Stop Getting Killed By The ChexSystems “Black List” !!

Stop Getting Killed By The “Black List !!

This article could save your financial life. Whether you know it or not, the financial systems of the world have taken control of your financial life. Have you ever tried to open a new bank account? Have you ever applied for a new checking account? Have you ever tried to rent a place to live…..not even trying to buy a place to live, only just to rent the place?

No matter where you are in the world….the financial “watchdawgs will follow you. Ever tried to take a trip somewhere? You had better stay home. Unless you have a current and valid credit card or else even an ATM card, you are destined to your inevitable fate of becoming a stay at home.

Is your car serviceable? Do you even have a car? Can you afford the escalated rates for auto insurance because you put a dent in Madame Fifi’s rear fender and she squawked bloody murder. I remember the time I was driving here in Bethesda. We were all slowing down or stopping at a light. I was crawling by at 2 miles per hour. I didn’t stop my forward roll completely enough and ended up giving the Mercedes-Benz ahead of me a gentle nudge on its rear bumper.

I jumped out of my car to see if all was OK. It was…no damage. Immediately, this lady driving the Mercedes jumps out of her car and in one complete motion, whips out her cell phone and yells out, “Stanley !!! I’ve been hit!!!. Go call Jeffery (her lawyer) and tell him I’ve been in a terrible accident. Do you hear me, Stanley !!! Go call Michael (her gynocologist) and Bernie (her other doctor). She then called 911 and ended up in the hospital. The cop that investigated the scene checked for damages. There weren’t any. The tow truck gently lifted her Mercedes and took it back to the Mercedes-Benz hospital. The cop shook his head at me and confided, “Good thing I ain’t married to someone like that.” It might have sounded funny, especially to the cop that was called away from his morning donuts and coffee to investigate this “horrible crime.” He was a good guy, one of the “good old boys.”

Now all this happened in the Year of Our Lord 2000, when I had a car, a lawyer, and shaky but survivable credit. I was spared the Finger of Doom.

You never know when the Finger Of Doom will be pointing at YOU.

Nowadays, you must have a valid credit or debit card before an automobile service company will even lift you from the road. You must have a good credit score before your automobile insurer will renew your policy or write you a new policy that said you had one claim filed against you. You can see where the odds are stacking up against you financially, even if you nudge the driver ahead of you.

Okay…your Unfriendly Bank has money. Let’s get back to your Unfriendly Bank to see what is going to happen to you. You need to open a new checking account. It doesn’t matter if it is for personal use or to start your own business. The bank executive sits you down by her desk, flashes you her toothy smile, and goes through all of the paperwork needed to open your new account. You even get the chance to pick out the design of your checks and the checkbook cover. You think to yourself, “Such nice people to deal with. I’m glad I chose them as MY bank.”

The bank exec excuses herself for a minute. The one minute becomes ten minutes. She returns, sits herself at her desk, and asks if you would like some coffee. Well, of course, you say. Then she lowers the boom on you.

“I’m sorry, Mr.Whatmeever…..the bank has declined your application.”. Your appetite for the coffee just melted away. “But why, you ask?” She answers that your application just did not meet the bank’s requirements to open a new checking account. The answer is easy, but the bank will not tell you the real gory details

Unless you have an acceptable credit score or prior performance history on file, the bank will not open a checking account in your name or identifier. In many instances, the bank will not open a savings account in your name as well. The answer is in one word…..Chexsystems.

Most banks will not open accounts when you are on chexsystems if it is fraud related, account abuse related, and has not been resolved.   However, you can get blacklisted on ChexSystems if you have been a good little boy and have done nothing to get your bank or your creditors upset.  All it takes is an erroneous data entry over a financial misunderstanding.  Worse, somebody that has stolen your identity may have caused your accounts to bounce.

Banks also WILL NOT open an account for you if you have more than one chexsystems record or a fraud record (floating checks, depositing bad checks knowing they are bad, etc)

Most banks will at least CONSIDER your application if you only had Insufficient Funds (NSF) and an overdraft reported on Chexsystems.

Chexsystems records that are reported are retained for five years. Usually, after two or three years, most banks will offer you only a restricted account. This is for checking accounts, not savings accounts Banks don’t want savings accounts to have numerous debits for regulation reasons The amount of loans secured by savings accounts depends on the money saved in the customers savings accounts opened at that branch. The bank will not issue you an ATM card under any circumstance.  If you overdraw your account, or have a check come back NSF, usually they give you one warning before they close out the account without notice.

