Trackside with Trains.com vol. 114: Springtime, now live

[Andy Cummings]

Folks —  Trackside with Trains.com vol. 114, "Springtime," is now live. You can check it out on the Trackside with Trains.com portion of the site. Three of our photographers participated in this week's edition. Hope you enjoy. Best, Andy Cummings Associate Editor TRAINS Magazine Waukesha, Wis.

[selector]

Andy, would you have wanted to make this a sticky post for about six days?

-Crandell

[Andy Cummings]

Crandell —  Yes, but I don't have the authority to do this. I asked Mike Yuhas to do it; if you have the ability, please do. Thanks! Andy Cummings Associate Editor TRAINS Magazine Waukesha, Wis.

selector

Andy, would you have wanted to make this a sticky post for about six days?

-Crandell

[Anonymous]

Your link goes to the voting page, Andy. You're looking for this link for the photo page:

http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=5133

I went with Andy's shot this week. While the other two entries were nice, they didn't do much for me because of the shadows. Andy's shot looks much like early spring, right after the snow has all gone, and can't be confused with summer, fall, or winter.

Nice job all!

[Andy Cummings]

Thanks for the vote, Ty, and the link. For some reason, when I tried to link directly to the photo page, the link instead directed me to our page on the railroads of Texarkana, which I'm sure are totally cool, but weren't helpful for the situation at hand! Best, Andy Cummings Associate Editor TRAINS Magazine Waukesha, Wis.

[john_edwards]

 I didn't vote for any of them as none expressed spring in any way that I could see.  And the photos themselves were not that interesting (like most of my train photography).

 

John

[henry6]

Huh?  Three telephoto shots, three almost nose on shots, three shots with red engines?  NO VOTE because there is nothing to vote on or about!

[CShaveRR]

Not much variety in power, as mentioned (three railroads, all red!). But to me, spring = green, so that was my voting criterion. Aaron got it this time.

Drew almost got it, but his comment about red-winged blackbirds calling was a turn-off to me. I'm more used to them attacking me while I'm on my bike, encroaching too close to their territory (and how the heck should I know?). If I hear them calling, it's their warning whistle most of the time.

[Modelcar]

I selected Aaron Jors' photo.....Beautiful colors.  Was looking for some Spring blossoms or some other new "greening" indicating Springtime in photos, but Aron's seemed to have more fresh colors indicating the new season compared to the others.

[espeefoamer]

Andy's picture won my vote.I liked the way the train streched back through the rolling countryside,and the large building in the background was interesting.

[CNW 6000]

Aaron's shot was neat, showing a more human side of railroading.  However I felt that too much of the train was unlit with the light on the other side. 3/3

Andy's shot shows the first hints of springlike color.  That coupled with better lighting, a sense of the local geography and some action made this shot pretty decent. 1/3

Drew's shot showed similar lighting to Andy's but the train (due to bushes, etc probably) was very nose on, thus negating the lighting with shadows from trees, etc.  2/3

I went with Andy's shot...but just by a shade.  The three shots (to me) seemed so similar as to almost be...not interesting.  This was the first time I've been disappointed by this section in quite a while.

[locomutt]

 Three very disappointing photos  from three very good photographers.

I really didn't see any sign of "Spring" in any of them.

No Vote.

[steve14]

I have to go along with Henry6 and locomut. 

No vote

[zardoz]

henry6

Huh?  Three telephoto shots, three almost nose on shots, three shots with red engines?  NO VOTE because there is nothing to vote on or about!

That's a bit harsh. All we have here in Wisconsin are red engines, with an occassional Armour Yellow, or a stainless steel silver streak with red, white, and blue stripes. 

On behalf of all those that do not like the red engines, I have submitted letters to CN, CP, and WS asking them to repaint some of their units so us railfans will have one less thing to complain about.

 

As to the contest, I do agree that there was not much variation in the shots. But we are asked to vote on the one we liked from the photos offered.

I went with Andy's shot, although Drew's came in a very close second. None of the photos made me think "spring" (no flowers), but the bleakness of Andy's shot suggested "early spring", and the building just above the end of the train balanced the image nicely.

[henry6]

But Trains is the magazine of railroading so I expected more than just pictures taken outside thier back windows...And here in the east B&M blue faded just as badly as CR blue when it came to too much of one color.  PC black was another color bomb.  But I was judging the pictures:  all three look the same and the landscape reflected not the bloom of spring but just the lack of snow.  Well composed shots, each, with the tele lens doing its work, but no spring, no real, super differences amongst the three!  I would much rather have to judge three pictures of the same scene and train by each photographer as a compartive judgement on those given merits.

