Folks —
Trackside with Trains.com Vol. 119, “First Generation Diesels,” is now live. You can read the edition here, and click here to vote.
Best,
When I saw the topic for this week, I knew that there would be many excellent entries, and I was right. Great job to everyone, as I had a difficult time deciding.
Although all, were great, my vote absolutely has to go to Kathi. Her Alco RS1 stood out against all the EMD cab units and early geeps. The green Alco (of course, along with it’s smoke) went along perfectly with Vermont’s Green Mountains.
Once again, great job to everybody. Another great week!
When I try to join the new Vol. 119…the only thing I get is “page not found”.
Sorry 'bout the broken links. I think they’re fixed; work OK for me now, anyway.
Best,
Yes, it’s working now.
Believe I’ll go with Jim Wrinn’s this time…The white paint is a bit overexposed, but understand the difference in light values in the photo colors and sun / shade conditions.
Just like his photo…Seems to be pleasantly “pretty”…and of course passed for the theme well too. Maybe I’m partial to green…
Sorry…I overlooked Alex’s photo of the Pennsy set on my first look…!
I must comment it is a beautiful photo…I come from Pennsy territory. Look, even the phone antenna is on it’s roof. I must rate it right up there with Jim’s.
Had to go with Alex’s Pennsy shot - especially since I equate “first generation” with E, F’s, PA’s, etc. Jim’s shot was good, but Alex caught the Pennsy set “at work.”
I almost cast a vote for the E&LS SD9s…but even then, I can’t see much of 'em. The rest of the shots…nothing special to me this time. Sorry, but no vote.
Tough choice! Here’s my words for the different competitors in order of appearance:
Jim: Nice photo of classic Southern units, but the over-exposed nose doesn’t do it for me. 7th choice.
Otto: FL9s forever! I have a tough time voting when they enter the scene, and being from the east (and feeling lucky that finally, there’s photos from the east and not the midwest!) doesn’t make it any easier to decide! Nice shot! 4th choice.
Kathi: Having recently photographed that same unit (and it’s number 405, not 408), and it being another Eastern shot have made it a strong contender. The Alco smoke helped a lot too. If Andy hadn’t posted such a beautiful photo, you may have gotten my vote. I’m glad you enjoyed your visit out east! 3rd choice.
EDIT: Did you notice the Hancock Steam Whistle on the 405? It really surprised me when I heard it, and I got quite a few comments about it on my video of the unit.
Andy: Amazing photo! For some reason, drab colors look best to me on old 1st Generation diesels hard at work, so that was a big factor in my vote for you. The bush in the foreground is a nice touch, as is the flanger (?) sign at left. 1st choice! 1st choice.
Alex: Very nice shot. I’m still waiting for those pretty ol’ E units to make their way up here! 5th choice.
Tom: That shot can only be described as stunning! The low sunlight lighting up the front of the locomotive combined with the scenic Arizona desert gives you my 2nd choice. Great shot.
Elrond: Interesting framing! You were right, the elevators certainly make an interesting backdrop! 6th choice.
Elrond, you got my vote. I really dig the composition!
Went with Kathi’s, even if I think it needs a tilt corrected (about 2degrees CCW). Pure First Generation, no rebuilding modifications or modern power tucked in behind. The surroundings give it good context and the classic First Generation style is displayed well. And overall it’s a nice picture too.
I consider Andy’s second - also a very nice image - but felt it needed to show off the diesels to better advantage to conform fully with the theme.
John
John —
I have to agree that Kathi’s is excellent and should do very well this round. As for mine, I struggled a bit in choosing which image to use. I nearly picked this view from Ontonagon, Mich.:
In the end, I decided the orange snow fences were too distracting. I had another view that showed the 1224 leading, but it doesn’t have a forward-facing Mars light, and I really wanted the Mars light to be obvious, as that’s a classic early EMD feature. Guess I have to get back up to the UP and take another stab at them!
Andy…Your “almost picked shot”, goes well to the theme and is a nice, and from a different angle, RR photo.
I am going with Otto’s FL9 shot, but ONLY because I literally grew up with these unique units on the NYC Harlem division and THEY were THE reason I became a railfan, watching two of them come charging through my station at Tuckahoe elephant style with the early morning train from “way up north” as I was waiting for my M.U. train to arrive and take me to GCT. I would have voted for the Pennsy E-9 shot except the Amtrak Genesis unit tucked in as protection power ruined the look of the shot for me.
I’m gonna have to take my time this time…Otto’s got the FL9’s but I wish he could have gotten a better location and Kathi RS is in Bellows Falls, but under tourist operation which I shy from No one got a real first gen in original paint and condition, even the E8’s are created from another road. Soooo…let’s think about it.
I don’t usually vote on these contests, but I’ve always been a 1st Gen. Diesel fan, so I thought I’d chime in. I’m not a great artistic critic of photographs - I’m more interested in content than style, and for that reason there were only two real choices - the SD-9’s and the FL-9. These were the only shots taken of locomotives that retain the same outward appearance as when they were built, working in the same revenue service for which they were built. Of course, these may both have received internal improvements or rebuilds, but on the outside they look just like their designers intended. The RS-1 in Kathi’s shot is beautiful, but shown hauling tourists. The Copper Basin and Santa Fe geeps both have chopped noses. The SOU and PRR F/E units are now museum units that, fortunately, get out on the mainline every once in a while to stretch their legs, but that’s all.
So I voted for Andy’s SD’s since I’m more partial to freight than passenger. I just think it’s too bad that there aren’t more voters that agree with me. Of course, I had that problem last November, too.
Tom
I am a sucker for covered wagons! Loved Alex’s shot of the E-8’s at work. The picturesque rocks and foliage were icing on the Pennsy cake!
First of all, I have to hand it to Mr. Lawrence for the “different” take on our theme. However, ever since Drew - at least I think it was Drew - took a picture of the scratches on the side of a rail, it’s been fairly obvious here, that viewers really aren’t into avant garde leanings. But hey, don’t stop trying! . .
I’m usually a real sucker for F units. I’m a model railroader, rather than a railfan, and my layout is basically all about F units. However, when I put all the pictures up on my big screen side by side, it was Tom Danneman’s bright golden Copper Basin shot that just jumped off the screen. Probably just the sun-washed illumination that caught my eye, but nevertheless, it also caught my vote.
Difficult choice, love covered wagons and Elrond’s Santa Fe was great, but Tom’s Arizona desert shot got me, location is as important to me as the subject.
Had to go with one of the GP9’s. I love the F and E units, but how many are actually in regular daily service in industries? There are some still in use by Maryland Midland, a recently acquired Genesee & Wyoming Co. at the local Lehigh Portland Cement Company in Union Bridge, MD. and they are true workhorses.
Tough choice, but I went with Tom’s.
“It’s all good”
EMD ‘covered wagons’, to me, are the epitome of first generation diesels. Graceful yet powerful, they pulled the classic passenger trains of the era. GP7/9s, RS-1s, and SW switchers might be contemporaries, but the E and F units were clearly the ‘cover girls’ of the era. Having said that, I have always thought the Pennsylvania color schemes to be fairly bland so I voted for the shot of the Southern F7 and E8, although the overall composition of the Pennsy units exiting the tunnel was probably the better shot. Keep up the good work, everyone!