enjoyed just having the chance to see the famous location anyway...It is one of a kind..!

[Hawks05]

QUOTE: Originally posted by snakespol

Being new to the world of railfanning, reading alot of the forums and not having hardly a clue as to what you all are saying. But at least I know where to look to say I've learned sometihing new today. I'll keep trying.[%-)][%-)][banghead]

i'm in the same boat kind of. i'm just getting into this. being a teenager i don't have a lot of money to invest in stuff to find out where to go. we got our camera for free so thats what i'm using. now i take it wherever i go pretty much, never know whats sitting at the siding in town. sunday it was CNW gondola, tuesday that was gone, and wednesday its a UP crain with a flat car of 4 sections of track. now today there is a front endloader and 3 sections of track lain out next to a part of track in town. should be interesting to see what is going on there. i wouldn't mind seeing UP put in another line. maybe get more action here.

anyways my biggest bummers so far have been taking great pictures only to have the wrong focus on so when i go to move the picture is taken. the camera came with the twilight focus so before a picture was taken it would flash like 5 times. now i have it switched to landscape so it just snaps shot after shot.

so basically a lot of my bummers have been taking pictures of the ground when i could have had great shots of NS2512 with a load of Triple Crowns or a Cotton Belt hopper in Wisconsin. i guess its living and learning. also not having enough gas to catch a train hurts to.

just like jim- i live close to the tracks. i live 3 blocks away so when i hear a whistle i'm in my car and heading for a crossing. there are so many around here, but they are spread apart. i can go to the baseball field and then try and take off from there and get to a bridge that i've gotten some great shots off of, then flying to another crossing. in all that takes about 5 minutes depending on the length of the train, if i can get through the backup of cars, and if i can go with out getting stuck behind a slow driver and seeing a cop.

[Anonymous]

Working on a sunny day...

LC

[athelney]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hawks05

QUOTE: Originally posted by snakespol

Being new to the world of railfanning, reading alot of the forums and not having hardly a clue as to what you all are saying. But at least I know where to look to say I've learned sometihing new today. I'll keep trying.[%-)][%-)][banghead]

i'm in the same boat kind of. i'm just getting into this. being a teenager i don't have a lot of money to invest in stuff to find out where to go. we got our camera for free so thats what i'm using. now i take it wherever i go pretty much, never know whats sitting at the siding in town. sunday it was CNW gondola, tuesday that was gone, and wednesday its a UP crain with a flat car of 4 sections of track. now today there is a front endloader and 3 sections of track lain out next to a part of track in town. should be interesting to see what is going on there. i wouldn't mind seeing UP put in another line. maybe get more action here.

anyways my biggest bummers so far have been taking great pictures only to have the wrong focus on so when i go to move the picture is taken. the camera came with the twilight focus so before a picture was taken it would flash like 5 times. now i have it switched to landscape so it just snaps shot after shot.

so basically a lot of my bummers have been taking pictures of the ground when i could have had great shots of NS2512 with a load of Triple Crowns or a Cotton Belt hopper in Wisconsin. i guess its living and learning. also not having enough gas to catch a train hurts to.

just like jim- i live close to the tracks. i live 3 blocks away so when i hear a whistle i'm in my car and heading for a crossing. there are so many around here, but they are spread apart. i can go to the baseball field and then try and take off from there and get to a bridge that i've gotten some great shots off of, then flying to another crossing. in all that takes about 5 minutes depending on the length of the train, if i can get through the backup of cars, and if i can go with out getting stuck behind a slow driver and seeing a cop.

Guess my suggestion would be to hang in there -take as many photo's as you can & try and learn from your failures -- most of all have fun & be safe -- mind your driving !

[Anonymous]

Most every day on the way to work I see some engines coming into the yard or on the through tracks. BUT many times they are too far away for me to see the engine numbers. [:(]

Sometimes there are engines and trains ready to leave the yard and waiting on a signal. BUT they are so close to the bridge that goes over the tracks that I can't get their numbers either. [:(]

[Hawks05]

whenever i'm pursuing a train i always try and focus on the driving because i know the train will have to slow down more than i will when it enters a town. the tracks run along a highway so i can do 55-65 slowing only once while the train will have to normally slow down as it enters the town.

i'm still getting down the zooming in and out yet and where to stand. the camera only has a 3x zoom so its not that good really.

so far its been really fun. just wish i had a scanner or some way of finding out when a train is coming.

