This week’s installment of Trackside with Erik and Mike is now live within the Railroading section on the Trains.com home page. Please read this week’s column and then vote for your favorite photo below. Click here to read Trackside with Erik and Mike Vol. 30.
I like the guy working in the yard.and the old style bn engine.just looks good.
stay safe
Joe
Went with Erik’s. While the Hertzog stuff is interesting, I prefer a locomotive anyday. And I like how it’s a different angle on a locomotive, not just a roster, or almost straght on shot, it’s a neat from-the-top angle.
Noah
Had to go with Erik this week. The old white-face BN unit is a fast disappearing sight and caught my eye immediately. Then I enlarged the pic and realized the the loco was labeled as remote control and the engineer on the porch was wearing the remote. Adds more to the theme this week. I’ve seen UP ballast dumps in action before on the triple track in Chicago’s western burbs and all I can say is LOUD & NOISY. I just couldn’t tell from Mike’s shot if UP is still laying down CNW’s Pink Lady ballast. But I’ve already added both shots to my screen saver picture show.
Hi There;
Railroading, model railroading with the control in hands, human and machine, it’s all in Erik’s shot.: It says it all! [bow]
Hats off!!!
Vianney Roge,
France
Eric all the way with this one.
I did love the theme, though, but I think Mike missed it. There doesn’t seem to be any “work” happening in his shot. It’s there but in little bits of rock.
I happened to purchase two videos on “Maintenance of Way” this past weekend and there are a LOT of good shots on those. I couldn’t decide whether the track grinders or spike removers or the spike setters were the most interesting. Of course a video has the advantage of being a lot more dynamic. I suspect that Mike’s shot was very dynamic as he was watching but the still loses a lot as a still. Too bad too.
LOL! I just looked at Eric’s photo again … “Remote Control Equipped” … some much for the “human element!”
personally Mikes shot got mine. Ive never seen automatic dumping before this and it just caught my full atention. Just bought my own rebel and I might send a few southern pics!
Now we know why they put those big porches on the SD40-2’s - it had nothing to do with keeping a common frame length. They just knew that someday a man was going to have to stand out there and work his machine in the sunshine. There’s even room for some porch furniture there.
I would have to vote for MIkes, I just love the rolling stock more then the locomotives (sorry to say, some might not consider me a true railfan for that). But Eriks is very good also. Also Mike, is it me or does it seem like there is a worker on top of the ballast hoppers in the foreground in the first photo, or is that just a part of a tree? Because this past Tuesday I saw a NS ballast train, and maybe in the middle of the train there were three workers hanging onto a ladder for dear life while the train was moving about 20 mph.
I can’t not vote for a photo with my favorite engine, the SD40-2; plus it is a neat photo. Mike’s photo is unique too, worth a vote. The main drawback is the flow of stone from the hopper is not well lit. Both guys take good pix.
I like working locomotives.
Bergie gets my vote on this one.
Erik:
Your photo says it all about railroading. Great job!!!
You have my vote. 
Erik’s photo and description of his submittal was attractive but I felt that Mike’s shot truly demonstrated this week’s theme of “railroads at work.” In Erik’s photo it looks like the locomotive and the employee are both enjoying a break in the action. While Mike’s photo captured a work train in the process of maintaining the right of way. So Mike won my vote this time.
Wow do I feel out-numbered voting for Mike, but I still think that my vote was for the right one. Though Erik’s is a fine photo, as people have said it really does show the human side of railroading, but Mike’s is just such an unusual shot. I would love to see ballast being put down, but until that day, this picture will have to suffice.
Erik caught the feel of a railroad, with little people controlling huge, powerful machines to get work done. Neither could do it without the other.
Love it!
Mike, I like your photo because it is a change from the usual view; but…from a technical photography viewpoint, I had to vote for Erik’s…because your photo was so dark I had to view the enlarged pic and then turn my monitor’s brightness all the way up to see it. Erik - your photo is a nice, well-exposed shot and I like the concept…altho I would have enjoyed an angle adjustment, I think. [2c]
~Amulon
Both photos were very nice, and It was hard to decide, but as a working photographer and shooting work sites and track laying sites, bridges being built etc, I voted for Mike with the rock cars.
Voted for Erik. While it may not look like that guy’s doing much, he’s watching switches to make sure he’s going down the right lead, keeping an eye out for other engines and trains and listening to his mate give car counts so he can slow down and stop smoothly (without putting cars on the ground, damaging lading or ripping his mates arms out of their sockets). By the way, to kicksvette, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers gets very grouchy when you call those guys with the boxes engineers. They’re not allowed to use the control stand in the locomotive. The proper slang (at least where I’m from) is ‘groundhog’, taken from the slang for an engineer, ‘hogger’. Great photo Erik.
NO CONTEST! ERIK WINS THIS HANDS DOWN! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY, NOT SUBJECT, THUS PEERING INTO THE SHADOWS TO DISCERN THE DUMPING OF BALLAST, HOWEVER RARE AN OPPORTUNITY, DOES NOT RATE WITH A FINE EXPOSURE LIKE ERIK’S!
Erik’s shot wins hands down. Not only do I live in BN country where the green/white scheme is fast disappearing, but also, mike’s photo was pretty dark. I like shots that show engines or at least most of a train car, not just the belly of a car where gravel is coming out. The shot of MOW work is interesting, but I think it is inferior to Erik’s shot.
Steve C.
Remember this if you’d be spared, trains don’t whistle because they’re scared.