Banks are taking a huge risk, but are willing to give you a second chance, but you honestly have to learn how to manage your money better. That is the purpose of engaging a multi-function multi-purpose credit repair and financial management consultants.

It is also part of my responsibilities for managing social networking systems on the internet and leading my membership and affiliates to participate in systems that work in the customer’s best interests.
Now, how about identity theft.  Here’s where you get into trouble when you’ve not done anything except being the unlucky victim.

If getting turned down by your favorite bank when you wanted to open a new account wasn’t bad enough, and not getting approval to rent the apartment of your dreams was even worse, then think about the nightmare you may face if somebody steals your identity.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your name, address, Social Security number (SSN), bank or credit card account number, or other identifying information without your knowledge to open accounts, commit fraud or other crimes. Identity thieves may use any number of low and or high-tech methods to gain access to your personally identifying information. For example:

• They get information from businesses or institutions by:

  • stealing records from their employer,

  • bribing an employee who has access to the records,

  • conning information out of employees, or

  • hacking into the organization’s computers.

• They rummage through your trash, the trash of businesses, or dumps in a practice known as “dumpster diving.”

• They obtain credit reports by abusing their employer’s authorized access to credit reports or by posing as a landlord, employer or someone elsewho may have a legitimate need for and a legal right to the information.

• They steal credit and debit card account numbers as your card is processed by using a special information storage device in a practice known as “skimming.”

• They steal wallets and purses containing identification and credit and bank cards.

• They steal mail, including bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks, or tax information.

• They complete a “change of address form ” to divert mail to another location.

• They steal personal information from your home.

• They scam information from you by posing as a legitimate business person or government official.

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Once identity thieves have your personal information, they may:

• Go on spending sprees using your credit and debit card account numbers to buy “big-ticket” items, like computers, that they can easily sell.

• Open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth and SSN. When they don’t pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report

• Change the mailing address on your credit card account. The imposter then runs up charges on the account. Because the bills are being sent to the new address, it may take some time before you realize there’s a problem.

• Take out auto loans in your name.

• Establish phone or wireless service in your name.

• Counterfeit checks or debit cards, and drain your bank account.

• Open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.

• File for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they’ve incurred, or to avoid eviction.

• Give your name to the police during an arrest. If they are released and don’t show up for their court date, an arrest warrant could be issued in your name.

There are many items related to the prevention of identity theft and the recovery of your financial position should you are victimized by identity theft. Over 100,000 cases of identity theft are reported each year, and at least that many number go unreported altogether. As we grow more and more to on line systems and as the number of perpetrators multiply each year, we are a good distance away from stopping the spread of these crimes. The only sure way of minimizing the threat to you and your family is to find a good financial management program to reduce this threat and enroll in it.

Identity theft, coupled with the dangers of wrongful entry of data into reporting systems such as ChekSystems can wreck even the most financially stable households. With the current meltdown of our nationwide financial structures, the erosion from within of our credit and banking systems poses a danger to every one of us.

At the end of this article are websites of those agencies that will work with households large and small to help safeguard their financial security, repair broken credit, and provide concierge advice. These agencies have been around for some time. They are run by people that have already made their mark in the financial world. By clicking on their URL and then doing a Google search on their names,, you will be inspired about their accomplishments. Each of them has netted over $30 million in income. All of this has come from the marketing of their financial services.

Please go to the website links and read what they have to say. The time you spend withthese ladies and gentlemen will be well worth it. I can assure you of that. Whatever you do with this information is strictly up to you. Let me leave you with this thought. If you were adrift at sea and somewhat close to a lifeboat, would you yell for help and try to reach one of those lifeboats? Or would you do nothing and ignore all those tell tale fins you see moving in to you for the kill?

I hope to see you soon on the web

Bob Carper

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer to at least seven social network systems

About The Author

n July 18, 1933 in the sleepy little town of Rochester NY, a great event happened….I came into the world. I grew up rapidly, and not without incident. To see the house where I lived, go to Google Maps, look up “30 Avenue A” in Rochester NY 14621, and do a street level. We lived upstairs.

