So what are some photo ops that you all have missed? I’m sure that we have all seen things go buy and for whatever reason didn’t get a picture. Usually I just shrug it off, but their is one that has really bothered me.
I was up in Erie, PA a couple of years ago and their was a huge Conrail crane on I believe the CSX line. The biggest crane that I had ever seen. It was being used to place prebuilt pieces of track into place. It was basiclly building a siding in the same way that a model railroader would. For some reason I got home and as I looked through all of my pictures I couldn’t find a trace of it. I don’t know if I lost the roll or if I just had an empty camera. Either way I didn’t have a pic…[:(]
I missed a photo of a UP DD40 five years ago when my wife refused to do a bootleggers turn on I-80.First one I missed was of a Westinghouse switcher in a engine shed,no flashbulb. Joe G.
Geez,
I’m not even sure where I’d start!! So many missed fish.
Here’s the “Murphy’s Law of Railfanning” that I developed:
“No matter how long you wait for a train that doesn’t seem to want to show up, it will appear within 10 minutes of the time you get in the car and leave and in fact, most often, you will see it in your rear view mirror as you’re driving away.” [;)]
I once did some railfanning last year at Swift Current, Sask. and took lots of pictures of the CP yard there. There were two beautiful blue CEFX units sitting back to back. I also got some pictures of some rolling stock with unusual road names/marking on them (I really don’t remember what as a train was going by and I quickly just snapped pictures of things I noticed were unusual). As it turned out, there wasn’t any film in the camera!!! That was my dad’s fault, but that was kind of a freak accident and I doubt it will ever happen again.
I’ve been railfaning since the late 60’s and must have missed many great photos due to lack of cammera, no film, dead batterys and “you should have been here yesterday”.
If I was to dwell on all the missed shots I would have nightmare every night.
But I keep on railfaning. I think it is an addiction.
I will add a NS buisness train that came shooting north out of Atl towards SC. It was just one of those didn’t have a camera momoments. I’ve got to say that those are the only two that I have really had any regrets…
many fish got away and some whales that were this biiiiiig
A N&W 4-8-4 # 611 WHEN I was a kid KCS E&F Units A SP/SF Cab SF
Kodachrome SP SF Locos The Daylight special Because I got caught cutting school the day before so i was grounded
1/21/04 UP 4-8-4 # 3985 I will not miss even though i have jury duty that week Out of all people in this town ME WHY ME WHAT THE HELL
were they smoking That S.O.B. is guilty hang that S.O.B. now
they better not Interfere with my Picture taking day [soapbox][soapbox]
[soapbox][soapbox][soapbox][soapbox][soapbox][soapbox][soapbox]
LAW SYSTEM
#1 - Waited in my car on Conrail’s Lehigh Line because it was too cold outside and missed taping a train with 5 Southern Pacific widecabs. #2 - Missed a General Electric (Conrail) E44 testing on the Northeast Corrider because I needed to stop and get coffee first. #3 - Missed the BM &R Reading T-1 because I got lossed trying to find the tracks. #4 - Took a whole roll of 36 pictures of a large freight train derailment in Union NJ on Conrail’s Lehigh line. It was the first time I used a 35 millimeter camera and I did not have the film threaded correctly. Everytime I thought I took a photo and advanced the film, the film just stayed where it was. #4 - Drove to Scranton to film the Milwaukee 261 and had a dead battery on the video camera.
Speaking of not having a camera I have done this many times, funeral train of about fifteen old F units going to scrap, and the worst was being up in Minneapolis and stumbing onto the storage “barn” and finding MILW 261 and several cars being workied on inside in winter…they guys were very kind and even let me up in the cab and showed me around,but, you guessed it…NO CAMERA! DOOOHHHHH!
…Like some others, I took a whole roll of pic’s and it was a very special event and when I tried to rewind it…Yep, it never had been engaged with the take up reel and of course I got nothing…That was a lesson and I really pay attention to threading in the film now.
well I tried to explain to them that Im A Carny & have been arrested before I even Tried to be nice but no they still want me maybe when they bring him in Ill say hey uncle fred whats up then they have to let me go or Ill just agree with the other jurors they dont put real criminals in jail any way or I might have my
brother call in a bomb scare that should work I just have to look surprised when they evacuate the building and say those damn terrorist ruined my day Ah hell
theyll probaly have me look for the bomb and defuse it while there at home
eatin dinner
Im gonna cut the red wire No wait the blue wire or is it both hell Ill just tell my brother to fix it then it will never work again[8D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
Like Joe, have had many a bad day. Worst would have to be on Cajon Pass after the Super Bore in 90…UP Challenger and SP Daylight racing each other uphill just above Devore & I’m working on the railroad (left camera at home)…The next morning ATSF 347C with Business car fleet comes into LA from Barstow for a commercial…
In both cases, the local section foreman (now a BNSF DS) is out there with video camera on top of a Section truck with video camera in hand. Hope he has that video today, as he had a premium vantage point to film from…
I missed live steam, Wilmington & Westren on the NEC pulling into teh Wilmington trains station with a south bound HHP waiting for passengers. Old meets new. [:(]