Folks — As we search for a replacement for Erik Bergstrom (accept no imitation!), I’ll be posting Trackside with Trains.com. The subject of Vol. 113 is short line and regional railroads, to coincide with our June issue. Give trackside a read, then vote for your favorite photo. Then, come back to the forums and be sure to share your comments. Thanks! Andy Cummings Associate Editor TRAINS Magazine Waukesha, Wis.
Here’s the link.
Here’s a link to Trackside 113.
(Don’t forget to make it sticky, Andy.)
OK, so much for the housekeeping.
Had to go with Mike’s shot - It simply personifies “short line” - switcher, one car, track’s a mess. The picture just has a lot of character.
Andy’s shot get’s an honorable mention - it does say “regional” to me.
If it weren’t for the names on the sides of the locomotives, though, Drew’s shot would have “big railroading” written all over it. Six axle power, what appears to be a busy facility, not how I picture a shortline or a regional (although I know they easily could be).
Thanks, Larry. I’m still trying to get everything running the way it should; posting Trackside is harder than I realized! I have to figure out how to do the “sticky” topic, but will do so as soon as one of my office-mates can show me. Appreciate everybody’s patience on this; everything should be working ok within the next hour or so; hopefully sooner. My dad was a career IBMer, and I grew up using computers, but sometimes they really throw me for a loop. Andy Cummings Associate Editor TRAINS Magazine Waukesha, Wis.
Larry, you linked to the voting page. You want this one: http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=5032
I had to go with Mike this time. While the other two both fit the catogory, nothing said shortline like a telephoto dirty switcher pulling one car on light jointed rail! Nice shot!
I also liked Drew’s shot, since I’m a real sucker for nighttime photos, and the actual photo is very nice.
Andy’s shot was very good, but didn’t say “shortline” like Mike’s did.
Nice work all!
Thanks, Ty.
Oh its gotta be Mike Yuha’s pic…classic shortline pose of a smallest engine and one car trundling off to somewhere to take care of a customer! The others are so contemporary, but this one is classic!
Something different this voting time. I loved them all, for different reasons. But Andy’s made my heart go pitter-patter. Could it be because I am native Nebraskan? I love photos that I can “feel a part of” and these 3 all accomplished that for me!
I agree with Mike’s photo saying short line. However, it looks like a place that could be ‘no line’ in a short time as well.
I went with Drew’s shot for one reason: I know where the shot is taken and know it’s not an easy one to pull off. Hat’s off, Drew.
The other two shots were good; I just gave Drew more credit for the degree of difficulty.
And Andy, I’m glad you’re experiencing first hand how complex Trackside is. [:D] Welcome aboard!
Bergie
I liked Andy’s shot–nice equipment (and I’m not referring only to the power!), and an operation that one could find anywhere–including on a lot of main lines yet.
So his shot came in a close second to Mike’s. I didn’t even read his description, but that track and the rails remind me of what a short line should be. Some regionals just look too much like the big guys.
I totally had to go with Andy Cumming’s photo. It just screemed a nice modern shortline to me, with the claasic small wooden bridge, the rolling fields and the small country road streaching off into the distance. Sorry, but Mike’s shot just didn’t do anything for me, it looks too run down. Just because it’s a shortline dosen’t meen it has to be in bad shape, also the train is just to small for me, I’ve never seen a train shorter then about 10 cars long and to me his shot looks like the train is switching more then it does a shortline train. I loved Drew’s shot, it had to be my favorite of all of them, however it just didn’t fit the shortline theme. Overall a great effort by everyone![:)]
Given the topic, I’ll keep this as short as Mikes photo consist. Yuhas!
Love the Yuhas short-short-short line, the oft jointed rail, wooden ties, plus the ditch lites seem like overkill on the MP15 while speeding along at 5 mph. Larry of the great NW
Gotta go with Andy, not so much for the “classic” aspect but more for the “existential” aspect. I see trains running along an abandoned road (no vehicles!) transporting fuel that will not be used anymore!
Only 3 choices. Should be easy to pick, right? Wrong! 3 good shots. I finally settled on Mike’s shot, because it seems to best fit the theme. I do have some bones to pick…to me, it’s too compressed by the telephoto effect.Have to look pretty hard to distinguish the units. Of course the telephoto does make the track look pretty bumpy which does add a little “short line” look to it.
I felt tugged to vote for Drew’s pic, because it is a really neat shot & I am very familiar with the location. Have shot many pics from that spot myself, very close to my home in Wauwatosa. As the Muskego yard continues to be used less & less, it seems like a stop there is a rarity these days. I think that your observation re an imminent westbound maybe has something to do with it also. It’s my understanding that CP prefers not to run side by side traffic thru those dangerous State Street crossings, as a safety precaution. Those are all no horn crossings, and altho they are all gated, there seems to be no shortage of people who like to start across (pedestrians) as soon as the train clears. I’m sure there is someone out here who can help me out on that???
Photo must be fairly recent…looks like the Little Red Store is open??
Andy also has a very nice shot. I kept going back to look at it in large view. Hard choices this week.
Larry in Wauwatosa
I loved Mike’s photo. They were all good but I loved mikes. The rails, scenery and the small train said it all.
All three photos were well done, Drews would have appealed to me more if the overpass was not cutting the top off, but the color and composition were great.
Andy’s photo had every thing you could ask for, big blue sky with just a hint of clouds, beautiful power, good composition, great color…
But Mike’s shot screams short line…thin to no budget for MOW, old, very old jointed rail, second or third hand locomotive, one car delivery to a customer out in the boonies…and having been there and doing that exact thing every few days it simply appealed to me the most.
I hope they have a re-rail frog and some wood wedges on that motor!
Drew got my vote. I just happened to like his entry best.
TJB - Nashville, TN (vacationing in FL this week)
I chose Andy’s photo. My vote is a little bias because Nebraska Central runs through my home town. The SD40-2s arrived about the same time that Andy did to take the picture. I’m not sure if the paint is fully cured in the picture. They look allot different now. Nebraska Central had a pair of ex ATSF GP7Us that seem to vanish about the same time that these beauties showed up. So it seems that even shortlines upgrade every now and again.
All 3 were great pix. I voted for Andy because I knew the line and actually rode with Sam and Fred up there in the mid 90’s when I lived in St Paul (NE). If it hadn’t been a Cotesfield shot, I would have voted for Drew.