More Railfan Photography

[RetroLounge]

Illinois Central SD40-2 #6071 leading a train near Independance, Iowa.

Saw train coming, pulled car over, jumped out, took the shot as it approached at 50mph. Not bad for not having any time to set it up.



RL

[regnaD kciN]

1. Nice!

For someone who didn't have time to set it up, you sure seemed to have found a perfect section of track, with the "S" curve providing nice composition, along with the framing post in the foreground and the silos behind it.

And I can't be the only DUer who, when I hear "Illinois Central," automatically starts humming "City of New Orleans."

[RetroLounge]

2. Thanks!

We knew the 'S' curve was there, but literally jumped out of the car and started taking pics. I was lucky to get it before the wires got in the way.

"This train's got the disappearing railroad blues..."

RL

[ET Awful]

5. You're not the only one :)

I hear Illinois Central, I think "Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.

[regnaD kciN]

6. Interestingly...

...I know the woman who now owns the guitar Steve Goodman used when writing that song.

[ET Awful]

8. Have you ever heard Arlo tell the story of how he came to record it?

He was sitting in a coffee shop and Goodman came up to him and said he had a song for him. . . . Arlo says this happened all the time, people coming up and saying they had songs for him, and without fail, they were all terrible :). But with Goodman he said . . ."Well, I'm going to sit her and drink my coffee, you sing the song, if it's bad I'll just get up and leave." He finished the coffee :).

[alfredo]

3. Nice picture. Looks like they just recently laid down new gravel.

I used to love watching the trains. We used to have a lot of coal trains passing by.

A scary train story:

One day in Louisville Ky I was stopped at a crossing. I was the first car in line. A long freight train was passing by. I noticed the cars rocking side to side. As the train progressed, the rocking became more pronounced. Before long the rocking was so severe, the wheels were leaving the tracks. I couldn't turn around due to a car next to me. It was a one way street. I got out of the car and urged others. Some got out, some didn't. some got pissed because they had to wait for us to get back in our cars after the cars cleared the crossing. No way was I going to stay near the tracks.

[RetroLounge]

4. Wow, that is scary

That would have been a good time to have a camera :D

RL

[alfredo]

7. The track was curved there. That could have had something

to do about it.