3:10 To Yuma

smoke665 · Oct 15, 2017

Bored and wanting to shoot, but I'm driving around and around and nothing catches my eye. Finally came to a RR crossing, and thought I grab a shot of the tracks for the fun of it. So here I am in the middle of nowhere, sitting in the middle of the track, trying to get that "perfect" rail shot.

Elkmont10152017_269.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

And I feel a "strange vibration", not totally unpleasant :allteeth:

, and before I could wrap my brain around the sensation, the crossing guard behind me starts going ding, ding, ding, As I look up, coming around the corner wide open was this. Talk about an old man moving in a hurry!!!

Elkmont10152017_270.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

Hard to gauge how fast something this big is actually moving but based on the wind almost bowling me over, I'd say 70 plus.

Elkmont10152017_271.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

CaboWabo · Oct 15, 2017

Very nice set

Dean_Gretsch · Oct 15, 2017

If you pay attention, you can hear the track moving long before you ever hear the train. I shoot lots of shots from a private agricultural crossing between fields. Nicely done! The engineers get a little intolerant if you take pics very long while they are coming at you lol.

smoke665 · Oct 15, 2017

CaboWabo said:
Very nice set

Thank you

Dean_Gretsch said:
If you pay attention, you can hear the track moving long before you ever hear the train. I shoot lots of shots from a private agricultural crossing between fields. Nicely done! The engineers get a little intolerant if you take pics very long while they are coming at you lol.

Given the fact that I'm a little hard of hearing, the first thing that tipped me off was vibration on my butt (sitting on the track). I was afraid to look at the engineer when it passed by because he was probably laughing at how fast I moved. Personally I think the extra blast on the air horns just as got even with me was totally unnecessary :ambivalence:

pendennis · Oct 15, 2017

One other item of note: It's trespassing to take pictures, or otherwise occupy space from on the right-of-way, or the tracks. That area is private property of the railroad company.

I've been asked on more than one occasion to vacate myself from their premises.

At 70 mph, it takes more than a mile for the train to come to a stop, depending on the mass of the train. My grandfather worked for a railroad, and he told me that the number of people killed when they fell asleep on or around tracks is higher than most folks believe.

Standing back a bit, you can roughly determine the speed from counting the time to pass between two points. However, it's a far more difficult to determine speed at an oncoming or outgoing object, even a car.

Dean_Gretsch · Oct 15, 2017

pendennis said:
One other item of note: It's trespassing to take pictures, or otherwise occupy space from on the right-of-way, or the tracks. That area is private property of the railroad company.

I've been asked on more than one occasion to vacate myself from their premises.

At 70 mph, it takes more than a mile for the train to come to a stop, depending on the mass of the train. My grandfather worked for a railroad, and he told me that the number of people killed when they fell asleep on or around tracks is higher than most folks believe.

Standing back a bit, you can roughly determine the speed from counting the time to pass between two points. However, it's a far more difficult to determine speed at an oncoming or outgoing object, even a car.

You are correct sir. The rail police are not known for leniency either. If they are called, you can bet someone is going to be in some trouble!

smoke665 · Oct 15, 2017

pendennis said:
It's trespassing to take pictures, or otherwise occupy space from on the right-of-way, or the tracks. That area is private property of the railroad company.

Sorry, not here ---- Alabama has no trespass regulations or laws specifically targeted to railroadproperty. However, a person is guilty of criminal trespass in the second degree if he knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building or upon real property which is fenced or enclosed in a manner designed to exclude intruders. Michigan apparently does, PA is also like the many that don't. http://www.atdlines.com/pdf/cross-ch9.pdf Part of it may depend on who owns the land the tracks are on. Here most of the tracks are on easements.

Dean_Gretsch · Oct 15, 2017

smoke665 said:
pendennis said:

It's trespassing to take pictures, or otherwise occupy space from on the right-of-way, or the tracks. That area is private property of the railroad company.

