Trackside with Trains.com, Vol. 96

[Bergie]

This week, Trains Managing Editor Kathi Kube is joined by her boss, Editor Jim Wrinn. (Good luck with that, Kathi! ) See more of Kathi's photos from California as well as Jim's Rio Grande steam photos from a recent trip to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

First, read Trackside with Trains.com Volume 96.

Next, click here to vote.

Finally, add your comments about this week's photos below.

Have fun!
- Bergie

[Mookie]

Kathi - The Drama!  I love it.

Mookie

[CopCarSS]

Egads, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd pass voting on a Coloradoan Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotive, but Kathi, that shot is just gorgeous! You definately got my vote!

Jim - Great shot, I really like it, but it just didn't have the punch for me to get my vote. Oh yes, one little niggle: It's the "Lobato" trestle, not "Labato." I only know that because I had to get this shot a couple of years ago:

Just for the record, that's a shot of Lobato and Me!

Kathi - One niggle on your shot as well. You might want to clean up those dust spots if you get a chance. It's not a huge distraction, but I did find my eye wandering towards them while contemplating the shot.

This was definately a good week for Trackside. Thanks!

[tree68]

Arty.  Authentic.  Arty.  Authentic.

One thing about this series is that the pictures get harder to choose between with every installment.

That said, the question I often ask myself as I'm considering which to choose is which shot I'd rather have framed on my wall.  My vote went with Kathi (although a nicely framed copy of Jim's would certainly look good in the train room).

[Kathi Kube]

Kathi - One niggle on your shot as well. You might want to clean up those dust spots if you get a chance. It's not a huge distraction, but I did find my eye wandering towards them while contemplating the shot.

Whoops! Good catch. All better!

Thanks!
Kat

[Modelcar]

.....I see two nice railroad photos.  I'm a sucker for the back lit signal photo of Kathi's.....I like the other photo too, of Jim's.  Guess my decision was decided then on my admission of liking the type of shot that Kathi provided.   Content.

[Bergie]

Hey Kathi,

I was trying to remember when I used a low-sun photo in a Trackside vote (although mine was from sunrise, not sunset). It was Vol. 13, almost four years ago (yikes!) and I subsequently got my teeth kicked in.

Hopefully yours will be more well-accepted than mine! 

Bergie

[Kathi Kube]

Hey, Berg-mon,

I don't know why your photo wasn't better received. I thought it was pretty cool.

Personally, I'm just tickled that so far our forum folks are liking my shot. We'll see how it all ends up, but I just loved the experience of being there, sharing the moment with dear friends and my darling husband.

Kat

[CShaveRR]

Kat, I envy your "had-to-be-there" sentiment.  And kudos to you for willingly accepting the sun from your husband.  Had I thought of it, I may have been considered impractical (but I didn't, so we'll never know).

Two stunning shots this time.  Vote has been cast; comment will be withheld for now, just in case...

[CNW 6000]

Kathy, hands down for this vote.  That steam shot was nice but it didn't speak to me.  Kathi's says so much with so little: powerful, artsy, dramatic, perfect.  For the first time in a while...WOW on Trackside.  Kudos to you Kathi!

[blhanel]

OK, I'll bite- where the heck is Samoa, IA?

[jrhambone]

Ye Olde Ed. takes my vote this session.  I volunteered for two summers on the C&TSRR and the group of Jim's photos sure bring back pleasant memories.  I, too, scampered over fences and fields to get to that side of Lobato trestle and waited while the double header uncoupled and went across one locomotive at a time (weight restriction).  As has often been the case, it is a shame to have to decide between two very good shots.  Sorry Kathi, nostalgia wins over art this round.  Thanks for the good photography. 

[RicHamilton]

So, the GE lamps on an EMD loco...is that poetic justice or irony? 

[Partsman_ba]

Kathi, I'm a sucker for a good sunset shot. Too bad you didn't have some high clouds to give you more texture in the sky. And then, you add in a crossing signal? OOOOOH! AAAAAAH!

[CShaveRR]

Pat wanted to vote, but (and I know everyone will be pleased to know this) each account gets only one vote.  So, Kat, you got another one, even if it doesn't show.  (I think it may have inspired a quilt.)

Not content with everything in Cedar Rapids, Brian wants Samoa!  (Take that, SJ!)  Samoa is on the ICE, just a couple of miles north of the junction at Sabula.

[zardoz]

For me, this was one of the most difficult choices for Trackside.

I really like how the grade is represented in Jim's shot.  Amazing how much incline is apparent in just the short length of the train.  Additionaly, the composition is very pleasing, although if I wanted to be real picky, I'd have liked to see the entire bridge the train was going over.

Kathi's shot was very unique.  I'm impressed with the camera's ability to shoot straight in to the sun without the sensor going crazy.  And the juxaposition of seeing a crossing signal with nothing but ocean behind it was very interesting. 

Actually, I liked the IC&E train shot the best.

[TOMinTN]

The boss gets my X this time.

Kathi's shot is striking, but doesn't say RAILROADING to me as emphatically as the narrow gauge action.

Tough decision!

TJB - Nashville, TN (vacationing in Winnipeg at the moment)

[Flashwave]

This is I think my first post in a Trackside thread, though I've been voting since it was  just Erik and Mike.

