Bummer for a RailFan

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

I thought about making a new thread and calling it, "I was an idiot today" but decided nobody would post there but me. [;)] [B)] [}:)]

Today I went to the UP Open House. I finished shooting one role of film and even took pics and finished another roll of film while there. On the way home I noticed a train. It was behind me so I couldn't get its loco number. I drove ahead and found a place where I could sit and watch the train. I parked near a curve and had wanted to take a pic from that location so I got out the camera and waited for the train. When the train came around the corner I was ready and just as it got to a good spot I clicked the button. Nothing happened. So I tried one more time. I had finished the roll but didn't want to change the rolls in the bright sunlight and was waiting till I got home to change it. Now the engines were past me and I didn't even get their numbers. So I had to drive somewhere else to get at least one engine number. Not only is that a bummer to happen it sure makes you feel stupid. [B)] [:0] [:(]

That reminded me of a Far Side cartoon.

The lady is standing in the cartoon with her arm around an ailen, then the husband is standing there with his camera wide open exposing the film, then the husband is standing there saying, "Yeah, that camera's loaded."

[:D][:)][:D]

That Gary Larson was hilarious.

[Anonymous]

I thought about making a new thread and calling it, "I was an idiot today" but decided nobody would post there but me. [;)] [B)] [}:)]

Today I went to the UP Open House. I finished shooting one role of film and even took pics and finished another roll of film while there. On the way home I noticed a train. It was behind me so I couldn't get its loco number. I drove ahead and found a place where I could sit and watch the train. I parked near a curve and had wanted to take a pic from that location so I got out the camera and waited for the train. When the train came around the corner I was ready and just as it got to a good spot I clicked the button. Nothing happened. So I tried one more time. I had finished the roll but didn't want to change the rolls in the bright sunlight and was waiting till I got home to change it. Now the engines were past me and I didn't even get their numbers. So I had to drive somewhere else to get at least one engine number. Not only is that a bummer to happen it sure makes you feel stupid. [B)] [:0] [:(]

[AltonFan]

Some years ago, the Canadian Pacific installed new fences near the former Milwaukee Road Bensenville diesel house. Where the old fences where simple chain-link fences that allowed passers-by on Green Street to get a good up-close look at the engines and the facility without tresspassing. The new fences had plastic or metal strips woven into the chain-link fencing that completely blocked visibility. Later on, they tore down the whole locomotive facility, and built a new one within the yard, well away from railfans' eyes.

[Bummer, heavy sigh.]

[Anonymous]

My railfan bummer is similar to jhhtrainsplanes:

I live only about a half-mile from the KCS's tracks. It is all field between us, but a deep dive in the land to a small creek means it's too steep to farm, so it isn't cleared. All I can do is listen to the train blast off long-long-short-long horn blasts. So, in winter, I just walk across the fields to see a train, which usually comes in the morning and afternoon.

[bnsfkline]

No Bummers for me, I have 3 cameras Ready to go, used to shoot alot of video. My closest thing to a bummer is not getting UP3300 on Video, but I am rather happy that I got in film.

[Anonymous]

Three stories - all about photography, one just a few weeks ago and the other two, 15 or so years ago.

Related to 'macguy's story about these new digital cameras a few weeks ago I was in Missasagua, Ontario Canada (about 15 miles west of Toronto), freezing my butt off and waiting to take some pictures of Canadian Pacific, when I hear a train approaching. Being not familiar with the area I really wan't paying attention to the scanner and I had no signal to help me out, only a grade crossing a littl ways away. I jumped out of my car, turned the camera on, ran out to the tracks and saw in the distance a 3 engine train just about to hit the curve (would have a been a great picture) with a StL&H on the lead, a white SOO in the middle, and a CP on the back.

Usually, after I have taken the last picture, I always review it via the LCD viewer to see if it is a 'keeper' or not, but I usually like to shoot via the view finder. Putting the camera to my eye, showed nothing (the LCD was on). I switched to non-LCD mode and put the camera to my eye - I saw the last picture I took - UGH!! Ofcouse, by the time I got it together, the train had flatened out on the curve and my picture of CP mixed consist was 'NOT' a keeper. I learned my lesson to always leave the camera 'ready-for-action'.

The second story was one day during the beginning of Desert Storm and I was taking pictures in Altamont Pass (close to Livermore, CA or about 60 miles from San Francisco). I had a Nikon FM camera with a 70mm-210mm zoom on it when I heard a UP coming. I was positioned on the top of this small rise where a siding begins. Around the corner comes a 4 engine consist (rare for UP) - click goes the camera, or really a half-click (that feeling that you are out of film). I thought I had a 36 shot roll in when I really had a 24. All the engines had flags flyings on them as behind the consist was flatcar, after flatcar of tanks and other military equipment. Great memories, but no pictures.

