These have been sitting on the hard drive for awhile, so I thought it was about time that I uploaded them and posted them in here:
First up is a shot of the beer run with some BIG power. Traditionally the run out to Coors gets some manner of 2nd gen power (usually a pair of SD40-2’s), so this is kind of interesting.
Next up is a shot taken at the Moffat Tunnel. The sun disappeared on me just before I took this shot, but I still like the framing of it. BTW, the silver deal is a new type of “tell tale.” It’s loaded with cameras that are tied into Omaha. Get a bit too close to the tunnel and the dispatcher will be sending some LEO’s to have a chat with you.
This is the same train heading into Pinecliff, CO.
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, when I was scouting out the Greeley sub for possible shots of the Frontier Days train, I found the DRGW Heritage unit in LaSalle, CO. The lighting is really awful, but when one chances upon something unique like this, one does what one can. I used the telephoto to try and draw in the former Rio Grande power into the shot.
And finally, a trio of switchers up at North Yard. I was actually trying to find 1989 there (I did, but couldn’t get any decent shots). Still, it’s been awhile since I’ve been to North Yard, and it was kind of fun to watch the stuff going on around there. Listening to this trio shove and drag some big cuts of cars around was a lot of fun, too!
Even though the sun disappeared on you, I do like that Moffat Tunnel shot. Nice angle, and great framing.
Your Rio Grande shot was cool too…I’ll agree the lighting wasn’t the best, but sometimes you take what ya get. All in all the shot turned out pretty good. I also like the shot of the train heading into Pinecliff. Great shot with the mountains behind it.
Thanks for the comments. I do like the DRGW shot, too, despite the sun. If I could have figured out a way to get to the sunny side of the tracks without crossing the tracks, it would have been a little better. Alas! I couldn’t find any way to get over there!
As it is, I think the shot works. I’m going to play a bit more with it in post-processing. The other thing that bugs me is that the rails seem to be leaning a bit. At first I tought it was me with a tilted horizon, but when I tried to fix that, the elevator in the background looked like it was about to tip over. I figured it was more important to keep the grain elevator from turning into the leaning tower of Pisa, so I changed it back.
It’s kind of amazing, I’ve only really caught this thing a couple times in situations where I could make a shot deserving of a special locomotive. One of these days I’ll catch it again. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s back on the M-NYPU/PUNY again (which runs in the middle of the night). I guess I’m going to have to set up some O. Winston Link-esque lighting if I want to catch this one! Doh!
Maybe we could find a couple of hundred flash cubes to send your way. (I just realized something, that Link was doing his work just as the missile race was starting up in earnest. It was a good thing that he was working with N&W and the crews knew what was going on, even backing up to make another run once in a while. Otherwise, there might have been some cab crew heart attacks when the “big one” went off.[:O])
Be that as it may, I think the Moffat Tunnel shot still works even though you lost the direct sunlight. There is still “snap” to the image and the tonal range (at least on the screen) is very pleasing. I see it as a very printable image without a lot of manipulation involved. Definitely a wall candidate.
Chris, do you find sometimes that you can be out taking pictures, generally capturing things and not spending time pondering composition and such and then get back and find some gems you didn’t realize you had at the time? I bet the answer is yes to that. That “inner eye” is always working, I have found, and sometimes it finds a surprise you don’t realize you have at the moment of exposure. The “point” is important in “point and shoot” in more ways than one, most importantly meaning the story the image tells.
Shoot! That was the point I was trying to make, I guess.[:D]
Sorry about the slow response…been having internet issues. Thank you all for your nice comments!
Chuck- I will go back and find keepers that I initially dismiss from time to time, but the process usually takes several months, sometimes even years. I think I’m always set on what I want in the short term, and if I don’t get it I dismiss the shot. Sometimes, after a good deal of time has passed, I’ll go back and (having forgotten what I was initially trying for) find something I really like.
Sometimes I think that’s why I really like my spontaneous shots the best. I don’t have a clear idea what kind of shot I’m going for, but rather I trust my instincts to set up a shot in the short time I have available. I think this shot is a good example of that:
This was a total grab shot. I had been out looking for stuff along BNSF’s Aurora sub. I heard a westbound coming and knew that I had to get somewhere to get a shot quick (the trains move a lot faster on that line than I’m accustomed to on the Moffat line! [;)]). I knew of this overpass just west of Hazelhurst and tried to make it there. When I parked the car, I could already see the headlight. I didnt have time to change lenses, so I just headed out with the 400mm on the camera and ran to the overpass. Meanwhile, while I was running up, the sun disappeared again on me (it must be a rule of railroad photography or something). I put my trust in the camera’s exposure and focus and fired.
What’s interesting is that while I caught a couple more trains at this location, the grab shot was my favorite from that particular outing. Maybe because it was the hardest catch?
Cool shot! I especially like the cascading number boards…from your description, I can see that serendipity is a large factor for some great railroading pictures!