[zardoz]

henry6

But Trains is the magazine of railroading so I expected more than just pictures taken outside thier back windows...And here in the east B&M blue faded just as badly as CR blue when it came to too much of one color.  PC black was another color bomb.  But I was judging the pictures:  all three look the same and the landscape reflected not the bloom of spring but just the lack of snow.  Well composed shots, each, with the tele lens doing its work, but no spring, no real, super differences amongst the three!  I would much rather have to judge three pictures of the same scene and train by each photographer as a compartive judgement on those given merits.

Actually, I completely agree with you.  It's just that the photographers asked us to vote on the photos they submitted. 

There have been Trackside weeks where I liked every photo, but in order to vote I had to choose one of them, even though I liked them equally.  And conversely, there have been weeks (like this one) where I didn't really care for any of them; (they're ok, but none of them really did anything for me) but I still voted on the one I didn't like the least.

[Andy Cummings]

Folks —  Spring is certainly a tougher time of year to capture in a photo than fall, and I agree that these photos are more similar to one another than we typically have. However, I disagree with some of what's being said here. Honestly, when I saw Drew's photo, it sent me digging back into my collection to try and find a better "spring" shot, because I thought the low light, combined with the freshly leafed scenery, made for a really compelling image. All three of these photos display trees leafing out, creating both a color and a texture that are unique to spring. It's more subtle than bright-orange maples, but I guess I just plain disagree with those who say spring isn't apparent in all three of these shots. FYI, Google maps places the site of my photo 484 miles, or a 7-hour-49-minute drive, from TRAINS' home offices. I know it's more Midwest content, and there are plans in the works to try to find more geographic variety for Trackside (more on that next round), but I don't think it's fair to say these are all taken outside our back windows, either. I try hard each week to dig into my trip files to come up with photos from all around the country, and I think if you look back at past images in Trackside, you'll see many of us have done that. That said, I'd certainly like to see more from the East, which is a region that's largely been left out. Best, Andy Cummings Associate Editor TRAINS Magazine Waukesha, Wis.

henry6

But Trains is the magazine of railroading so I expected more than just pictures taken outside thier back windows...And here in the east B&M blue faded just as badly as CR blue when it came to too much of one color.  PC black was another color bomb.  But I was judging the pictures:  all three look the same and the landscape reflected not the bloom of spring but just the lack of snow.  Well composed shots, each, with the tele lens doing its work, but no spring, no real, super differences amongst the three!  I would much rather have to judge three pictures of the same scene and train by each photographer as a compartive judgement on those given merits.

[Anonymous]

A.K. Cummings

That said, I'd certainly like to see more from the East, which is a region that's largely been left out.

 

I think forum members should be allowed to submit photos, which would be reviewed by the TRAINS staff beforehand to keep out the spam and keep the number of photo contestants to a manageable level. I know there's plenty of east-coasters around here who would be more than willing to submit their photos (myself included), possibly adding some eastern flavor to the feature... Perhaps the http://contribute.kalmbach.com/ site could be used for this purpose, much like the photo of the week?

A.K. Cummings

I guess I just plain disagree with those who say spring isn't apparent in all three of these shots.

 

Ditto. All of these shots (especially yours, Andy) have elements that place these as spring. Or more specifically, have elements that tell you it's NOT summer, fall, or winter.

This is the ugliest thread generated by Trackside that I've seen for quite a while... 

[LU-Trains]

 

Well, everybody is certainly speaking their mind this week! 

But of course, this is the first time that regional differences have made any impact on our photographers and their subject matter.  Admittedly, my first impression was . . "Hey, you guys need to move SOUTH! . . . "  Spring here is blossums in the trees, wild flowers exploding on the hillsides, the witch hazel literally blinding you with its yellow blaze . . . AND we have trains of other colors too, to top it off!

So, I too, have a problem choosing a picture because they just don't look like spring to me.

 However, I must admit, that Aaron has given me a whole new perspective on railroad men.  I never had thought that, just like over the road truckers, they stop at the local MiniMart and grab lunch and drink . . . . And tho I don't think Aaron's picture has any specific detail that says "spring" to me, it does have a sense of humor . . . 

Nevertheless, I think I'll vote for the fourth picture . . . 

[cx500]

 Very little to choose between - three identical interpretations.  I opted for Andy's, since I think he captured the fresh green of budding leaves best, and the courthouse (or whatever) in the background adds that little extra interest.  I really expected to see at least some entries with blossoms though.

