Archive for May, 2008

I headed to the depot in Vancouver last night to capture a particular photo but the weather had other plans for me.  The severe thunderstorm that developed over the Beacon Rock area remained severe as it moved west into the Portland/Vancouver area.  About the time I wanted to set up for the planned photo the rain and lightning started in.  While I didn’t end up getting the photo I’d planned but I did come away with something interesting.

The nice thing about the Columbia River Gorge is you don’t have to photograph trains in the same spots over and over.  If you are a bit creative and like to do some walking there are plenty of opportunities.  Here’s some examples from last weekends outing with Aaron and Ross.  I’ve photographed near all these locations in the past but have never pointed my camera in these exact spots.  Oh and this was an all BNSF weekend thanks to a UP maintenance window.

Grain Through Home Valley

Afternoon Z

Burlington Northern Santa Fe!

I’m headed to the Gorge this weekend along with the hot weather.  Should be a good time as long as I’m in the shade…

G CATTAC9 at sunrise between Bingen and Cooks

 

BN’s ‘Highball’ crosses one of the many wood pile trestles found in the Palouse region of Washington and Idaho.

In a comment to my post about reflecting the times Bryce Lee asked “Your favourite subject no loner exists???”.  I had to stop and think about that because I really didn’t have any specific things in mind when I wrote “Sure, I am saddened my favorite subject of the past no longer exists, but since I still enjoy trains and railroad photography so I adapt and find a new interest.”

So what are the things I miss?  What are my favorite subjects of the past?  As I assembled the list below and began making my annotations I noticed how few things are totally gone.   It seems my historical passion for these subjects was based on some aspect of them that doesn’t totally exist today.  Take mountain grades for example.  The hills are still there and the trains still claw up them but it seems they are less of an obstacle.  Modern reliable power makes the effort to conquer the hill much easier.  Gone are the days of 7 unit consists scratching up the hills with all the engine room doors open and smoke pouring out.

Since my favorite aspects of these items aren’t the same I’ve moved on.  Instead of seeking out 567 powered locomotives I search for the last of the SD-40-2s, in Montana instead of the NP and BN I enjoy the MRL, and instead of manned helpers I get a kick out of DPU trains.  I do love change despite what it does to my favorite subjects.  Such are the times we live in….

My favorite subjects of the past (in no particular order):

• Palouse rail lines (not the Watco remnants today but the fragile branches that served elevators and were run by NP, GN, BN, and UP)
• Manned helpers (these aren’t completely gone and do reemerge now and then like the current operation on Stampede)
• Mountain grades (not modern, high horsepower locomotives breezing upgrade, but rather the all out battle of first and second generation power clawing away at the hill)
• NP/BN Sandpoint to Laurel (MRL isn’t the BN or the NP but they are closer to the them than something like corporate giant BNSF)
• Stampede Pass (in its second life it is still good, but the semaphores and early diesels made it better)
• BC Rail (the rail bed is still there but the trains and the personalities of the employees are not the same)
• 567 powered locomotives (ugg, not many left)
• Milwaukee Road western extension (too young to get a real understanding of it)
• F units (too young to photograph these in service)

These are my favorite, ‘long gone’, subjects.  I’m sure everyone has theirs…

In the past couple of months I’ve gotten to know some of the local photographer crowd via some Portland Flickr gatherings (pdx Flickr group). Last week, I happened to see some railroad photography on my Flickr contacts page, but it wasn’t from the normal railfan sources. I asked Jennifer and Ryan if they’d allow me to share their take on railroad photography here and they both agreed. And thus I present a couple of photos of the BNSF in the Gorge. If you click on the photo you can view it larger on their Flickr pages (or browse their other work):

by reesman9

by jasmine008

 ”An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.”

                                                              - Nina Simone

I hear from my friends how things have changed and “its just not like it used to be”.   Having photographed trains regularly for over 20 years I completely agree.   Does the fact that things aren’t like they used to be lessen my motivation to photograph and document what’s going on today?  No, not at all.  Sure, I am saddened my favorite subject of the past no longer exists, but since I still enjoy trains and railroad photography so I adapt and find a new interest.  Those basic motivations keep me out there reflecting the times.

 

Railroadforums.com is running an advanced contest this month on Creative High Contrast B&W.  I won’t claim to be an expert in this topic but for some reason the bug bit me and I spent some time editing a bunch of photos in Lightroom yesterday afternoon.  Whoops, there went an hour and a half!  Still it was a rewarding experience and I found a few old images that would work for the contest had they been taken in May of 2008.

 

With the demise of the Weyerhaeuser log train last Wednesday I thought this would be an appropriate topic.

The Cascades.  This is re-edit of an image I took in March.