When I was in my teens and before college, I became a train nut. otherwise known as a railroad enthusiast.  Over the years, I wrote a major book on railroading and had several other articles published

I graduated Benjamin Franklin HS in 1951 7th out of 364. Declining Cornell and U of R scholarship, I opted for the Chicago area and four tough years later, got my undergrad degree in Chem Engineering from the University of Illinois. I was welcomed with open arms into Eastman Kodak, and again, got the itch to move on.  Nuclear energy sounded like a better deal, so I journeyed to Pittsburgh. There, I met my wife Fern. We were married in 1958 and she hasn’t kicked me out of the house yet.

While with Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, I attended the Graduate School Of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh. There, in 1967, I received my MBA Degree. By then, my work was totally in the realm of management consulting, with a strong emphasis on writing. I had found my niche.

Westinghouse transferred me to the Washington DC area in 1970 and I became so adept at writing that I authored one book (FOCUS: The Railroad In Transition) and an article on the closing of Potomac Yard in Alexandria, VA. My technical career went into a full time consulting career, where in June 2001 in Montvale, NJ, I had enough. It was time to stop flying around the countryside and living out of motels. I have since devoted my efforts to developing a home biz. It is starting to gather momentum.

It is now May 2009, and where and when the clock will run out at age 75 is anybody’s guess. I think I’ll be around for a long, long while. My wife and I last year celebrated our 50th anniversary. My middle-aged son and daughter didn’t even know we had an anniversary. They are very, very busy going places, doing things, and meeting people. They have no time for us old geezers, I guess.

The Latest On Hazmats

What is a “hazmat?” 

A “hazmat” is an abbreviation for Hazardous Materials.  Hazardous materials are any substance that is explosive, flammable, toxic, corrosive, radioactive, or biological.  More than any other mode of transportation, hazmats are an extremely serious issue for railroaders at every level of operations or management. Not all chemical substances can be considered as hazmats, and many hazmats exist that are not chemicals. 

 

For example, sodium chloride is a chemical, but we use it every day as table salt.  Another example is printing ink, which is a chemical and is shipped by tank car to newspaper printing plants.   Any form of nuclear waste taken from a power generating plant is a hazmat although not quite defined as a chemical.  Liquidified Natural Gas (LNG) or Liquidified Propane Gas (LPG) could be classed as chemical compounds although they are not “pure” chemicals.  Yet, these are hazmats that could force an evacuation of a populated area, should there be a derailment. Transporting chemicals safely and securely by rail is expected to remain under the public spotlight.. 

There have been several major rail accidents in the last few years involving chemical spills and evacuations, some of which have raised concerns about the safety of the overall chemical industry.  The threat of terrorism involving hazardous material shipments also continues to dog the rail industry, and several public interest groups and lawmakers are calling for tougher rules. One chemical industry representative says that most major firms already have sophisticated security procedures in place but that many small producers are not as sophisticated and that this needs to change. 

Most chemical companies do not have the space available to handle all of their rail cars as the railroad comes into their plants.  So, in many cases, the cars are placed at some point outside the site, which might be a rail spur some distance away.  They will sit there until the company can bring them in.  At the minimum, those short on space need to have someone out there to inspect and accept the cars from the railroad. 

In many cases, the railroad does not own the cars that transport hazmats.  Private companies own them.  These companies lease these cars to their customers that use the railroad to ship liquid or gaseous chemicals, bulk powder or pellets, or other materials that qualify as hazmats.  All such cars have a color coded place card that tells you it is carrying a hazmat.  On this placecard is a large four digit number that tells you the name of the hazmat.  In this fashion, emergency response teams and railroad personnel can identify yje hazmat and take appropriate action if needed.  As a railfan, all you need to do is recognize that such a place card exists and report it to railroad security if you see or smell anything abnormal. 

What can we as railfans do to help the railroads minimize or eliminate the risk of a hazmat disaster?  Simply this …keep our eyes and ears open, have a cell phone that works, and know the railroad’s security reporting phone number as well as 911 for local authorities.  Here is what to look for: 

If you are at or near a railroad overpass or underpass and see any work going on, report it.  Note the location of the viaduct.  Look to see if you can spot any railroad or other maintenance vehicle present.  Railroad security should know if such work is for real or not.  Similarly, if you should see work in progress on tracks or switches, report it.  Sabotage of railroad right of way has been going on ever since the days of World War II.  Today’s terrorists have not lost their touch. 

When watching a passing train, keep your eyes and ears open.  If you hear a very loud blomp blomp blomp coming from a car, this tells you it has a severe flat spot on one of the wheels.  Discretion is the watchword here in detecting flat spots.  Most cars have minor flat spots but the ones to watch out for are the really loud ones.  A car having a severe flat spot could be the forerunner to a derailment, since this points to trouble with one of the axles.   

