Trackside with Trains.com, vol. 132, "Making all local stops," is now live.
View and vote here.
Seven of our 14 photographers entered images for this round.
Enjoy!
-Matt Quandt Online Content Editor Kalmbach Publishing Co.
Trolley car's make all the local stops...but this is a museum photo. And local freights make all the local stops. Andy's photo is the only one showing the stop and grunt work a local does. So Andy gets my vote.
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Andy nailed the theme squarely on the head this week. Excellent lighting and details as well.
Dan
Despite its (current) 3rd-place ranking in votes, Tom's clearly shows both "Murl's" Helena local and one of the on-line industries it regularly serves. Others include the Continental Lime spur N (RR W) of Townsend, and Holnam Cement plant @ Trident, some 5+3/4 mi.NE-of that Luzenac plant (both along 3rd "Sub" main by M/p's 206.5 & 170.5+, respectively). Another is Luzenac's Sappington talc mill, just about 12 mi.SW (RR W/b, S-of M/p 19.5) from the one shown on S side of Three Forks (by M/p 6.75, original townsite platted-by Milwaukee Land Co. in 1907).
MRL's 5th subdivision line through those locales also once hosted both BN No.'s 25 & 26 "North Coast Ltd." as-well-as ATK's "North Coast Hiawatha" (a-k-a "Mansfield Special"), and sees occasional movements of current owner's business cars (one being a former "North Coast Ltd. vista-dome"). The GP-35 trailing that "SD19-1" #651 has since been (re-)painted to "Murl" black w/dark blue and "barking screamer" logo.
....Another dramatic, sharp view from Steve. Certainly, we know a vehicle such as this makes local stops....No question about that.
Photo has eye catching composition and unusualness....Great contrast in the photo colors.
Many of the others seems dull in color, and bland...{Sorry fellows}. Steve takes my vote.
Quentin
I guess I’m just an old romantic, because I found a lot of these pictures quite sad. In your mind’s eye, you always think of many of these rail giants still dressed in their bright fresh paint, plowing across the horizon in the days of your youth. But, unfortunately, many are just rusting, unkempt workhorses who moan and groan in the back-rails of America today. Pictures of their demise are not to my liking.So I judged my choice by the atmosphere that surrounded each faded lady. I’m not a fan of streetcars, so Steve’s picture didn’t stir me. I think David’s picture, tho he made mention of the “city clutter” didn’t really have enough clutter in it to really give any dressing to 2619. I felt the surroundings of Jim picture was also lacking - tho admittedly, that was one sad looking engine. I felt the surroundings in Tom’s picture also lacked character - nice sky tho. Alex’s stream engine in Poland was neat, but I found myself drawn to Drew’s black and white and Andy’s backwoods shot with it’s worn old buildings and barren ground cover. I’m usually a sucker for Black & White, but I think I’m going with Andy’s shot. Lots of activity, both present and completed - lots of work happening in the “now” - It just spoke of being out in the boonies doing the work of the plain old folks in a special way to me.I vote for Andy.
A mile from the tracks, but I still hear the whistle! Cleveland, Tennessee
I don't know if they still call 'em locals or way freights, but Andy's submission is the image that comes to mind for me.
TJB / Nashville, TN
henry6Trolley car's make all the local stops...but this is a museum photo.
Trolley car's make all the local stops...but this is a museum photo.
And besides there's a minor error in the caption - #665 is entering Broadway, not Main Street. Nice composition though.
- Erik
It is sad to think a lot of these local work horses have faded into memories. Steve's street car now being one of these memories. Although this did a lot of pick up and drop off of passengers in it's day ad has a colourful history it is now a museum piece. Andy's photo showed what it is all about and this local is still running, still working and also shows what it does best. All photos were good but Andy's photo really showed what a local does. Well done, Andy
I liked the composition of Tom's shot (that front-end loader looks like a kid's toy compared to the train).
Drew's shot was nifty, but it didn't seem to address the theme.
Steve's shot was interesting. I liked the backstory he provided.
Other than showing the poor battered locomotive, Jim's shot didn't 'click' with me.
I liked David's (I quite liked the "available" sign on the building--it seemed to fit the theme of a work train which is 'available' to do local work).
Andy's shot was almost my winner, as it seemed to actually show the train doing local work off of the main line (like David's).
The image Alex provided showed, to me, what "making all the stops" is all about. I'll admit that perhaps my many years operating suburban passenger train (that do indeed "make all the stops") may have skewed my preference. However, the locomotive and train are quite interesting, as are the signals and the weeds growing all over. The shot is well composed and well lit. At first I thought the car and the bike rider spoiled the shot, but after further review, I found that all of those elements (signals, weeds, bike rider) actually added to the shot.
Voted for Alex.
....I'm wondering....aren't we judging the presentations as a "photo" and it's quality along with a required "theme"....not details of this and that of what street it's on and whether it is actually occuring presently......? just my
Modelcar ....I'm wondering....aren't we judging the presentations as a "photo" and it's quality along with a required "theme"....not details of this and that of what street it's on and whether it is actually occuring presently......? just my
I'm with you. I first judge the theme and not the photo. All photo's are first rate or better virtually all the time, I have no qualms with them. I judge the theme.
Dittos to what CNW 6000 said about Andy's photo. Great to see that this kind of action still takes place in our age of unit coal trains and double-stackers.
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
I agree that Andy had the best action photo of a local. That is what it is all about, spotting and picking up cars.
I don't agree with Andy's statement, ' the daily grind." I've worked many a local and they are far from a grind. They are definitely more stimulating than a road job,
I went with David Lustig's photo. An industry job is the local service that puts the mainline trains together. The mix of street running, tight clearances and the occasional vacant building define a major part of urban railroading for me.
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