Nice work as always, I went with Mike because I liked the broader view his photo showed. The shot I really liked was of the CN train in Waukesha. The rain, lights, crossing and reflection was for me the best. I hope the cemetery in Bergies shot is not prophetic for rail traffic like happened here. As always, thanks and happy shooting.
Fred
Good to see you back Bergie. Both photo’s were great. Had to go with Bergie’s photo. Mike your phtot appeared to be too far away and the highway was a distraction.
Steve C
Well, it’s just like old times this week! 
Both shots were a challenge for me to decide over. Mike’s UP shot has a nice wide view, good lighting, and a nice angle. Although some may find it distracting, I like the fact that there are some vehicles on the road in next to the track; it gives a feeling of action (don’t you just love the feeling of pacing a train!).
The best thing about Erik’s BNSF shot, even though it is in the background, has got to be the cemetery. Those stones look awesome!! The color of the hoppers and the faded warbonnet scheme of the lead engine give this shot a power feeling.
Given that I relate more to BNSF, and the fact that I really dig that cemetery, my vote has to go to Erik this week.
I just had to place myself there also, or, find another cemetery were there is a curve. If this is Deadman’s Curve, I am sure there must be some additional stories to tell (?) Or Buddyburton might not have any other spirits to play with. That would be awful for a railroad fan.
The first question is, what was Mike Yuhas doing on the west side of the freeway shooting train pictures? Gathering another of those famous roadkill dinners?
In that map that Bergie included with his shot in Rio, IL – the now-gone diverging CB&Q line headed west and south to Alexis, where it met the Rock Island Southern, then continued on south and west to Monmouth IL, which is due west of Galesburg on the line to Burlington Iowa. The line then continued through Monmouth directly south to Swan Creek where it turned east again through Walnut Grove and eventually met up again with the BN at Bushnell, which is directly south of Galesburg and is on the BNSF line to Quincy. So it was a pretty significant link for the old Chicago Burlington & Quincy.
As for the Rock Island Southern, for those who have railfanned Galesburg and gone out to Cameron, where the old Santa Fe crosses over the old CBQ to Burlington, the bridge still shows the space where the RIS (electric interurban) paralled the CB&Q under that bridge.
That line through Rio IL on which Bergie made his picture is the line the goes from Galesburg north to, eventually, the Twin Cities. That abandoned line to the west is not to be confused with yet another abandoned CBQ east west line that went through Alpha IL the next town north of Rio on the BNSF.
Alpha is famous for being the childhood home of Erik Bergstrom.
Back in the old days, in that part of Illinois the CBQ made loops around itself almost continuously. But [nearly] all routes lead to Galesburg, in one way or another!
Dave Nelson
welcome back Erik! had to vote for your pic of a headstone sales yard and some big trains. Sorry Mike, Erik took all your lighting.
Nice shot, Eric! The line that train is on is BNSF’s “Barstow (IL)” subdivision, running from Savanna to Galesburg - a single track railroad that sees a dozen or more trains a day. The ore train you caught is probably U-SEMBIR, (Steelton, MN to Birmingham, AL) which uses larger, traditional hoppers for the taconite pellets. The taconite train with the shorter ore cars is U-KEEMAD (Kewatin, MN to Madison, IL), which also traverses this line. Both of these trains run several times a week along with their northbound conterparts U-BIRSEM and U-KEEMAD.
Tom Persoon
While I much prefered the colors and composition (main object in the TOP third of the frame) in Mike’s image, those darn autos are just way too distracting.
Erik’s image is more in-your-face hard-core railroading. My main criticism is the faded colors of the entire image (Erik, you DID use a polarizing filter, didn’t you?).
The gravestones in Erik’s image adds a bit of something to the image to the same extent that the autos in Mike’s image takes away.
Vote went to Erik by a nose [pun slightly intended].