John

[Hep]

This time I had a very hard time choosing which photo was the best because to me they were all as near perfect as they could be.  I really wanted to vote for all three.  I enjoyed seeing the hints of spring in all the vegetation since I enjoy spring very much.  (You can leave out all the snow ones at all times for me since that is what I dislike, winter)  The photo with the crew was my choice though since it did have the human touch.  I have been enjoying all of the tracksides since you started them, thanks for all of the enjoyment.  And I don't mind seeing the red engines since around here we have only NS black with occasional interlopers.  But regardless of the color, I like to watch trains, any trains.

Hep

[ashpan]

I voted for Andy Cummings photo. After our cold, snowy winter, the green buds do represent Spring.  And, I especially liked the symmetry of the consist.

[loadmaster747]

I guess it had to happen eventually, that all the pictures were nearly identical... all decent shots, but differing only in detail.  I, too, voted for Aaron's shot because of the human element.  I just hope they were buying lunch, and weren't on the cell phone taking the weekly grocery order from their wives before they stopped to shop!

[TOMinTN]

Hmmm....None of these was what I expected when I saw that "spring" was the theme.

I really didn't get the feel of birdies chirping and buds popping out, but all three did show a bit of evidence of early foliage development in the trees.

Or, perhaps I was looking for melting snow and a puddle of water with a tiny blade of grass just emerging.  Anyhow...what was offered was (my opinion) underwhelming.

Aaron got my vote mostly because of the clarity and sharpness (and a nice sky). 

TJB in Nashville, TN

[tree68]

I went with Andy's shot - if for no other reason than I thought it had more 'character' than the others.

I suspect many of us expected a shot with trees blooming, etc, clearly indicating the season. 

I, too, would support the addition of a reader's photo in the contest.  All of us have gotten lucky from time to time, capturing that "magic" shot, and knowing what the theme will be would allow us to check our collections for a suitable shot.  We'll never totally agree ("I think my shot was better than the one you picked"), I believe having the staff select one shot to include in the contest would be beneficial. 

It would also allow more shots from all over the country to be included.  As much as the Trains staff my travel, they can't be/haven't been everywhere.

And, as an added treat from time to time, do an all-reader contest.

 

[CNW 6000]

tree68

I, too, would support the addition of a reader's photo in the contest.  All of us have gotten lucky from time to time, capturing that "magic" shot, and knowing what the theme will be would allow us to check our collections for a suitable shot.  We'll never totally agree ("I think my shot was better than the one you picked"), I believe having the staff select one shot to include in the contest would be beneficial. 

It would also allow more shots from all over the country to be included.  As much as the Trains staff my travel, they can't be/haven't been everywhere.

And, as an added treat from time to time, do an all-reader contest.

 

Hear, hear on having a readers's shot in a contest.  You listening, CopCarSS?

[Andy Cummings]

Guys —

I really like the idea of reader participation, and I know there are a lot of you out there with worthy photos who'd make great contributions. The problem is that the logistics won't work, at least not the way Trackside is set up right now. I'm certain the number of submissions would be overwhelming, and we don't have a staff member with enough time to sort through all of them.

That said, we've talked a lot about finding ways to enlist reader talent to get more photos on Trains.com. So far, the photo of the week is what's come of that, but there are a few other ideas that have been bouncing around for a while. Unfortunately, with Bergie's departure, that's all been put on hold, and I don't know what will come of it; probably nothing in the immediate future.

As I said, however, I do have what I hope will be a solution to the "geographic diversity" problem, which I'll be introducing in time for Trackside 115. I'm really excited about it, and I think you guys will like it, too.

Best,

Andy Cummings
Associate Editor
TRAINS Magazine
Waukesha, Wis.  

[tree68]

At least we know you're thinking about it.

On the other hand, maybe a trial is appropriate. 

Open up a special email box. 

Offer up a specific theme, and specify a specific period of time (measured in days) to submit a single entry.  Make sure everyone realizes that it's only a trial and that none of the photos will actually be used as such. 

See what the actual response is.

Consider looking through the entries if you're not overwhelmed.  Even a cursory glance will help you winnow out the wheat from the chaff.  Time is not of the essence here, and it doesn't have to be for a contestant.

Close the e-mail box you used.

Or, keep an eye on some of the photos that show up here.  Invite a few prospective candidates to submit an entry.  This forum (and the Lounge in particular) become a resource for folks who might be able to submit an image that fits an upcoming theme.  Win-Win.  We see more folks' work on the forum, and you perhaps find potential editorial contributors.

 

[henry6]

To add to the restrictive aspects: submissions from only one geographical area either by photographer or by pictures; one day only submission, then delete mailbox; by age of photographer; by age of photograph.  Lots of ideas gonna be thrown at ya, Andy.  Good Luck! 

[lhtalbot]

Voted for Aaron's pic. Seemed most "spring-like" shot to me.

Thanks guys

Larry in Wauwatosa