Life and Times of a urban railfan

          I has been a while since my last post but I have  just been too busy with dealing with life, work, weather,a car accident and other issues that has kept me from writing, hopefully you guys can look past this. Today's blog is about a trip I took to Bellevue Ohio with my buddy Dave.     It began with a 4:15am alarm ringing I was on the road and picking Dave up at 6:00am for the hour and a half drive west. Once we got there we sat a while and watched some trains along with the sun rising up behind us. After a few trains we went to get snacks and what we considered breakfast when we came upon a Train changing crews and getting a inspection for a hot box. NS 218 at Flat Rock Road with a heritage unit in tow After the 218 we hit the road in a effort to capture a Wheeling train in the next town over. We got there in plenty of time, and we were joined by another railfan. Now it was a great location and light but it...

       Good Evening my friends, This week has been about a lot of change for me, good change. I would like to open up and let you know a little more of me, for the most part I used to either ride my bike, the bus, or rely on other railfans to be able to go to trackside. For the most part I was out in the weather 90% of the time whether it be freezing cold or pouring rain, you name it, I was out there in it. Well this week I was able to get my first car and drive to work and trackside, but Saturday morning became the moment I found out what I was really missing by being a groundhog type of individual. I rose up at my usual time of 4:15am got my bag and thermos packed for what I hoped would be a decent morning trackside. As I headed out the door and started my vehicle and allowed the windows to defrost, I sat feeling in a sense guilty as I was doing something I never had the privilege to attempt before. After my windows cleared I backed out on the driveway ...

      I have to admit it has been a while since I last posted here, but lack time and lack of trains has kept me from having any content until now. For the most part the tracks I like to fan have seen a decrease in traffic like most of the railroads things come and go in spurts. Ups and downs are no stranger to the men and women who work the high iron. So what is one to do without trains and suitable weather? I decided to get creative. I recently acquired a fisheye lens, why, and what is a fisheye? Well the reason why is I wanted to do something different and be a little creative , now what is a fisheye? A fisheye is a special effects lens that distorts a picture into a circular scene on my Canon 70D this is a interesting 185 degree field of view. The one I have is a Lensbaby this is a meager and affordable lens that is full manual, meaning this lens has no electronics so you must shoot in full manual mode (something I do anyhow). Q015 with the Fisheye Th...

             Since my last post nothing much has changed except now I am seeing a few more trains during the early morning hours and more daytime trains. The Monday before last was my 35th birthday and so cold even the penguins had on hats and coats. Faced with  -19 deg windchill I ventured out and into one of my spots where I know I could stay warm safely before going to work. Not soon after I arrived, and  poured my cup of coffee the scanner cackled and K145 was within radio range. Staying in my warm spot until he was about 7 minutes away I did most of my prep work in the warmth to get ready before attempting to go out in the brutal and dangerous cold. ( On a side note do not try this unless you are well prepared because at these temps frostbite can happen in minutes) Once outside I finished setting up and as K145 called the last signal before my location I knew he would be stopping. Hearing R394 Clearing the interl...

 With 2016 in full swing and the holidays finally out of the way I feel a post is in order. Last year brought some changes, one thing I can jokingly say is CSX and I certainly did takes our share of hits. Now into 2016 while dealing with some of the changes that had to happen I can say I see the improvement. Like the end of 2015 the lack of trains continued into 2016. While the lack of trains certainly did not stop me it inspired me to start trying to work with what I had. While on the way to a meeting at my new church (one of the changes I made) I saw Bo and Pam couple of older railfans that usually are not out in the cold ( especially Bo) I asked Bo what was coming and found out the K603 had a KCS leader and was less than 10 minutes out with 20 min of daylight left, could it be me dreaming? Nope.... KCS Southern Belle I am in love Well for the most part it has either been dark and rainy or with the sun and lack of trains, but never fear I will work with all weather opti...

         I'm Gonna be up front there is just no pictures in this blog but just some common sense pointers about railfanning safely. One of the biggest challenges we face as railfans is staying safe, while we are out there we maybe dangers that we are unaware to until it happens. In the neighborhood: No this is not a episode of Mr. Rodgers but it is as equally important to be aware of your surroundings. One of the best pieces of advice I can offer is keep the earbuds out of your ears, not only does this block your ability to hear an oncoming train it can also block out bad people who want to do harm.  Second please for safety sake never fan the tracks in the industrial side of town with the friendly crack dealer on the corner or basically if it is known as the rough side of town try and stay away or make sure you have someone to ride along. Out of sight out of mind:    Keep your cameras and gear out of sight, yes that fine new...

Over the years I have had enjoyed the hobby of trains and over the past couple of years I have taken more interest in the photography of trains. While this hobby is rewarding and has afforded me a few opportunities it has many hidden dangers I will be cover in this two part series called it never hurts.         While I can relate to some of the railfans wanting to get the shot, or if you are a photography person creating the epic shots or trying to please the clients request or demands you could be putting yourself at danger and you might not know you are. The first thing I want to cover is the railfan end of the spectrum many of times we see the no trespassing signs near grade crossings or on trestles and there is a reason  they are there, It isn't because the railroad hates railfans but it is because it mainly is to protect them and you from the dangers that maybe around. Well I am safe or nothing ever happens you may or you say I know wha...