Steam & Excursion > My take on Steamfest

My dad and I drove up from Fort Wayne early Friday morning. We got to Owosso about 8:15 AM, and got the lay of the land, and then went searching fora place to catch #4449 on the move. After checking out about four differnt road crossings, (all with photogs waiting) that I didn't think had very good sight lines, we found a nice curve at a gravel road crossing about five miles from town. When we got there, there were about a dozen people waiting, and by the time the train arrived, I counted 28. Everyone there was friendly and cooperative, and we all worked together to make sure everybody could get the shot they wanted. We were mildly harrased by a female state cop that seemed to have a crappy attitude, but the worst thing she could yell about was somebody standing too far out into the road. (Nevermind that this was a backwater dirt road at a curving railroad crossing where the prudent road speed would be about 20). We then went back to town and parked for FREE in the old AO Smith Electric parking lot which is about a two minute walk from the main entrance. We waited in line for about 15 minutes to get in the gate and then went exploring. There was a lot of neat stuff to look at. The lines to get into the cabs of SR 6133, 1225 and 765 were VERY long, but that is what you would expect. Running the Leviathan onto the turntable and giving it a spin was nice, there were some great model railroad layouts, the small live steamers were nice, and the food pretty good (some of the best onion rings I've ever tasted). The biggest surprise for me was the GIGANTIC vendor's tent. I could have dropped $10,000 in about ten minutes if I had it. All in all I thought it was a wonderful event. I have never been to a comparable event before, so I didn't have too many pre-conceived notions, but it met or exceeded my expectations. People were friendly and generally helpful. The majority of visitors were sensitive to picture takers, but the ones who weren't seemed to simply be oblivious, not rude. You wish you could get better camera angles of the equipment, and not have strangers in your shots, but in my mind, the oppertunity to see and touch these wonderful machines up close FAR outweighs any negatives. In my opinion, anyone who stays away because of the "foamers" or because they can't get a "PERFECT" picture are just being silly. Some of these people remind me of baseball "purists" that think fans in the grandstands are distraction to the game at hand, and would rather the game be played in an empty (except for them) stadium somewhere.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/09 21:37 by junctiontower.

I agree with your sentiments and though the weather hasn't been prefect there have been some nice shots along the way as long as one had studied a map prior to coming and knew the lay of the land. It should also be kept in mind that this event was created for the purpose of entertaining the public and raising money for the future of the engines. The cost to get in and even ride the trains is very affordable and so far the night sessions seem to be going pretty well so I am glad I came. One of the car attendants was really helpful yesterday so my friend and I gave him two tickets to ride on Sunday so he could take his ten year old grandson. HE was happy and I was happy too. All in All, this has been a win-win for everyone. Anyone who missed this event really has missed an opportunity.

train671 Wrote:
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> I agree with your sentiments and though the
> weather hasn't been prefect there have been some
> nice shots along the way as long as one had
> studied a map prior to coming and knew the lay of
> the land. It should also be kept in mind that
> this event was created for the purpose of
> entertaining the public and raising money for the
> future of the engines. The cost to get in and
> even ride the trains is very affordable and so far
> the night sessions seem to be going pretty well so
> I am glad I came. One of the car attendants was
> really helpful yesterday so my friend and I gave
> him two tickets to ride on Sunday so he could take
> his ten year old grandson. HE was happy and I was
> happy too. All in All, this has been a win-win
> for everyone. Anyone who missed this event really
> has missed an opportunity.

You and junctiontower ought to take Biff out for a beer.

Ooooooh, that was great! If I were there I would take Biff out for a beer.

masterphots Wrote:
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>
> You and junctiontower ought to take Biff out for a beer.


He's still busy waxing Mr. McFly's car. Gotta get that second coat on.

JAC

johnacraft Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> masterphots Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > You and junctiontower ought to take Biff out for
> a beer.
>
>
> He's still busy waxing Mr. McFly's car. Gotta get
> that second coat on.
>
> JAC

John,

I was thinking the same thing after I posted my comment. The name fits

"Now Biff, I said TWO coats...TWO coats!" "Yes Mr. McFly!"

Sweet revenge.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..