Trackside with Erik and Mike, Vol. 23: January 17, 2005

In our online feature, Trackside with Erik and Mike, Trains.com staff members Erik Bergstrom and Mike Yuhas go trackside and share their photo results with you. In each installment, we’ll include let our users vote on who got the best shot. Read this week’s installment.

Please vote and then share your comments.

I liked Erik’s, a unit charging right at you kicking up snow, and I like the BNSF better than NS, Sorry Mike!

Noah

I voted for Erik’s photo. I liked the dramatic of the photo and the action it portrayed.
So are the two of you up for a challenge? How about every so often, you decide the frequency, you have a “guest photographer” who would challenge the winner of the competion from the latest round. Maybe the looser from that round could select the photo he would most like to represent him in the next competion. This would offer us, “the readers & jury” a little variety (not to say that your getting stale or anything) of railroads, scenery, settings, locations, lighting, etc. So…are you up for it?
Randy

I liked Eric’s pic as Mike’s is an everyday photo but you have to have the snow to get the
really COOL photo that Eric took.[8D][8D][8D]

Mike’s picture is fine, but it lacks the DRAMA of Erik’s snowy scene.

I voted for Erik’s picture. The “mini blizzard” was fantastic! But I’m
glad I wasn’t the one having snow blown on them from a passing
train!!

You just can’t beat a dusting of powder for drama. Throw in one of the few colorful paint schemes left on US rails, and you’ve got a calendar grade shot. Nice work.

Hi,

I voted for Mike [:-^]. A single unit up front, really crisp in detail… A long train coming from you don’t know where, looking like it’s really loaded… That’s railroading… Add to this a nice blend of browns, greys and black, a heavy overcast, you get the perfect cold winter scene here!

Thanks to both of you for this weekly trip! Good job Mike! [:D]

Take care,

Vianney Roge
France

It is Mike all the way. Again anytime someone posts a NS shot, I get excited. Gotta love the ole Thoroughbred, coming from someone who lives in horse country.

Almost a tie, but Mike gets the nod by a scosh.

Went for Mike. Nice loaded locomotive. Love the locomotive, looks great!

No particular attraction to NS, tend to lean towards UP.

That locomotive in black does look the part!

Nigel
Australia

Erik’s hands down. That pic was just too cool. Sorry Mike, I wanted to vote for yours since I saw a two NS lead train far from home, here in Denver when I was driving to work this morning, but I was just too taken with Erik’s. Keep up the good work.

Mike got the nod again with NS on the point. [^] Thanks to both Erik & Mike for another good week in all this delow zero weather.[tup]

This time I think Eriks photo is the best one out of the two. Yes NS is a nice railroad, but BNSF in a snow shot :p…thats a instant winner. But Mikes photo was pretty darn good also.

Voted for Erik’s shot. As a resident of NY’s Southern Tier, I just can’t bring myself to vote for yet another train led by NS GE’s!!

Both are great but I went with Mike. I like seeing the whole train with the single loco pulling it.

Awesome shot of the loco coming out of the snow.

Sorry Mike, but Erik’s Photo just looks awesome comimg straight at you like that. Anyway both of you have a good year and I will keep on reading your Column.Thanks Phil

I like Mike’s " train Shot -NS black & white still the coolest locomotives. Lots of power with 1 loco pulling a full train.[8D]

Mike’s shot is superior to Erik’s; the only thing I wonder about his shot is if the perspective is correct (tilted train). Erik’s shot suffers greatly from the lack of dynamic range; the dark areas are greatly under-esposed. Futher, Erik’s shot looks like it was way over-sharpened.