People mention rain but how about sun and heat? I remember my only time visiting Chicago in July 1973, early Amtrak, going out in 100 degree plus heat on the Roosevelt Roads viaduct for three hours to watch passenger trains come and go from everywhere west, south and east. And there were six other railfans there- from New York, California, all over, who came to stand in the sun on that bridge and watch the show....
I knew you would find a great SNOW shot for this topic!!!!!!! :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:
At this point I was stil in the train but had to get out eventually. Got soaked to the bone with monsoon like rains. We were backing into the Charleston Naval Yard in Charleston, South Carolina. You can see part of the conductor on the right who was sort of running the train by radio. He could set the breaks and blow a little caboose whistle but had to tell the engineer to move. Some crew members are standing in the rain flaging the crossing as there were no gates.
This past Sunday was close to the worst I've been out. CSX was switching into the elevator out back, so I went over for some photos. Now we live in a woods, and where the train was is flat and open fields. I decided to walk down along the tracks on a field road, which wasn't to bad, then a drizzle started in. Gave up on any real good photos and started back, walking home into a 15 to 20 mph wind, drizzle, and a temp of 36. inch
I videotaped some trains in poring rain in Harrisburg PA and some others in rain and some in snow PS:Strourbrige Lion I was there a few times wen it was raining
This may sound nutty to some of you guys, but railfanning in the heat of the Mojave desert was a challenge. One time I stood outside of my car at Mojave, right near Oak Creek road crossing, talking to a trucker railfan for about it seemed three hours!!! I just had my cap on and no sun screen. Man did I get a bad burn! That hot, bright sun also at times didnt agree with my film, making some of my photos washed out:thumbs_down::cry2eh:. Morning and evening were the best times, and days with clouds. So yeah, fanning in the hot desert sun was a pain! Thom
In the midst of a blizzard. It happened during January of 1980. Bucking hood high drifts in my 4x4 pickup. So cold, the heater going full blast barely kept any warmth in the cab. Frost on the inside of the windows. mg: Boxcab E50
2 worsts days. I was shooting the heaviest load CN ever carried from Winter Sask to Lloyd AB, minus 43 C and then wind chill. The next was my first trip to Tech. loop. Little black sports car with no AC in July down there. Never drank so much water in my life, had symptoms of heat stoke for 3 days.
This is normal Montana spring weather......:shade: I sat outside in the hot NM sun at Belen, NM for 4 hours, shooting video of the parade of stacks, 'racks, manifests, and all else that BNSF runs thru Belen. Was 90-degrees-plus all day, I had a cooler of water, but for me, acclimated to Cheyenne, WY's temperate weather, I roasted all day.. I did get to see a (former GN) BN SDP40, though, so it was all worth it! This reminds me of railfanning in February in North Dakota. Heck, my house had frost on the insides of the windows.... You got the shots, right? Then it was worth it! I dunno what that converts to, but I do know -43F is cold; -43C must be stupid cold!mg:
Made a Moffat attempt in Jan this year. Extremely windy, with gusts ranging from 50-70mph or so. A little snow thrown in for good measure too! Here's a shot of a helper set on an Eastbound coal train. Just passed the grade crossing at Tolland. Taken from INSIDE the truck. From inside the truck, looking at the road? Headed back towards home at this point. No sense trying to continue on in this weather! And yet, UP crews were headed all over the place, TRYING to keep snow out of turnouts!! Point heater, at this point, were useless. To much wind and too much snow. Hard day for train and maint crews, from what scanner was telling me.