[Anonymous]

F I N A L L Y [V]

I have been searching for THIS thread for at least an hour. [:(!]

When I would type in phrases nothing would work. [:(]


Anyway here is my latest bummer. [:(]

I have been getting to the tracks just in time to see part of the train and not the power. I can't even begin to tell you how many times this has happened to me in the last few weeks. [:(!] Between traffic, traffic stop lights, and just being in the wrong place at the wrong time I have been missing the boat errrr train.

[Junctionfan]

I went to look at 328 a NS train on the CN line in my area, and I missed it. To make it worse, it had a solid UP lash up.

[SALfan]

One of the many times I was in Denver I had to be there over the weekend, so rented a car. Sunday afternoon, wandered around until I found the Joint Line south of town. Found a good spot to watch some trains, and settled down to enjoy some of the heavy traffic. What did I see? ZIP, ZERO, NADA, NOTHING. Spent over two hours there, and didn't see a single train. BUMMER!

[Anonymous]

Yesturday i was passing through Franklin Park with my scanner on, to see if any trains were coming. i heard 4 trains, one from each direction. One of them was the IC&E east bound, which rarely comes through on Sunday afternoons. So i parked waited, it was waiting just down the tracks. But i had the "wife to be" in the car with me. NOT a good idea. She made me leave without a picture. Oh yeah, there were 2 I&M Rail Link SD40s on the train. i cant win.

[Anonymous]

Dead Battery in Camera [:(] [V] [:(]

[locomutt]

Besides battery,when you have a digital,and your memory card is full,you forget
to put the camera back to INTERNAL memory.[censored][banghead]

[espeefoamer]

After my surgury,and early recovery, I went almost three weeks without seeing a train![:(][:0][V]

[Anonymous]

Last Sunday was a beautiful day so I went railfanning for a while. I went downtown and as I was crossing over the railroad tracks I noticed a set of NS engines. I couldn't stop because I was on a four lane bridge. I drove all around trying to find a place where I could get a shot of them. No luck. [:(!] That area has a lot of private industry and each one has buildings and fences so you can't see the railroad tracks from the street. I wanted a shot real bad and kept going over the bridge hoping I might could stop and get a shot. Then a set of UP power pulled up and stopped right by the NS power. Then I really wanted that shot. That would have made a super shot to have but the traffic would not allow me to stop there and take it. [:(!] [:(] [:(!]

Bummer, bummer, bummer, I was really bummed out. [V] [:(] [:(!]

[Anonymous]

Today was a beautiful day, high about 82 with a slight breeze so I decided to go railfanning. I wanted some pics of the old Rock Island Depot so I headed there first. Because of "special" construction in the area I coldn't really get where I needed to be to take the shot I wanted. [:(] So while I was downtown I went to Union Station. While I was there I shot a pic of a UP/NS engine combo pulling an intermodal train. So I had the idea of catching it across the river on the North Little Rock side (the good side of the river) and as I was crossing the bridge I noticed the railroad bridge was going up. So I changed plans and headed to the railroad bridge. I got out of the truck and walked around the foot/bike path trying to find a good shot. I walked off "the beaten path" and took several pics from various angles. Another train with a SPpatch/UP engine combo pulled up the the bridge so I shot it too. A few minutes later I began to itch. [:(] Then I started to itch even worse. [:(!] [:(] [:(!] Since it was warm I was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, shoe, and ankle socks. The itch was just above the ankle socks and it was turning red. Mind you I didn't scratch it, I was afraid it was poison ivy/oak. I cut short my railfanning trip and headed home to take a shower hoping to prevent it from spreading. That was around 5 pm. It is now almost 8pm and I have a cream on it. I hope that tomorrow morning that it is gone but we will have to wait and see. But it definately put a stop to my railfanning for the day. AND on the way home there was another train I could have waited on and saw but . . . well I wanted to get in the shower as quickly as possible. And how was your day? [;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