Click to expand...

Sorry, not here ---- Alabama has no trespass regulations or laws specifically targeted to railroadproperty. However, a person is guilty of criminal trespass in the second degree if he knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a building or upon real property which is fenced or enclosed in a manner designed to exclude intruders. Michigan apparently does, PA is also like the many that don't. http://www.atdlines.com/pdf/cross-ch9.pdf Part of it may depend on who owns the land the tracks are on. Here most of the tracks are on easements.

Hmmm...I will make it my mission to take a photo of the sign saying " Keep Out or Go To Jail " ( not literally those words but to that effect ) along one section of rail here. The last time I saw it, another rail company leased the rails. Norfolk Southern now owns the lease ( the same company, I believe, that is running in your pics Smoke ).

smoke665 · Oct 15, 2017

@Dean_Gretsch I suspect that the section you refer to is either owned by the RR (not AN easement, or possibly owned by the state. Here the only restricted areas are those that are fenced or enclosed, and owned either outright by the RR or leased from the state or local municipality.

jcdeboever · Oct 15, 2017

smoke665 said:
Bored and wanting to shoot, but I'm driving around and around and nothing catches my eye. Finally came to a RR crossing, and thought I grab a shot of the tracks for the fun of it. So here I am in the middle of nowhere, sitting in the middle of the track, trying to get that "perfect" rail shot.

Elkmont10152017_269.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

And I feel a "strange vibration", not totally unpleasant , and before I could wrap my brain around the sensation, the crossing guard behind me starts going ding, ding, ding, As I look up, coming around the corner wide open was this. Talk about an old man moving in a hurry!!!

Elkmont10152017_270.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

Hard to gauge how fast something this big is actually moving but based on the wind almost bowling me over, I'd say 70 plus.

Elkmont10152017_271.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

Nice set bud. Glad they didn't run you over.

davidharmier60 · Oct 16, 2017

YEARS ago a guy and I "chased" a steam engine. Since I haven't seen those pics they must be on one of 80+ rolls from the 90s.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Gary A. · Oct 16, 2017

LOL ... Nothing like an angry train comin’ ... to get your butt in high gear. Is that a Ferrari logo on the train?

smoke665 · Oct 16, 2017

davidharmier60 said:
YEARS ago a guy and I "chased" a steam engine. Since I haven't seen those pics they must be on one of 80+ rolls from the 90s.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Given the fact that you're still here, we can safely assume you didn't catch it! :allteeth:

Gary A. said:
LOL ... Nothing like an angry train comin’ to get you butt in high gear. Is that a Ferrari logo on the train?

Must be Gary!!! In the first shot I'm just about even with crossing guard, I heard it start dinging, turned toward it, then immediately turned back, and saw the train coming around the corner. I got up moved off the track, and it was on me!!! I didn't think old freight trains ran that fast!

Gary A. · Oct 16, 2017

smoke665 said:
davidharmier60 said:

YEARS ago a guy and I "chased" a steam engine. Since I haven't seen those pics they must be on one of 80+ rolls from the 90s.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Given the fact that you're still here, we can safely assume you didn't catch it!

Gary A. said:

LOL ... Nothing like an angry train comin’ to get you butt in high gear. Is that a Ferrari logo on the train?

Click to expand...

Must be Gary!!! In the first shot I'm just about even with crossing guard, I heard it start dinging, turned toward it, then immediately turned back, and saw the train coming around the corner. I got up moved off the track, and it was on me!!! I didn't think old freight trains ran that fast!

Olé .. Of course it was on you fast ... it’s a Ferrari.

smoke665 · Oct 16, 2017

Gary A. said:
Of course it was on you fast ... it’s a Ferrar

Actually more like a Cheetah able to run really fast for short distance. We did some intermodal back when. It took 2 weeks to get a car moved from Atlanta to Birmingham. It took two hrs moving and the rest of the time on a siding waiting to be hooked up or unhooked.