If you see any smoke or haze coming from one of the wheels, report it.  Most defect detectors will report overheating wheel journals but may not report sticking brakes.  Remember, there is no more caboose you can wave to or display the hotbox sign.  All you have is your cell phone. 

Listen for the sound of escaping air when you observe a passing train.  The air hose connectors on the brake pipe are made of composition rubber and metal to metal connectors.  They wear out over time and will leak.  Invariably, one of these defective air connectors will fail, causing an emergency application of brakes throughout the entire train.  Depending on the circumstances, this could cause a derailment 

Tank cars and bulk chemical cars also leak.  If you are photographing trains in an accessible area such as a grade crossing or open field and you smell a chemical or petroleum compound, report it both to the railroad and to 911.  It will be up to the railroad to stop the train and for public safety officials to trace the source of the leak.  If your vigilance has averted a fire or explosion, you will have done your job well.  You probably won’t get a medal for your effort, but the injuries and disaster evacuations you save will go a long way indeed.

About The Author

Bob Carper is a veteran information systems consultant. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Illinois and a MBA from Pitt. For additional information go to
http://www.secure-webconference.citymax.com. His blogsite is http://www.bobcarper99.wordpress.com.  You may also contact him at robertcarper06@comcast.net 

Bobcarper99 RailVideo Village Library

Railroad	Location	Date	Description And Videographer	Click View
Illinois Central	Gilman, Tuscola, Tolono IL	Jan 1993	Scenes along the Main Line of Mid America.  The IC changed its colors, forsaking the green diamond for the block “i”  Now the Canadians own it, mtskidmark@yahoo.com	View
NS	Horseshoe Curve, PA		Four railroads have owned the Horseshoe Curve – the Pennsy, the Penn Central, Conrail, and now NS.  It is a train watcher’s delight.  Here, we see a few Conrail engines that are still at work on the world’s greatest mountain railroad	View
Strasburg Railroad	Pennsylvania		STEAM, MORE STEAM, and STILL MORE STEAM	View
Model Railroad	Anywhere in the world		What’s the next best thing to getting out there to watch the big trains roll?  Why model railroading, of course !  This  MR shows a great switching scene.  Try to get the big railroaders to perform like that !	View
CSX	Folkston GA		Folkston, GA is known for good country music, good down home hospitality, and 60 trains a day through the “Folkston Funnel.”  If the music doesn’t get ‘cha, the trains sure will !!	View
BNSF	Hardin, Montana		The Powder River Basin in Montana is the coal heartland of the USA.  Coal is shipped in 200 car solid trains to all parts of the USA..  In this video, we also see some of the older “Grinstein” paint schemes	View
San Frrancisco Muni	Downtown Trolley Line		SF Muni had a variety of PCC trolley cars here and in one scene, we get on board to ride one.	View
Germany	Rhine Valley Freight Lines Electric		All electric action in the Rhine Valley of Germany, one of the most highly industrialized regions of the world.  Lots of tank car and container freight here	View
Chinese Steam	Inner Mongolia		Where else would one get a great video of the only remaining steam engines but in China?  This video is short, but is it ever sweet !!  Enjoy !!	View
San Francisco Muni	Powell Street Cable Car		All aboard the cable car.  Here is the famous cable car that goes down the steep hill to Fisherman’s Wharf	View
NS	Lehigh Valley, PA		This is an excellent video but some of the camera angles are downright scary.  The videographer got in a mite too close for comfort	View
Arnhem Transit	Arnhem, Netherlands		Remember the movie “A Bridge Too Far” which depicted the colossal WW II battle at Arnhem between British paratroopers and two German (Nazi) SS Panzer divisions?  Times have certainly changed !!  Here is Arnhem in 2005, with outstanding trolley scenes shot at night and in the snow.  The jazz background is sensational !!  Your hearts will jump !!!	View
Amtrak	Atascadero, California	Feb 2008	Here is Amtrak at its very best.  The thing I like about both trains is the horns sounding off in the distance long after the trains have passed	View
Amtrak, BNSF, and UP All Together	Fort Worth Texas		Tower 55 is nationally known as a railroad hot spot.  Everything happens here.  Blue sky, colorful engines, lots of Amtrak, and deep in the heart of Texas	View