Today was a beautiful day, high about 82 with a slight breeze so I decided to go railfanning. I wanted some pics of the old Rock Island Depot so I headed there first. Because of "special" construction in the area I couldn't really get where I needed to be to take the shot I wanted. [:(] So while I was downtown I went to Union Station. While I was there I shot a pic of a UP/NS engine combo pulling an intermodal train. So I had the idea of catching it across the river on the North Little Rock side (the good side of the river) and as I was crossing the bridge I noticed the railroad bridge was going up. So I changed plans and headed to the railroad bridge. I got out of the truck and walked around the foot/bike path trying to find a good shot. I walked off "the beaten path" and took several pics from various angles. Another train with a SPpatch/UP engine combo pulled up the the bridge so I shot it too. A few minutes later I began to itch. [:(] Then I started to itch even worse. [:(!] [:(] [:(!] Since it was warm I was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, shoes, and ankle socks. The itch was just above the ankle socks and it was turning red. Mind you I didn't scratch it, I was afraid it was poison ivy/oak. I cut short my railfanning trip and headed home to take a shower hoping to prevent it from spreading. That was around 5 pm. It is now almost 8pm and I have a cream on it. I hope that tomorrow morning that it is gone but we will have to wait and see. But it definately put a stop to my railfanning for the day. AND on the way home there was another train I could have waited on and saw but . . . well I wanted to get in the shower as quickly as possible. And how was your day? [;)]

[tree68]

Been that poison ivy route. Yucch!

Was tooling west on NYS Thruway and discovered I was pacing a WB stack. Came up on a spot that would have been perfect for a pacing shot, EXCEPT I was already ahead of the train, I would have had to shoot across traffic (virtually guaranteeing a semi in my shot), the camera wasn't ready (digital), and since I didn't know the opportunity was coming up, no way to time things right for it. Makes for a great memory of what might have been, though...

[railman]

my story- I caught a rare BNSF train, long hood foreward, on the far end of the Monticello Sub.- and all I had was my polaroid camera. I took a picture, but you know how they look- not bad, not good, just OK. Unit 1597, for the engine fans out there.

Another was catching the ballast train coming into town with ol' 1597 AND a SD40-2 (we never see six-axle power) and having NO camera. They did some switching move that tied up all three crossings in Albertville for almost 20 minutes...I was one of the cars caught in the way, but I might have been the only guy with the windows down enjoying the roar of the big SD!

[Anonymous]

I have 2 "bummers" for today. [:(] [:(]

#1

I went railfanning at Little Rock's Union Station today. Usually a fairly busy place, I was there for 2 hours and only saw one train. [:(]

#2

So I decide to leave. As I was driving across a bridge I noticed a train heading that way with a blue engine. So I decided to try to check it out. In driving all over the place to try to get to see it I also noticed that the second engine looked like a Suzie Q. Now that would be very rare for these parts, maybe not for New York but for Arkansas very rare.There were actually about 2 and maybe 3 trains that looked like they were ready to cross the river and go into Little Rock. So I found a place that would be a good shot, I also took the angle of the sun into consideration in choosing the spot. This spot just happened to be by the Bearing Cross Railroad Bridge (where I got the poison ivy last time [:(] ) and I saw someone illegally cross the bridge on foot. I waited for this rare engine to come my way. It never did. I wait for it almost 45 minutes too. So I went back to see if it was still there. It wasn't. I guess instead of going south into Little Rock that they went west to Fort Smith. So I missed seeing if the engine was an ex Suzie Q or possibly a current Q out running around. [:(!] [V]

[jockellis]

I was putting the finishing touches on my newspaper in south Georgia late one Tuesday night when I heard the unmistakable wail of a steam whistle from the Waycross to Brunswick line of the Seaboard Coastline. Although I was right on deadline, I rushed out the front door and ran down toward the track. As it rolled across the grad crossing, I saw a self-powered steam crane heading eastward. Unfortunately, I couldn't follow it because I had to get the paper out. But it was going to a wreck on a trestle and would have given me some great pictures, if it hadn't been so dark.
Jock Ellis