Passenger Trains > Railfan caught in the act...

…of just being a railfan photographer!

After attending the regular May Roundtable Dinner and presentation at the Golden Ox in Kansas City I got together with TO member Dalton McAdams for a bit of night time prowling. With the ultimate goal of converting Amtrak’s westbound Southwest Chief into pixel form we took a look at a shooting location overlooking Kansas City Union Station that Dalton had mentioned. We were in time to get some shooting practice in with the arrival of Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner. Then we went over and hung around KCT’s Santa Fe Junction Interlocking for awhile, just shooting some miscellaneous artsy stuff.

It soon came time to go back to KCUS get into position to shoot #3. It was just before taking this shot that I noticed Dalton had set up very un-obtrusively in my field of view. So I was happy to get a 2-for-1 shot. Here is Amtrak #3 during its Kansas City station stop, along with Dalton trying his hand as a nighttime photographer. I might add, he has a VERY talented hand at railfan photography!

1. AMTK 153 heads up train #3, the “Southwest Chief” at KCUS in Kansas City, MO on May 1, 2014. Look close in the lower left-hand shadows and you’ll see Dalton at work behind his tripod!

Thanks for showing me this spot, my friend!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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Nice shot - thanks for posting!

I'm not a professional photographer but I've been ask by a few friends to photograph their weddings or their children's wedding. I usually try to get at least one picture with someone taking a picture of the couple. It's something that happens at weddings or receptions, why not record it. Likewise, there are a lot of us out there that like trains and we take a lot of pictures so why not get an occasional picture with a photographer in it. It no only captures the image of the train but it tells the story that there are people out there taking pictures of trains. I enjoy some of the roster shots and those that should be on a calendar or a glossy advertisement but I also enjoy the human interest part of some of the photos. How about a kid with his dad sitting on a stump watching the train going by while they exchange a wave with the engineer or conductor.

John