I’m still in my slump, so I don’t have a lot from my last NY Trip, but I did manage to shoot 4 pictures that might be of interest to the group:
The first is a shot taken on our final into Midway of Clearing Yard. The weather was not the greatest this day but it was still interesting to see the layout of some of this yard:
And finally, here’s a shot of an Amtrak Empire Service train crossing the Hudson. It was harsh afternoon light, so I didn’t focus on the train too much, but tried to show the Bridge and the river a bit more:
Chris, your ‘slump’ is considerably better than my ‘best day’ . . .
Love the Clearing Yard photo - good catch, and a reasonably clear window pane, too.
Funny Coincidences Dept. - If you want to see the Albany skyline from an unintentional angle that’s about 120 degrees further to the southwest, check out the top photo of the 3 of the surveying equipment that I just posted on Page 77 of K.P. Harrier’s ‘‘Sunset Route Double-Tracking’’ thread . . .
…Chris…My favorite is your shot of Amtrak crossing the Hudson River bridge. Features and lighting really clear and nice.
Looking at the detail how power is delivered to the power unit on the swing bridge is something unique. I wonder, is that an operating bridge currently…?
I’m a retired aircraft mechanic who likes train related things. Yes, my boss thought I was nuts when I told him my hobby was trains.
The other side of the coin is that I got to fly quite a bit (still do, thanks to friends) but we seem to miss all photographic opportunities. There aren’t many (any) trains on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Just my luck, but I prefer to fly private rather than put up with the hassle of flying commercial.
Aerial photos of yards are cool. If you get more, please post them.
BTW, a friend who lives in Iowa emailed me photos of the new Kate Shelly Bridge he took from his plane. They were far more interesting than ones taken from the ground.
Quentin beat me to commenting on the power supply to the swing bridge. At first I was going to comment on what looked like rather flimsy lift-bridge supports, but then I saw what they really were. I’d think an arrangement like that would just be asking for problems in a heavy wind!
I’ve never been inside Clearing Yard in a professional capacity, but you’re basically seeing half of it–there’s another classification bowl on the other side of the hump in the background.
Norm, I hope your friend’s pictures could be posted here, or over in the Lounge, sometime.
And Chris, you’ve nothing to feel down about regarding these particular shots.
Paul - Wow! Crazy coincedence! You also mentioned a holy word in that thread – Leica. In the photography world, Leica’s become more of a religion than a camera manufacturer. But that’s another story completely…
Quentin - To the best of my knowledge, that’s an operating bridge. My g/f’s Mom lives in Rensselaer, so I’ll see if she’s ever noticed it in the open position.
Norm - I’ve got a shot with Union Pacific’s Global 1 here. Buffalo’s Central Terminal can be seen here and here. I think I’ve got some other stuff around. I’ll look through my archives tonight. I’ve been thinking about looking into doing some rail photography from the air. The late Gary J. Benson got some very dramatic shots from the air. Most of my budget goes into traveling to Chicago and Buffalo these days, though, so I don’t have a lot of spare change for such adventures.
Carl - The slump has more to do with not having a big desire to shoot trains or railroading lately. I like these shots…I just haven’t put much effort into my railfanning activities. For some reason, the call hasn’t been there. When I was in Albany, Sue and I agreed to spend one day together at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival (the reason we crossed the state), and then she’d go back the second day with her Mom while I used her car for the day. I tried to go railfanning…I started at the Rensselaer station with intentions of heading down the Hudson valley to Poughkeepsie or so with an eye out for color and railroading. While driving south, I just decided to meet up with Sue and her mom at the festival for a second day there.
I took a trip up to the Terry Ranch in Wyoming last week to trace the remains of a couple rail lines up that way. That was fun, and I stopped by Cheyenne afterwards for some evening shots. After noticing some new fencing on t
Larry - Alas, it just wasn’t in the cards this time…I didn’t have much time to take off of work. Sue (and probably I, as well) will be moving to Indianapolis next year for her second year of her Master’s, so hopefully I can get out there sometime before then and spend a weekend out your way. Of course, I’ve told her that post Master’s, Upstate New York would be a place I wouldn’t mind calling home.
Jim - I don’t think it’s that the lustre of the Rockies are wearing off as much as the allure of new places is setting in. I really, really got hooked by my first autumn in the Northeast this year. And while I’m sure Larry can attest to the ferocity of Upstate winters, I really don’t mind snow and cold all that much. And yes, Quentin is definitely correct that there are other forces prompting thoughts of a move.
Brian - Thanks for the kind words and the head’s up about the title!