I thought about mentioning all the puns that could go with this photo, but I decided it would be a grave mistake.[:-^]
Welcome back, Bergie! Is it true that you came back to photograph trains near your birthplace along former CB&Q trackage? As a kid of the early 1950s, I lusted after Lionel’s F3 Santa Fe set in the silver and red Warbonnet paint, even though I never saw the real thing in person… it just looked “right”. I guess even then, they had problems with fading paint, as does the current BNSF, whose nose logo is derived from later Santa Fe Warbonnet designs. Compare your photo with the roster shot of AT&SF 92, an FP-45 at the Illinois Railway Museum (www.irm.org). If BN’s Cascade Green is your favorite color, IRM recently repainted the still-operational U30C, BN 5383, in its as-delivered green and black. This is turning out to be a long-winded way of saying why I voted for your photo over Mike’s UP coal train. Besides, I can look out my living room window to see UP coal trains pass by several times daily (northbound full, southbound empty), sometimes with all 3 locomotives on the head end, occasionally with 2 in front and one on the tail end. The cemetery in the background of your photo adds interest; maybe Mike’s shot would have benefitted from shooting from a location from which the interstate would have appeared in the background, although I realize the lighting would have suffered. Finally, thanks to everyone whose comments included the history of the former CB&Q diverging line in Rio, IL and surrounding areas… I just spent an hour on Google maps tracing them from your descriptions!
Gotta go with the cemetary shot. Maybe it brings back memories of the graveyard next to the tracks at which we used to attend Memorial Day ceremonies.
The freeway picture had potential. Of course, timing is everything, which is why there were no trucks in the shot to provide a truck vs train counterpoint.
Thanks for fixing the spelling error. We all make them occasionally.
Hey…I thought you were a big-wig editor. What do I know? Well, one thing for sure, I know that you and your co-workers take some great pictures.
The best result of Volume 90 might be the remark from the reader who commented that he had considered serving up some puns about the train by the cemetery…but decided not to…because it would be a GRAVE mistake.
[:D]
TJB in Nashville
Both photos are great. The UP coal train reminds me of trips I’ve had on VIARail as it runs alongside Ontario’s 401 expressway east of Toronto. As you peer out the window, cars travelling 60-70 mph on the highway, seem to almost be standing still as the train gradually overtakes them. In Mike’s photo, even though the train’s speed cannot be determined, the same contrast is presented. I also like Bergie’s shot as it shows up the bold power of the locomotives. The cemetary background reminds one of the fact that someday, even these powerful machines, as previous generations, all the way back to steam, will be put to rest.
In Erik’s photo taken at Rochelle, there seems to be an extra “third” rail running beside the west bound track near the signal tower. This is not visible in the webcam view, which is too wide an angle and too small to pick up such detail. Does this really exist?
I’ve been out of town so I’m Late to the Party . . . but gosh, I’m not too impressed with either shot this month.
Train with highway and cars.
or
Train with cemetery in background.
OK, I’ve decided. I’m going with the second shot because my understanding is that this particular cemetery is a very FAMOUS AND POPULAR cemetery. In fact, there’s a waiting list because people are just dyin’ to get in.
Good to know. Thanks Tom!
Bergie
Nope, no polarizer in my bag. I think there were a few things added to the faded colors of my photo. First, it was around noon, meaning a high sun. Next, the lead unit had faded orange paint, not the more vivid BNSF orange. Finally, there wasn’t a lot of color in that scene (without a vivid orange locomotive, that is)… the gravestones of the cemetery, the trees without leaves, the black or oxide red hopper cars… there’s really nothing to go on there. Plus, the sky wasn’t a sharp blue, but rather a dull grayish-blue (because again, it was high sun).
Plus, from what I know about the polarizer, you need just the right scene, with the sun at 90-degrees to what you’re shooting. I’m not certain that would have worked in this particular situation… especially with high sun.
After seeing Arron Jors’ Illinois Central shot using a polarizer in Volume 82, I’m definitely in the market for a polarizer. I should sell my scanner and replace it with a polarizer. It’d certainly see more action than my scanner does! (Just ask Mike… he, Mr. Scanner himself, loves asking “Well did you have your scanner on?” knowing full well that I probably did not.)
Thanks for the feedback, zardoz.
Welcome Back Erik.
Had to go with yours simply because seeing that loco leaning OUT of a flat curve reminds me of some of my old model rr layouts! ( a Lionel 4-4-2 doing 90 around O-27 corners?) [:-^]
Welcome back Erik! You won my vote with that BNSF cemetary shot.I live within a stone’s throw of a cemetary next to the UP tracks.I can look down to the end of my street,and above the UP main line,and the 605 freeway,is a part of a cemetary.I can see the big neon sign reading ROSE HILLS.
Eric, I couldn’t vote for either as i wished you included the night shot (Northbound Canadian National coal train, Waukesha, Wisconsin.) as it was so sharp, it looked like a model train setup. (That’s a compliment, right?)