Trackside with Trains.com Vol. 193 is now live to view and vote!
In the latest round of our biweekly photo competition, four photographers submitted images for the theme “Unit Coal Trains.”
This round’s reader submissions come from Mike Matejka and Kenneth Williamson.
View the photos and vote for your favorite, and then return here to let us know what you think of them!
Ken 's got my vote simply because it is a unit coal train…note the yellow stripe on the cars. The others don’t really express that point to the topic. Tom’s shot is NS coal, yeah, and good , too. The other two don’t reach the topic nor me.
I am going with Mike’s, just because the aluminum cars are what I’m used to these days, and the picture give the impression of speed, which is desirable if not realistic. Sorry the train is empty, but the reality is that half of these trains’ mileage is with empty cars.
Curious about Ken’s shot…to me that yellow stripe on a couple of the cars doesn’t look like it’s at the end of the car. Am I suffering from an optical illusion, or is something else going on, with a fleet of hoppers that I’m not familiar with?
I selected Tom’s photo insofar as I shot an eastbound NS intermodal train (212) from the exact same spot on the first Sunday in June. Nice job!
[bow]
I also voted for Mike’s. He got a really good shot of the cars rolling along, like they’re flying.
Yellow stripe indicates at least rotating couplers whch means unit train for the most part.
I know that’s the case when the color’s at one (or both) end(s) of the car, but, as I said, that doesn’t appear to me to be the case here.
Only two this week that really stood out for me. It was a toss up between Tom’s and Kennth’s. I ended up voting for Tom’s because you can actually see what is in the coal wagons.
I would like to have seen Alex’s bigger to see the detail better, but for some reason I can’t blow the photo up on my computor. I haven’t been able to now for some time. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?
I agree Carl. The stripe isn’t on the end.
Gonna hold off on voting…I must’ve missed the announcement on this theme too…somehow.
Went with Tom as his picture portrays the subject “unit coal trains” the best.
Dave
My detective powers figured out why: the announcement was posted to the general (Trains.com) forum, not this one. I never did understand why we have that board - it is barely used.
I went with the Alex Mayes photo. It shows a unit coal train in what many would consider an improbable setting: winter in Utah.
I didn’t see the announcement either! I have several pics which I could have submitted, too!!!
You’re right the yellow stripes are not at the end of the car, they are almost in the middle. I have taken a lot of pictures of coal drags on my trips to Arkansas from Scotland but this was the smallest I have ever seen and different from the usual TX coal cars. There was only one loco front and back. I have a picture of the coal cars if you are interested.
K G Williamson
Edinburgh
Scotland
No announcement here, either. Dang!
As for the “coal train” photos, I found all the shots less than stellar.
Where was the Powder River action?
Tom in Nashville
Theme was announced in this week’s newsletter.
“Tourist Lines”, photos due by September 27 @ 5:00.
I finally have some decent photos to submit! [:D]
Acela