Steam & Excursion > Speaking of chasers

Last Tuesday a large crowd waited for the 4014 at Castle Rock, all gathered up on a hill offering this overlook of the railroad.  There were probably 30 or more cars, and a lot of folks, some fans some just regular folks out to see Big Boy.  But all with their cameras pointed in the same direction.  As train time got closer some folks just had to drive down a side road and park where you see them in the picture.  Since this was not my first rodeo, I was not surpried.  Mainly I chuckled at the predictability of human nature.  I had  thought of going down there myself, but just didn't have the "courage" to park right in front of the large crowd on the hill.  It was not a big deal, with a bit of help from Photoshop the offending cars and figures were easily removed from my picture. But I have to wonder how some people think.  Or do they care?  Even if they were just "locals" it does not compute for me.  Rude is rude. C'est la vie.

JBWX



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/19 10:57 by jbwest.

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To my eye, the power poles are more of a distraction than the cars and people.

But it certainly can be frustrating when people pop up in your planned shot at the last minute.

When I was 15 I rode the 4449 journey back to Portland in 1977. On the day the train ran from Oakland to Dunsmuir, I was at the depot waiting for the train to pull up. As it came into sight, I cluelessly stepped in front of a photo line to get a shot and a whole crowd of people started yelling at me. I ended up getting a great shot, and it was the last time I stepped in front of a photo line like that. I learned my lesson on that day.

 

walstib Wrote:
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> To my eye, the power poles are more of a
> distraction than the cars and people.
>
Interesting, you may have a good point.   Different people focus on different things, I liked the rear of the train still coming around the curve.  I probablky have a view with the engine further along and the poles less prominent.  That might be better.  

JBWX

I've shot there before, and I don't remember the poles being quite so prominent. But I think I might have been closer to the tracks in the big parking area, which if I recall, offers an angle that shows the elevation on that curve a little more.

I'm sure it was a zoo at that parking area for 4014.

I've caught 844 there a few times, and a westbound Zephyr re-route or two at that curve. I was there for the 4014-844 extravaganza in May, but it was dumping rain and I didn't get the shot I was hoping for.

But that's a nice shot of 4014, regardless of the people or poles.

NICE shots!!

I think a lot of the old timers have a much more engrained respect for The Photo Line because they come from a time when cameras usually only came out for special events and occasions. Nowadays, most anyone can take a photo of anything at any time. If you go to just about any large lublic gathering place, you'd never get anywhere if you were worried about being in the background of someone else's photo over a large area.

Posted from Android

If the photo line was on a hill at what appears to be a distance away, perhaps they didn't know they were in the way.

You're assuming they are railfans and not civilians who probably know nothing about photo lines and would never think to look for people on a hill

Posted from Android

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

ns1000 Wrote:
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> NICE shots!!

Yup, nice ONE shot...one with three autos; same photo without them.

LOL, you're complaining about cars on a public road in your picture when there is a giant ugly diesel between the steam engine and the train consist?

I don't think it is reasonable for people far away on a hill to expect others to stay clear of a road closer to the tracks.  You guys look to have been trying to monopolize a half mile of the mainline.  A photo runby line is one thing, a hill far away quite another.

like dogs marking their territory

darkcloud Wrote:
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> LOL, you're complaining about cars on a public
> road in your picture when there is a giant ugly
> diesel between the steam engine and the train
> consist?
>
> I don't think it is reasonable for people far away
> on a hill to expect others to stay clear of a road
> closer to the tracks.  You guys look to have been
> trying to monopolize a half mile of the
> mainline.  A photo runby line is one thing, a
> hill far away quite another.

I'm not really complaining, because I expected it to happen.  I just think it is "interesting", and at the time as I mentioned I kind of chuckled to myself at the failings of human nature.  The folks who drove down the hill had to inch past us because we were standing all over the road.  Some folks had to move their tripods.  So they knew exactly where we were and what we were doing.  But they just couldn't put two and two together.

JBWX

jbwest Wrote:
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> darkcloud Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > LOL, you're complaining about cars on a public
> > road in your picture when there is a giant ugly
> > diesel between the steam engine and the train
> > consist?
> >
> > I don't think it is reasonable for people far
> away
> > on a hill to expect others to stay clear of a
> road
> > closer to the tracks.  You guys look to have
> been
> > trying to monopolize a half mile of the
> > mainline.  A photo runby line is one thing, a
> > hill far away quite another.
>
> I'm not really complaining, because I expected it
> to happen.  I just think it is "interesting", and
> at the time as I mentioned I kind of chuckled to
> myself at the failings of human nature.  The
> folks who drove down the hill had to inch past us
> because we were standing all over the road.  Some
> folks had to move their tripods.  So they knew
> exactly where we were and what we were doing.
>  But they just couldn't put two and two
> together.
>
> JBWX

Well if it's a public road, are they not equally entitled? Their shots required significantly less space and was probably a more exciting vantage point. If I have tickets to something with general admission seating, and I walk in and there is a bunch of people crowding the aisles and packing the seats in the back rows with the front all clear, I'm gonna make my way through and sit where I want.

Posted from Android