Last story was shooting a picture of SP4449 during the California Rail-Fair of 1991 (90 or 91 - I can't remember). The engine was traveling between Oakland and San Jose and I was standing close to a flower field, on the edge of the Railroad bed, along with a few other railfans, around the border of Hayward and Union City. I had an Old English Sheepdog that had been born deaf and had been trained by hand signals. He was very good and obediant and he had been 'commanded' to lay-and-stay and he was a constant companion with me when I went train watching. Along comes 4449 about a mile away and my camera is clicking and clicking and I am getting great pictures but as the engines gets closer the ground starts to shake. I had never been the close to the rails when a steam engine went by under steam. I didn't want to, but I had to look down to make sure my sheepdog was still laying down as the ground was really shaking now, and since I looked down - I blew the last shot. I wiggled the camera, and had moved the camera a little off-center, and it was ugly. The dog never moved - great train dog, but have never had a chance to be that close to thundering live steam again.

[swknox]

Don't talk about flat tires... Went chasing a NS freight that had 2 geeps (GP-38's) that were High Hood units and were running long hood forward. Classic NS!!! You might say whats special with this, well whats special is this is former Conrail tracks and they never ran long hood forward nor had high hood geeps here on the shore. Well the train gets by me at the crossing so I decide to follow along going down Rt. 13 which Follows along the line almost the entire distance of the shore from Dover DE to Cape Charles VA. Well I didn't make it very far as I pulled out on Rt. 13 I didn't make it a mile when I heard a thud coming from the rear. Flat Tire. Oh the pain and agony...

[Anonymous]

I got one.
While my father (also a railfan) was visiting me in LA, we decided to railfan north to Mojave. We decided on the way to try and catch the Trona interchange with the SP. This was back when Trona was Baldwin powered, and we already knew the Baldwins days were numbered. We hung around Mojave till we heard on the scanner that the show was about to begin. Then we drove to the interchange (I can't remember, was it Chafee?) where the Trona ended along what was left of the Lone Pine branch. We basicaly followed the SP line from Mojave. This required following about 25-30 miles of dirt road. We arrived and got out our gear, and set up for our shots. I started hearing a hissing sound. We discovered that I had a slow leak in one of my tires. We knew the Trona would be there soon. We also could tell that if we didn't head for town immediately the tire wouldn't make it (No spare, that's rare for me). What a delema. I considered staying and sacrificing the rim/tire in the name of Baldwin, but common sense got the best of me. To this day I have never seen a running Baldwin. Trona's were gone a month later.
This is one of my biggest railfan bummers.

[Anonymous]

had taken 80 shots of 1977 rock island trains in back yard . 3 year old son found 4 rolls film and threw into toilet. priceless pix. ouch !

[daveklepper]

When in school in Cambridge, Mass, had a weekend date with a girl at Skidmore College near Troy, NY. Found I could leave my last class Friday afternoon and get to the N. Cambridge (Porter Square) B&M station in time to catch the "Minuteman" to Troy. At that time the train was stated to have the "Flying Yankee" equipment (the B&M's Budd articulated streamliner similar to the Pioneer Zephyr) in the timetable, with snack and beverage service. Showed up in time for the train, and a few minutes late came an RS2 or RS3 with two regular steel coaches and a baggage. No meal service. I had missed lunch, figuring to eat the train. The conductor took pity and let me share his salted peanuts, and the water cooler did not run dry. Dave

[Anonymous]

I've got a bummer story:

I was riding my bike and I "just happened to stumble across" the CP/CSX main line. So, I parked my bike and walked over to the track. Then remembering not to trespass on RR property, I saw a nearby hill, so I climbed it. And waited. Then, from around the bend comes a CP intermodel with 2 SD40-2s rumbling along at 50mph! Then another intermodel with 2 SD40-2s going almost just as fast. Then a CSX coal drag (though I'm not sure I should call it a "drag", because it was going probably 40mph) with a CSX SD60 and a UP Dash-8. ALL THIS TIME I DIDN'T BRING THAT DIGITAL CAMERA! UGH! (then I had to bike 20 miles back to my house, double ugh!)

[Anonymous]

Just yesterday I was all lined up to take a picture of a CP coal train coming from Roberts Bank, all ready to go (and I waited a good while too.)

So I take the picture (one of these new digital cameras) look down at the screen and this little record light is blinking.... couldn't figure it out.

Turns out I had accidentally set the camera to "video mode" and instead of a big picture it was recording in video format.