Conrail Automobile Freight	Columbus, OH		OK, all you CR lovers !  This one’s for you.  CR leading, BN and a leaser trailg solid automobiles.  Another one short but oh so sweet	View
Action On The Maryland And Delaware	Hurlock, MD		This is a heart stopper.  Here comes Maryland and Delaware 1203 with three cars.  Will you look at all those flaming idiots trying to beat the train over the crossing !!	View
BNSF and UP Meet At Rochelle IL	Rochelle IL Crossover of BNSF and UP Main Lines	July 2007	Rochelle is where the town fathers built a train watching gallery almost at the site where the two main lies cross over.  TRAINS Magazine has installed a webcam to catch the action as it happens.  This video shows action at ground level.  60 to 100 trains go through here.  Awesome !!	View
More Good Stuff From Rochelle	Rochelle IL Crossover of BNSF and UP Main Lines	August 2007	One of the best videos in the Village Library.  UP eastbound followed by BNSF westbound.  Superb clarity	View
A Near Miss At Rochelle	Rochelle IL Crossover of BNSF and UP Main Lines	August 2007	This was a near miss between a westbound UP and an eastbound BNSF switching run.  Somebody forgot to set the home signals across the interlocking plant.	View
Tehachapi	Southern California		On a hazy day in California, here are two trains – one BNSF, the other UP.  The BNSF freight has a wild assortment of foreign power, including a NS unit that made it all the way from the East	View
BNSF 7749 Running Over Itself On Tehachapi	Southern California		Only out West at Tehachapi can you see a train running around a loop over itself.  You can build this into your model railroad, but it isn’t the same as seeing it in real life	View
CSX At Point Of Rocks	Point Of Rocks, Maryland		Point Of Rocks is where the B&O main lines from the west divided.  One line (the Old Main) went directly to Baltimore.  The other line went through Gaithersburg, Rockville, Washington DC and then swung north to Baltimore.  An old landmark rail station stands to this day at the junction of the two lines.  Here, a CSX freight roars off the Old Main, with nearly 200 cars.	View
CSX Coal Train Eastbound	Brunswick MD		Solid coal train headed for PEPCO customer.  Note the bottom chutes on nearly all of the cars.  Note the flat spots sounding off as the train races by	View
The UP “Takes Over” The CSX	Fostoria, Ohio		Here’s a video of some UP power 1225Hubbard caught on a CSX coal train at the old B&O depot in Fostoria, OH  With a solid lashup of UP power and UP hoppers, it’s a good bet this train is going to or from the Powder River Basin in Montana	View

CSX Coal Train In Trouble	Tennesee		A beautiful fall day.  Here comes a southbound CSX coal train, with the second unit AC4400 277 blowing smoke …a A sure sign of trouble  277 has a fuel leak, and is spraying fuel over the hot exhaust. The videographer didn’t see it, but it will be just a matter of time before it starts burning.	View
SP Engine In Real Trouble	An undisclosed location in Texas		A UP – SP duo comes along without a hint of trouble, until the engine blows a turbo on the SP trailing unit.  When the UP acquired the SP. Many of the SP locomotives were not in good shape.  They were called “bad actors.”	View
UP Engine In Trouble	Somewhere out West		The engineer on this UP engine aimed his video camera and got this fireworks display out the stack of this AC4400.  Looking at the ground in motion below, this guy had no intention of stopping his train  and BO-ing the lead unit.	View
Fireworks On The High Wire	Philadelphia PA		Not all fireworks are on trains.  Ice storms can kill trolley wires   The way SEPTA frees up iced trolley wires produces spectacular arcing displays.  Come watch the show !!	View
CSX WB Auto Rack on the NYCRR Water Level Route	Rensallaer NY		Once a part of the New York Central, Selkirk Yard now handles all CSX traffic on the Chicago Line serving New York, New Jersey, and Boston.  Here is a WB auto-rack with the second unit from Helms Leasing	View
CSX In Rochester	Rochester NY		The Ne3w York Central ran across the cities of Upstate New York for many years until railroad mergers created its successor – CSX. Today, instead of the Water Level Route, it is the Chicago Line. No more Empire State Express – it is now Amtrak. Here we see heavy action west of Rochester.	View
Chicago and the EJ&EE	Chicago IL		Sometimes the best train videos are of a single locomotive going back aqnd forth. The Elgin Joliet and Eastern is one of the busiest switching lines in theChicagoarea and yet, this clip of a single engine says it all.	View
METRA in Chicago Suburbs	Suburban Chicago IL		Here is an unbeatable sequence of two Chicago METRA commuter trains – one inbound, the other outbound. Like most commuter lines, theirtrainsoperate onapush-pull setup, where on inbound trains,the engine pushes the train, and on outbound trains,theengine pulls the train.	View
CSX Westbound Hazmat in Suburban Maryland	Gaithersburg, MD		The way it supposed to work was any CSX train with hazmats was to go over the Old Main in Maryland. Here is where rules always have exceptions. This WB CSX hotshot with loads of tankers is heading through Gaithersburg over the “southern” line which runs through Washington DC. Go figure this one out !!	View
New Orleans 850 – A Streetcar Named Desire	New Orleans		Everybody knows how Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.  This included the fabled trolley cars of the St. Charles Line.  New Orleans would not let this line die.  Here is 850 returning to service, “When the Saints Go Marching In” Enjoy it !!	View
Lets Take A Ride on New Orleans 850	New Orleans		If you can’t get down to New Orleans to ride the St. Charles Line, this is the next best thing to being there	View
CSX Westbound Containers	Rensalaer NY		CSX AC6000s with WB container train (some stacked, some not) at Selkirk Yard, busier than ever	View
The NEW YORK CENTRAL Rides Again	Undisclosed Location		We can dream, can’t we	View
We’re Back In Folkston Again	Folkston, GA		Must be the down home music or the great videography, but we had to make a return trip to Folkston, GA.  Here, CSX runs through the folkston Funnel without flamers or any of the bad stuff.  People still dodge trains at crossings, not a good scene.	View

