I just posted the latest installment of Trackside with Erik and Mike in our new section within the Railroad Reference area of TrainsMag.com. That’s right, we now have our very own corner of the Trains magazine site.
Read Trackside with Erik and Mike Volume 55
Voting for Trackside with Erik and Mike now occures at the top of the Trackside with Erik and Mike section. Click here to vote.
Please feel free to add your comments regarding this week’s photos here.
Thanks, Erik
Hmmmmm…some similar shots this week. I think I like Mike’s slightly better. The telephoto compression of Bergie’s shot is fun, but the I don’t like the shadow on the left side of the loco nose, and I think I would have liked a trifle more room in front of the loco for some reason. Also, I’m not a big fan of shots that cut-off the train at the edge of the frame, unless they absolutely have to.
The curve at the very end of the train, and it’s disappearance into foliage rather than the edge of the frame of Mike’s shot is slightly more aesthetically appealing, at least to me.
Great shots as always though, guys. Thanks for sharing!
I’m afraid I have to agree with Chris here- too many distractions in Bergie’s shot. Mike’s is really clean!
Gotta go with UP, plus Mike’s photo is “cleaner.” some of the cars in Erik’s photo don’t match, can’t have that! Larry in Blaine WA (sunny today, yea).
I vote for Mike’s shot this week. It’s really a very nice looking train/scenery and is very clean. I thought Erik’s photo had more distractions and just didn’t look quite as good overall. Both pics were great though!
I agree Mike wins the clean award, but I still like Erik’s lower more head-on point of view, the heat vapor plume, and the reflection of the lights on the rails. I also like the curve shape of the hoppers and the vertical curve of the consist due to the grade change. I think Mike’s photo, while technically more pristine, looks like a posed still life. Erik’s photo captured a workin’ train!.. it has life to it!
Mike’s shot has better perspective and better lighting. Erik has too much telephoto, making it look like an articulated pipe rather than a train of individual cars. Even Mike’s lights look cleaner.
I would say that Erik’s photo is more realistic, accurately portraying life as seen by the human Eyes. Life is not always a post card set up, and I don’t have to pay royalties to view Mike’s picture of CN.
We need a new votong category. . . . .“None of the Above”
Two plain vanilla shots. Ho Hum
Chuck Hinrichs
Had to go with the UP coal train… just because its UP… no other reason… both shots were basically the same. noticed the same problems around here… High sun angles… low traffic volumes for my twice weekly walks along the right-of-way area along the river here. I somewhat agree with the above idea of adding “none of the above” as voting category. I still wish you two would offer a CD for sale of your shots.
First - the beach sign was rather amusing! Now if we could just figure out which politician planted it! Both the trains are attractive long shots - but CN gets minorly docked for slipping 4 flat-side CH’s among the cylinders. Not that Eric put those in there! Mike’s uniform linear string gets this volume’s vote. Two heads are usually better than one. In the wake of Irish Fest, the dual frames of summer’s green beat out the defeated ties the CaNoodle has had piled up since 2005. da Milwaukee beerNut
Erik got my vote, it’s a change from the UP coal trains and the Surroundings in Erik’s photo were very pleasing
Both good photos, but.
Sounds like someone needs to be our next special guest. Trackside with Erik, Mike and Chuck. Join us for a month and you’ll find out how hard it can be to obtain presentable photos every other week (especially when you live in southeastern Wisconsin!). [:)]
Bergie
If it means anything from a guy who has to use a shot taken by his wife for an avatar, I like Mike’s shot this time. The comments about reality creeping into Erik’s shots as a positive point are valid, though.
I went with Erik’s myself. I’ve seen quite a few shots of coal trains in green surroundings, but the low lighting angle, the vertical curvature of the train and the locomotive really looking like it’s working did it for me. An excelent shot Erik, from an excellent location (always liked Duplainville, although I don’t get down there enough).
Noah
ok, nothing special here so my vote goes to Erik. Just a little more interesting photo, I like the “sag” in the middle. The telephoto helps too. Larry in Wauwatosa
…I must vote for Mike’s photo this week. Like the sceenery included in the shot and the extended shot of the train slicing down the center in balance.
Of course Erik’s shot is nice as well…but this week we must go with Mike.
I like Erik’s shot this week. Sometimes it is better to have more going on in a scene, it gives a better sense of busy mainline railroading. Good job Erik! [tup]
Try living in Southest Missouri, we don’t even have highway bridges. Tough for me this week, too, pretty similar. So, with personal interests, I went with Mike’s because it’s a UP coal train in a good patch of woods. I saw a single CN unit pulling a train today (an SD60F on a fricken UP manifest). So, maybe it’s just to soon for me to see that again.
I actually voted against a winged UP locomotive. A tough call. But Bergie’s was better.