This is my first journey into this forum, though I’m a regular over on the Trains Magazine forum. A layout is in my future, but lies in that great “Someday” for right now.
Anyways, I just thought that I’d stop and share some shots taken at the Fever River Railroad in Freeport, IL at their open house last November (I had kind of forgotten about these shots…ooops!). I was able to use my Pentax K100D and FA 77mm f1.8 Limited with an ISO of 1600 to catch some shots while the trains were running. Of course, since I was using the 77mm wide open, depth of field is next to nothing. One of those trade-offs of photography I guess.
I think the roundhouse pic and the bridge pic would make nice pictures if they weren’t all blurry. I’m not a fan of pictures like that, I want to see detail and not have to imagine it.
I was a “student member” of the Stephenson Society of Model Railroad Trainmen (builders of the Fever River RR) there in Freeport back in the late 1960’s. They were in the Krape Park Pavilion back in those days. Aubrey Olson took the time to teach me how to hand lay track, a skill I still appreciate today. My Dad was a conductor on the ICRR out of Wallace Yard there in those days. I don’t get back there much anymore. If you get back there, tell Ernie Brosie and any others that Bill Althoff says “Hey!” and is still modeling (in HO and 1:20.3).
I always thought that Fever River had a nice paint scheme for a “could have been”, especially as it appeared on Ernie’s Alco Alligator.
TA462 - Sorry. There wasn’t much I could do. I didn’t have a tripod with me, and even on non-moving stuff, I had to shoot wide open to keep the shutter speeds decent. I apologize for the “fuzzies.”
Bill - Thanks for the great story about the club! My cousin is a volunteer at the Silver Creek and Stephenson, and that’s how I found out about the open house. I’m not sure when I’ll next be in the area – probably not until November again – but I’ll be sure to pass the word when I make it back there.
