RookieDSLR
Senior Member
Very true didn't really think of it that way I geuss I could have been ticketed for tresspassing. Hmmmm something to think about next time I go shooting. Thanks for the eye opener.
Took Some Train Yard Photos
- Thread starter RookieDSLR
- Start date
First post by me.
It looks like a locomotive that has been "cocooned" to protect it from the elements. Railroads sometimes do this in times of economic downturns. They remove their older, less efficient locomotives from service and store them in this state so that they can be more easily readied for service when times improve. I think this locomotive is about 20 years old, so might also be sold to a smaller railroad when times improve.
I've enjoyed these shots! I love trains. I bought my D5100 last fall (10/2011). It's my first digital camera; I was a diehard Kodachrome fan. I shot with Nikons for 40 years, so wanted to stick with the brand which has served me well. My only regret is that I wish I had more time to get outside and shoot trains. I'm still adjusting to the DSLR world.
The effects of 9/11 have made train photography more difficult than it was in the past. Railroads are very aware of trespassers and hazards are many for the non-employee. Expect a train on any track in any direction at any time and never step on a rail (to avoid an ankle sprain) and stay out of yards and large facilities. I much prefer rural railfanning where I can mix trains and scenery and stand far back from the tracks. I really like the overhead bridge shot too -- great angle and very safe. If I can figure out how to do it, I'll try to find some of my few train D5100 photos and post them. Thank you all!
It looks like a locomotive that has been "cocooned" to protect it from the elements. Railroads sometimes do this in times of economic downturns. They remove their older, less efficient locomotives from service and store them in this state so that they can be more easily readied for service when times improve. I think this locomotive is about 20 years old, so might also be sold to a smaller railroad when times improve.
I've enjoyed these shots! I love trains. I bought my D5100 last fall (10/2011). It's my first digital camera; I was a diehard Kodachrome fan. I shot with Nikons for 40 years, so wanted to stick with the brand which has served me well. My only regret is that I wish I had more time to get outside and shoot trains. I'm still adjusting to the DSLR world.
The effects of 9/11 have made train photography more difficult than it was in the past. Railroads are very aware of trespassers and hazards are many for the non-employee. Expect a train on any track in any direction at any time and never step on a rail (to avoid an ankle sprain) and stay out of yards and large facilities. I much prefer rural railfanning where I can mix trains and scenery and stand far back from the tracks. I really like the overhead bridge shot too -- great angle and very safe. If I can figure out how to do it, I'll try to find some of my few train D5100 photos and post them. Thank you all!
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Telephotos are great for rail photography. My favorite old workhorse lens was my Nikkor 80-200mm which I replicated with a new Nikkor 55-200 for my D5100. When shot from the front with a tele, trains take on a compressed, muscular look.
Train shot with slight telephoto in Kentucky:
I think train photography has a lot in common with nature photography. You have to find a nice spot and have a LOT of patience to wait until something happens. Meanwhile the angle of the sun is changing, the family is complaining and people wander by and ask what you're up to.
I think train photography has a lot in common with nature photography. You have to find a nice spot and have a LOT of patience to wait until something happens. Meanwhile the angle of the sun is changing, the family is complaining and people wander by and ask what you're up to.
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Here's one shot in Catawba, South Carolina. I was fortunate to get this, as I absent-mindedly left the camera on the Auto setting instead of Shutter Priority to adjust my settings and gain a faster shutter speed. I like shooting trains at 1/500 to be sure there will be no blur. Live and learn.
Do y'all ever get "buck fever" when a stunning action shot is unfolding and you want to hit the shutter button at the perfect moment, but get nervous as your eye rapidly darts all over the viewfinder to assure composition and you shake the camera a tiny bit in anticipation? This shot wasn't one of those, but I find myself (a) carrying a tripod more frequently than I used to and (b) wanting to learn more about the Continuous shooting mode on my D5100. I'm still carrying paradigms of K-64 Slide Film where every shot mattered!
Do y'all ever get "buck fever" when a stunning action shot is unfolding and you want to hit the shutter button at the perfect moment, but get nervous as your eye rapidly darts all over the viewfinder to assure composition and you shake the camera a tiny bit in anticipation? This shot wasn't one of those, but I find myself (a) carrying a tripod more frequently than I used to and (b) wanting to learn more about the Continuous shooting mode on my D5100. I'm still carrying paradigms of K-64 Slide Film where every shot mattered!
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Thanks cnyram! Yes, I agree -- lighting will drive ya nuts shooting trains. Sometimes you find a nice location, but then realize that when the train arrives, the exposed side will be in shadow. Or when on Norfolk Southern lines, the black locomotives seem to absorb every bit of light thrown at them by the sun. Also today's trains have very bright "ditch lights" which flash and serve to mess up light readings on "head on" shots like my tunnel shot above. Every once in a while, it all comes together though!
AxeMan - Rick S.
Senior Member
Being a Railroad enthusiast a lot of times new paint schemes or special units are painted and "wrapped" until their unveiling.
This is not the case with BNSF 889 and BNSF 9600. Both are dead units and have been wrapped for a long term storage test. In case the test fails and both units turn into a pile of rust nothing is lost.
BNSF 889