Train Photography

[photone]

Before heading back home I slipped over to Branchville…about 3 miles west of Boykins…to grab some shots of the small town’s nearly empty, but picturesque former down town…I was near the CSX crossing in the middle of town when I saw a freight approaching from WAY off, coming from the West.



Grabbed this shot of the triple-headed freight approaching the crossing as it rumbled through town

[Guest]

Northern Bulgaria .....

[Guest]

Guttenberg,Iowa

[Guest]

During a visit to the Minneapolis MN Fire Museum last week I snapped this shot of a BNSF locomotive passing on the tracks across the parking lot. The location is about two miles south of the BNSF Northtown yard and is heavy with traffic at all hours. FLJackphoto.

[ffemtwakeman]

I took this while in Flagstaff, AZ earlier this month. It seems like there is a train going through there constantly, there were at least 3 in the hour I was walking around.

   

[John Kenealy]

Here's a Norfolk Southern train rolling through Wells Bridge NY this morning.

[Pete(UK)]

I have no train photo's of my own to share, so here is a streetview scene link from san diego



[url="http://maps.google.com/maps?cbp=12,76.15,,1,3.83&cbll=32.704267,-117.156342&layer=c&ie=UTF8&panoid=q9gUVgO23tzmBvaxjl3YxQ&source=embed&ll=32.704472,-117.156637&spn=0,359.983531&z=17"]san diego[/url]

[Guest]

[quote name='bownasterm' date='01 August 2008 - 04:59 PM' timestamp='1217623172' post='234857']

here is a cool photo i found on railpictures.net



[url="http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=244839&nseq=47"]http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?...839&nseq=47[/url]

[/quote]



I love that shot as it contains 3 of my favorite things...trains, fire apparartus, & construction equipment!!!

[Guest]

[quote name='Richard_L_Dean_07405' date='29 July 2009 - 08:20 AM' timestamp='1248879600' post='325050']

Believe it or not that what railfans do most of when out watching for or chasing trains, looking at empty track!

[/quote]

Not in Japan, Richard. Here are a few trains you can see in just a few minutes at Nippori, part of Tokyo.

There are many other good spots in Tokyo, but this is where I always stay when I go back.

[Guest]

[quote name='creofire' date='28 July 2009 - 05:27 PM' timestamp='1248826027' post='324993']

Not atrain but a cool shot of the tracks

[/quote]



Nice. Cool, but crooked. <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



How about straight?

[jmp883]

Due to issues (the lure of my Honda Gold Wing) I haven't done any rail photography (or work on my N-scale layout) since early 2009. Tuesday Oct. 6 was absolutely gorgeous and I was seriously considering taking a nice long ride on the Wing before my 4pm-12am shift. Instead I grabbed my camera bag, was able to walk past the Wing, and got in my truck. I went to one of my favorite haunts, Iona Island, NY. I only caught 2 trains that morning but it was worth it. I'd take the Wing railfanning but most of the places I like to take pictures from aren't conducive to parking a 900-lb. motorcycle, meaning it's usually a dirt or gravel parking area.



As I was pulling in to the Island I saw a southbound stack train crawling by instead of sailing through at track speed. Here is the Q-164 creeping by automatic signal 41.0

[jmp883]

A few minutes later I heard on the scanner why the trains were running at reduced speed. There was a track circuit at MP 35 which was affecting the automatic signals in the area. The signal systems, both automatic signals and interlocking signals, are powered by very low current in the rails. The train wheels and axles complete the circuit and logic and computer software will display the appropriate signals trackside and on the dispatchers consoles. Based on my experience when I worked at NJT as a train dispatcher automatic signals will go to red if there is a track circuit (meaning a short, or open, in the signal system). As long as the dispatcher knows that the track ahead is clear he can then authorize train movement past the red signals verbally via train order. The trains are required to run at a reduced speed in order to stop short of any obstruction until they are clear of the train order-authorized limits.



No sooner did the Q-164 clear MP 40.1 at 0945 hrs when the dispatcher then gave a train order to the Q-439 which was holding at MP 43. At 0957 hrs the Q-439 came around the corner, crossed the trestle, and started up the slight grade onto the Island.

[jmp883]

It took a while but the lead unit of Q-439 finally got close enough for this shot. CSX #5484 is a General Electric ES44-DC.

[jmp883]

My favorite shot from Tuesday morning. I was going to hang around for a few hours since I figured that there would be a few more trains backed up because of the track circuit problem. However, a few minutes after the Q-439 cleared the signal down at MP 35 the dispatcher gave the track to a maintainer for 2 hours in order to find and repair the faulty signal circuit. That's when I decided to head back home. If i didn't have to work that afternoon I probably would have stayed for the duration.

[Guest]

My new apartment in downtown Tacoma is a rail fans dream place. There's a 4 track main line right outside my living room window. Don't worry, the windows are triple pane, so the noise is negligable. Amtrak, BNSF and the Union Pacific have all made appearances, pulling all sorts of strings. Here's one that just creeped past:

[Guest]

ConnecticutDOT owned P32-ACDM, and operated by Metro North, here is 228 about to depart Brewster, NY for its last shuttle run of the night.

[Guest]

Over the weekend I chased two Vintage EMD FP7 locomotives that were running out of Pennsburg Pa. Reading Units 902 and 903... Here are some shots.

[Russell]

I shot this Smith Falls, Ontario. This locomotive is on lease to Canadian Pacific. The second unit is a C.P. locomotive.

[Truckman]

These photos were taken last week by my wife in the yards of the Roanoke, VA yards and station. This was an old train and cars on a excursion trip.



Truckman Photos by Mrs. Truckman

[Truckman]

Second photo.....