Of course when I take the pictures they are nice big 1600x1200 quality pics, but in video mode you just get this small little box, with no sound.

Pissed me off too, that first frame that was supposed to be my picture would have made an awsome desktop picture.

Ah well. Perhpas I'll head down again today and try and get in that same spot for a re-do.

[Anonymous]

The high gas prices are a real railfanning bumber [:(!]
(But that is discussed in another thread)


I have been on two different steam excursions where it started to rain somewhat near the end of the trip. [:(] That was a little bumber. Glad it didn't rain for the whole trip.

[Anonymous]

How about some new railfan bummer stories? [:p]

Who has one for us. [?]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by arking

Had tickets for an trip from Columbus OH to Huntington WV behind NW610 for 3 months when my little brother picked that day to get married! Big Bummer! That was the one of the last NS steam trips in Ohio .

arking [:)]

Your first post. [;)]

WELCOME to the forums. [;)]

[Anonymous]

Had tickets for an trip from Columbus OH to Huntington WV behind NW610 for 3 months when my little brother picked that day to get married! Big Bummer! That was the one of the last NS steam trips in Ohio .

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Girl_4005

Thanks for acknowledging my "rite of passage" I am glad to hear of the lasting affects these type of incidents have had for some of you. I think it was a good sign that we were both laughing instead of frowning (as others BB and I know might have done instead[sigh][sigh]).

The dirty ice cold feet are a small price to pay for the mileage we will get from that day of train hunting.[:D]

My wife, God Bless Her, has developed an interest in trains. It started the day she let me off my leash near a railyard and then had to chase me over most of Western Georgia... all she had to do was follow the tracks and the flecks of foam.

She will proudly point out a GE (the builder's plate is a giveaway) and identify it as such.
She got me Train Simulator one Christmas. Not enough memory on our computer. She bought a new computer. That's love.

Is she totally converted? Not yet... she still gets jealous when she catches me looking at pictures of "naked locomotives in that TRAINS magazine." (By the way, my back copies seem to end up as teaching tools in her classroom.) She just doesn't understand that I'm.... reading the articles. Yeah, that's it.

Erik

[Kozzie]

One from downunder.

My Father and I went on a steam heritage trip along a branch line that visited a small country town that was having it's annual agricultural/industry show. Everything was fine till the return journey.

Just as we pulled out of the station, waved off by literally hundreds of local townsfolk, one of the connecting rods on the steam loco sheared right through. So we came to an embarrassing stop not much past the platform! Ugh!

After a lot of attempts to fix a steam engine in a small country town , (basically impossible), we had to wait for Queensland Railways to send a diesel up the line and tow us all the way back to Brisbane.

The saddest part was watching the steam loco being uncoupled from the train, and then shunted into a siding at the workshop. The day had gone well, but a very disappointing return journey.

(The steam loco was repaired and continues to enjoy many steam heritage trips all around south-east Queensland)

Anyone else had a major drama on a steam heirtage rail trip?

Kozzie
Brisbane, QLD
Oz

[tree68]

Heard the DED/HBD key up tonight on the way home tonight. Knew that it was probably a southbound, thus already past me, but, what the heck. You never know. It was a southbound.

[Anonymous]

It happens too often. I find a great place to photograph trains and wait there for a couple hours or so. Waiting and waiting. Nothing shows up. minutes after leaving a parade of trains comes rolling through. By then i'm too far away to turn back.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for acknowledging my "rite of passage" I am glad to hear of the lasting affects these type of incidents have had for some of you. I think it was a good sign that we were both laughing instead of frowning (as others BB and I know might have done instead[sigh][sigh]).

The dirty ice cold feet are a small price to pay for the mileage we will get from that day of train hunting.[:D]

[mudchicken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Girl_4005

Originally posted by erikthered

"No greater love hath a woman for a man than the woman who sacrifices her new Nikes for a train..."

Erik[(-D]

Well put Erik. I plan on making full use of this little adventure too. Now I have a "do you remember that time we went train hunting and I was wearing my new shoes......" for the next time I DON'T pass a test.[(-D][(-D]

I figure this incident should be good for a quite a few giggle sessions when we are laying in bed at night rehashing events.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.[:P][:P][;)]
[/quote


Mrs. Mudchicken sends her condolences and, after all, it only was a pair of shoes (plenty more where those came from, right?[:D]).....This poor gal had our first date interupted by strike duty and then endured "dinner and a derailment" on several occasions...managed to put up with the life of a railroad supervisor and still tolerates an occasional sidetrip to watch other people's trains. [bow]Congrats on earning your "attagal" in pursuit of the other half's vice[bow]


[banghead][banghead][banghead] snirty bird

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west

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