But Kathi, it's just that GOOD to draw me in here. Its a very beautiful shot. The narrow guage is good too, but it's a scene shot, The crossing actually draws me in. And from what I've been reading, it's pretty hard to screw up Surf CA. So that's my vote. It'll be close though.  

[StephenDx]

Steam!! STEAM!! I'm a steam fan, so thats the end of it

So I was somewhat surprised after voting to see that the sunset shot was getting better support. I have not yet had a look at others comments, but my initial thought would be "Steam by a landslide!" But no! It seems that a well executed sunset shot can stand a good chance against steam

... checking the forum comments ...

Having read the forum, I had better now go back and read the column!? I just did a glance through to get the general idea but no details.

... checking the column ...

[blhanel]

Not content with everything in Cedar Rapids, Brian wants Samoa!  (Take that, SJ!)  Samoa is on the ICE, just a couple of miles north of the junction at Sabula.

Funny, my DeLorme doesn't even show it.

[loadmaster747]

This was the hardest choice yet for my vote.  Kathi, WOW, what a simply beautiful shot!  Magazine cover / calendar quality, for sure.  So, it made it all the more difficult to vote for Jim's photo of the narrow gauge steam train.  What finally decided it for me was reading the header on my screen... 'Trackside WITH Trains', and only one of the photos was 'with train'. 

[PRRK4s1361]

This was the hardest choice yet for my vote.  Kathi, WOW, what a simply beautiful shot!  Magazine cover / calendar quality, for sure.  So, it made it all the more difficult to vote for Jim's photo of the narrow gauge steam train.  What finally decided it for me was reading the header on my screen... 'Trackside WITH Trains', and only one of the photos was 'with train'. 

I must agree with this comment...though it was very difficult to decide. That sunset just drew me in also (I wish-I wish!!).  To be honest if things go right for us in a couple of weeks my wife and me will be enjoying some well-deseerved time off on the Outer Banks of NC. My birthday and our anniversary are coming up soon. We usually only take one main vacation every year. Keep up the good work everybody!!

Bill Mondo (Middletown PA)

[lhtalbot]

Both excellent pictures! Hard not to vote for the steam, but Kathi's pic just jumps out at me.

Larry in Wauwatosa

[CShaveRR]

Samoa is on the ICE, just a couple of miles north of the junction at Sabula.

Funny, my DeLorme doesn't even show it.

I don't have an Iowa DeLorme atlas (Can't believe that!).  I found it in the SPV Railroad Atlas that covers Iowa.

[drgw17]

There's taking a photograph, and then there's making a photograph, bringing elements together that are more than the sum of their parts.  Kathi, you made a great photograph, and I'm glad to see that (so far) you're getting respect for that in the voting.  Jim's photo is nice (believe me, I wish I'd been there!) and I appreciate the hiking it took to produce a different angle.  But, as someone has already commented, the punch just isn't there, at least in comparison with Kathi's.  The shot of Jim's I really liked was the one of the horse--great balance and composition.  That one would have made my choice more difficult.  Nice job, both of you!  I think this new format is really paying off. 

[Army_Sailor]

The esthetic value of Kathi's photos is outstanding! But where is the Train, unguarded crossing crossbucks do not count!

Kathi, look at Rose's watercolor called the "Daylight & Sunset" if you can find it, he 'posed' the painting at Goledad about two hours north of LA, in I think, 1953. Then you'll understand.

[Rocket Man]

Remembering that this is a photography forum I am going with Kathi's shot at Surf... it was stunning. I had to remind myself of this because I think the Cumbres and Toltec route is simply awesome and would be an easy "emotional" winner for me. If Jim would have used the two horse photo I may have gone with that photo, & I think it was much better than the one he chose for the competition in this volume.

I am curious Jim, why you were using and ISO of 400 with all that sunshine along the Colorado and New Mexico border? It appears that the photo of #315 that you submitted was possible a still photo or very slow indicated by the steam plume which was not trailing the locomotive indicating speed, which would allow for a slower ISO and shutter speed. Consequently, the photo seemed washed out because of fast ISO and shutter speed not allowing for much color saturation. The photo also seemed a little fuzzy and a tad out of focus, was this due to photo editing to make the photo file size smaller for the website?

One more comment if I may, a toast to the hard working volunteers who brought #315 back to life to allow all of us to another opportunity to continue enjoying steam locomotion. If anyone wants to see their journey up close, here is their website: http://www.drhs315.org/

Thank you to Jim for featuring #315! 

[JeffBrown97]

I love the photo showing odd lighting.  It reminds me of work; real railroading doesn't just happen on perfect sunny days, it happens at dusk & dawn, in the rain and snow. 
Those of us who have gone to work in the groggy half-light of morning, or worked through the night, will never forget the experience.  Thank you for a beautiful railroad sunrise/sunset.

[kicksvette]

Narrow guage steam vs an artistic shot. Vegas odds would probably lean toward the steam but the sunset shot is quite simply a better pic. Had to go with Kathi.

[espeefoamer]

I voted for STEAM! Kathi,if the other photo had not been a steam shot I would have voted for your excellent picture of the crossing signal at sunset.