The latest round of Trackside with Trains features images from five photographers, including one Trains magazine reader. This round’s theme: Bird’s Eye View.
…Oh this has been a difficult one to sort out. Beautiful photographs, and all adhering to the “birds eye view”, very well.
I picked Justin Franz’s rendition with his beautiful, different display…Different, and with plenty of railroad stuff included. Just an outstanding photograph.
Have to also comment that Alex’ photo was a beautiful shot of the train decending among the colored leaves along the Sand Patch route.
This is a “birdbrainer” not a “no brainer”. Our reader’s shot has to be the birdiest of views…all the others are just too earthy! Getting high is one thing, but getting high in the sky is the thing in this contest!
While all the others have something to recomend them, Justin’s simply reaches out and grabs your attention.
I keep seeing things in the yard below that are interesting, but then I keep getting drawn back to the hang glider…what a way to railfan!
Let’s see if I can get 0 votes this time…
The theme is “Bird’s-eye View”, but I get the feeling that most of these birds were on Terra Firma. Justin wasn’t. Ergo, he gets my vote as taking a shot that I personally would never be able to get.
Oh, he also had fascinating content, as Ed mentioned. Andy and Alex also get high marks in that category.
While you didn’t get my vote this time, had I submitted a shot this time it would have been nearly identical, but taken from the walkway over the CSX Chicago Line at Utica Union Station.
Justin kinda ran away with it.
Reader’s photo only “Bird’s Eye View” so voted for him. Other very nice photos especially Tom Nanos but did not adhere to the theme in my humble opinion. Picky, picky but that’s why I subscribe to Trains and Classic Trains cause I’m picky.
Dave
Tough decisions this time.#### I liked the idea of the reader submission shot, but the train was little more than part of a cluttered jumble, so I couldn’t vote for that one.#### Finally wound up selecting Drew Halvorson’s snowy scene which was obviously taken from great height, but the train was the center of attention.#### Some of the others may have been more picturesque, but again, the rail action was so distant that it seemed insignificant in them.#### Tom in Nashville
…Carl…Are we certain Justin is not on Terra Firma…
I can read that both ways. I’m a bit confused of the wording explaining where or how he actually got said photograph…I lean toward him being on the mountain top.
Sorry guys, but Justin F got the vote with a pic that really invokes the idea of bird’s eye view. The others to me are not so clear due to the lower angle even though they may have had some distance in it. That hang glider really makes the shot ping. [:)]
Andy C would get the next vote.
After reading the other comments, I thought I would elaborate further on my thinking. Please, no flames, just my thinking aloud [^o)]
As stated above, Justin’s shot pings because of the hang glider.
I suspect that he may well not have been in (on?) a hang glider himself, but on the top of Mt. Sentinel that the gliders were launching from. Also the looking down on the hang glider to the trains below “suggests” that he could have been in a hang glider too.
As for the “clutter” that TOMinTN makes, I believe that reinforces the subject for this round.
Drew & Tom both state that they were on a bridge. The angle, proximity & surroundings also “suggest” that they are on terra firma. I would say that if Tom had taken his from the top of the hill (mountain?) the other side of the river, that might have been more believable as a contender. Don’t know if that would have been possible, but …
The shot by Alex suffers similarly to Drew & Tom. Below the level of the hill opposite & “suggestion” is that he is across the valley.
Love the foliage of the trees which makes the point the ‘landscapers’ make in Model Railroader about the varied fall colours [;)] Especially the full green through yellow to a strong red.
As stated in my initial post, Andy is the runner up as there is distance involved which could be seen as by a bird, but again, he clearly states that he was on some “bluffs”. If those “bluffs” had been closer to the rails (or should that be the other way round), his could have been a contender too.
My [2c] for what it is worth.
Anyway, nice photos all which ever way one thinks.
Well, at least I beat Andy, thanks mainly due to the Warbonnet I imagine. I knew when I saw Justin’s shot…he’d fly away with it…haha
I also picked Justin’s. I interpreted the theme to be something like what an eagle would see. Of course in a technical sense we could have a shot looking up at the train, as the duck below a bridge would see!
The other submissions were at much shallower angles, some very shallow.
John