Bummer for a RailFan

[Poppa_Zit]

OK, I'll take a shot....

Two years ago I was making pictures of UP freights on a Sunday afternoon on the old CNW mainline in Chicago's western suburbs. After spending about five hours shooting the usual traffic with a big telephoto off the top deck of a public parking garage, an inbound unit train came up and stopped at the signal just west of where I was. The dispatcher told him to wait there until a slot opened up ahead, maybe 10 to 20 minutes. So I figured I'd scoot down to a big, sweeping curve a couple miles ahead and get a nice low-sun, backlit shot of a coal drag struggling upgrade around the curve.

As soon as I get into my truck and start driving up the road, the gates go down at the next grade crossing. Of course, my camera is in the bag and still attached to a big 500mm lens as the UP business train -- headed by the E9s -- comes flying through with its Armour yellow consist flashing in the "honey light."

At least I got a second chance 10 days ago, when it came through here twice; once inbound to Global I, and back out again on the old CNW toward Clinton, Iowa.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Poppa_Zit

OK, I'll take a shot....

Two years ago I was making pictures of UP freights on a Sunday afternoon on the old CNW mainline in Chicago's western suburbs. After spending about five hours shooting the usual traffic with a big telephoto off the top deck of a public parking garage, an inbound unit train came up and stopped at the signal just west of where I was. The dispatcher told him to wait there until a slot opened up ahead, maybe 10 to 20 minutes. So I figured I'd scoot down to a big, sweeping curve a couple miles ahead and get a nice low-sun, backlit shot of a coal drag struggling upgrade around the curve.

As soon as I get into my truck and start driving up the road, the gates go down at the next grade crossing. Of course, my camera is in the bag and still attached to a big 500mm lens as the UP business train -- headed by the E9s -- comes flying through with its Armour yellow consist flashing in the "honey light."

At least I got a second chance 10 days ago, when it came through here twice; once inbound to Global I, and back out again on the old CNW toward Clinton, Iowa.

I think many of us have given up at a certain location and planned to move on when just as we left the first location here comes tons of traffic. [;)]

If you read my poison ivy story early on in this thread, I was heading home already itching from the poison ivy when I happened upon another train. I was not able to stop and take any photos of the new found train because of the itching and needing to get home and in the shower to try and stop it spreading. [:(!] [:(] [:(!]

[Anonymous]

Catching an SD70ACe using my digital camera and *CLICK BEEP!* The picture of the ACe comes out FUZZY! Dang It![:(!][banghead][sigh][censored]

[wallyworld]

In 1999, I had saved for a ticket,roundtrip airfare,rental car, hotel rooms and expenses to take an excursion on July 5th out of Steamtown. The first half of the excursion was to be pulled by diesels and the second half by steam. About halfway to the point where we would stop for lunch and changeover to steam power, we ground to a halt. The cars were not air conditioned and we sat inexplicably for what seemed like forever. It became increasingly hot and stuffy as cars sat baking in the sun in the middle of nowhere. Most of us became pretty cranky at some point. Some Canadians across from me enquired when a crew member came past and we were told the magazine that promoted the trip was taking a photo. We finally got underway and stopped for lunch. After cooling off, we reboarded the train and sat waiting for the steam engine to show up. Suddenly - as if in a instant we were hit hard-the ceiling fixture fell out of the ceiling, dust flew and people were propelled against the front of their seats. Our steam engine had hit us from behind in a very "hard coupling"
We all walked to a local school and once again just sat around waiting to be bused back. We eventually were driven back. As I boarded the plane at the gate, I was completely bummed. What a waste of money.

[Anonymous]

Sorry WW for your bad trip.

That reminded me of a time when I was going to rid the 819 out of Pine Bluff.

I went to Pine Bluff and spend the night in a motel not wanting to be late should I have car trouble or sleep later or whatever. I checked into a motel and then went out to eat supper. After supper I went back to the motel and was going to go to sleep early. However, the air conditioning would not work. I think they moved me to another room and the a/c would not work in that room either. [:(!]
So I opened one of the windows trying to cool down. The mosquitos were fairly bad and I was bait most of the night. And if that wasn't bad enough, a lady and man were fighting in their room and it spread out into the parking lot. That went on and on and on. [:(!] I didn't get much sleep that night and it turned out just to be a waste of money staying in that motel.

The 819 trip was good though.