While Mike’s photo was somewhat interesting, Erik gets my vote with the human factor plus the great lighting; not to mention the subject matter. BN has it all over Usually Parked RR.
While I enjoyed viewing both photos, I went with Erik’s because I thought it was more fitting for this weeks theme and for reasons Erik stated in his statement. Mike’s has a strong graphic quality to it, nice lines, color, patterns and such, but it is lacking the human element for me. And maybe that is the point of that photo. Anyway, hard choice.
Greg
“wcnut”
I definetly had to go with Erik’s photo. I agree with all the things he said about how it portrays railroading and the relationship between man and machine. The BN unit also looks really cool taken at that angle!
Mike’s photo was interesting and unique, but I don’t think that it stands up too well for this competition. I would have entered the first photo showing the whole train led by the UP units. Also, on my monitor, it is very dark and not so easy to make out. In a previous installment, there was discussion about how people’s monitors differ and make the pictures look different, so I suppose that counts for something.
Photography is not always about lighting, it’s about opportunity, like the Iwo Jima flagraising. Mike caught a first on film for him and myself, I’d never seen how it was done. It was a railroad being built from the ground up. I can see guys standing around at yards any day. Nice catch Mike.
Ah-h-h!! A runaway contest this time…Eric got my vote for many of the same reasons everyone else is stating: Mike’s pix is rather dark and you can’t really see the rock dropping out. The first one of the whole train would have been better but I still see the whole idea of the theme. On another note; with the coming of r/c engines does anyone wonder what could be next? R/C trucks & airplanes?? I think not!!
Eriks photo is the easy winner this week. Mikes shot is ok but you have to look at it much to closely to figure out what is going on. I’m also a big BN fan and the lighting is great in Erik’s shot. Good job Erik! (and better luck next week Mike).
I too went for Erik’s photo, because of the man and machine element. What do they call the guy running the remote control? Condudaneer?
I too went with Erik’s photo, because of the man and machine element. What do they call a person who runs a remote control locomotive, a conductaneer?
Maybe I just need to adjust my monitor, but the exposure on the ballast cars was so dark I could hardly see anything at all!
Voted Erik this time 'round. The human on the locomotive, just vibes to “Working on the Railroad”
However the picture may not tell the rigors of Railroading.
Refer to September 2002 Trains: “Hard Lessons: Working for the Railroad”
Mike has my vote this week. I have seen ballast trains dumping before with men walking along openig the chutes. But to see one being done by remote control an get a shot of it. You go Mike. [^]
I voted for Mike this week.I have never seen a photo of a train dumping ballast by remote control. In fact,I haven’t heard of it being done this way.Very interesting shot,Mike[:)]!
I voted for Mike’s. Great shot of the ballast being released!! Cool!!!
Good job, Erik. That guy has the best seat in the house.
Had to go with Mike’s shot as it brought back many memeories of how this used to be done. Like using a board behind he chains to control the flow of rock on what was called an “MSE” door that had to be cranked up and down with a sledge hammer handle on a rusted ratchet mechanism and then literally running along side as we dumped 42 cars of rock over a 7 mile stretch of track on UP in Kansas in just under 2 hours.
These mechanically operated doors are so much nicer and safer.
I can see Mike’s shot perfectly well on my monitor, which is at a good setting (not too bright or too dark). Hard choice. I went with Mike’s, but I don’t really have defined reasons. I’d never seen that before. Erik’s was nice too.
For anyone who voted for Erik’s on the basis of this “theme” thing: ERIK said "Looks like we’re going to have a “railroads at work” theme this week for the voting competition. " not Mike.
Mike didn’t completely agree to that. He merely replied with "Anyhow, like you say, this week we’ve stumbled across the theme of “railroads at work.” Your shot certainly does put the human element into it. " This implies that Erik’s shot fell into that category, and his might or might not depending on your opinion. He never agreed that it was set in stone. Once again “we’ve stumbled across the theme” doesn’t mean ‘yeah great idea, let’s do that.’
So in MY opinion the so-called “theme” shouldn’t be a factor in the voting either way. Just vote on the picture itself independently. I guess that’s just my [2c], so do whatever you want! [:)]
I went with Mike’s shot. You can always see an engineer or switchman on the front end of a train, but how often do you catch the inner actions of a train doing something along the way? Nice shot Mike!
The only other time I ever remember seeing a train do any kind of “dumping” goes back to the early fifties, when I went with a friend of mine and his dad to where his dad worked, the Belt Railway of Chicago. We went to the Yard at 95th & Stony Island Ave. and then afterward went and caught a train coming out of a steel mill and dumping the coke from the cars down the hillside. Don’t remember the location where it was dumped, I just remember it.
ralph zimmer ralphn9kym@aol.com
Erik gets vote this time, but Mike has another aspect of working on the railroad also. It’s all in a day’s work no matter what a railroad man does. Working in the yard or laying down ballast, it’s still hard work.
A question for Erik and Mike. Do you read all the comments about your photographs?
No, never [:-^]