 

SEPTA and Conrail On Northeast Corridor	Philadelphia		Conrail Shared Assets Area local FJ10 out of Frankford Jct with Philly Division decorated GP38-2 2923 waits for SEPTA local 733 to pass before heading east on Amtrak Northeast Corridor	View
More Action At Tower 55	Fort Worth, Texas		Here we have them all – Amtrak, BNSF, and the UP.  The next best thing to being there in person is to see the video.  Enjoy…..and try to count the cars !!	View
NS Intermodal Coming To A Stop	Lancing, Tennessee		If you think a freight train can stop on a dime, think again.  Here are two NS “catfishes” with a BNSF “visitor”  coming to a stop in Lancing, Tennessee.   This NS train is stopping for a north bounder. The BNSF SD40-2 has the noisiest dynamic brake  ever heard. The two GE’s have a screaming dynamic brake. The engineer doesn’t mind  giving a full blast of air to the K-5LAR24 horn today	View
Amtrak Acela Express and MBTA, Boston	Route 128, Boston		Amtrak’s Acela Express and MBTA commuter trains arrive and depart Rte. 128 Station in suburban Boston. Also there is a brief video clip of Amtrak Regional train at New York’s Penn Station	View
The Last of Steam – The New York Central Niagara	Someplace in New York State		In the 1950s, steam vanished from every major railroad in the country.  The New York Central took delivery of 26 Niagara 4-8-4 steam locomotives in 1946 to pull its fleet of sleek passenger trains from  New York to Chicago.  Scarcely five years elapsed before diesels took over.  By 1953, all of NYC Lines East were diesel powered.  By 1957, the last NYC steam engine had dropped its fires.  The Niagara was history	View
A Tribute To The New York Central	New York, New York		There  is scarcely a railfan around that does not recall the fabled Water Level Route of the New York Central.  I did it up in my book “FOCUS-The Railroad In Transition”  The NYC still appears in the Rochester Genesee Valley Rail Museum’s 2008 Calendar.  But nothing compares to this video that is a flashback of still shots going right up to Conrail.  Add in Frank Sinatra to the sound track and it is dynamite	View
Railfanning In Dayton Ohio	Dayton and surrounding areas		Sometimes the best railfanning  is watching switching jobs or locals pick up and set out cars.  At one time I thought I knew trains in Dayton pretty well, with the Penn Central and Chessie Systems criss crossing at the Dayton Union Station.  Now it’s NS operating in the former Pennsy lines, and CSX operating over NYC and Chessie territory	View
Today’s Luxury Excursion Train	San Francisco Bay Area		The American Orient Express is today’s premier luxury train.  It runs on no set schedule.  It books passengers just like a cruise ship.  Here we see three Amtrak P42 engines pulling over twenty cars of luxury.  Bringing up the markers at the end of the train is the former New York Central raised lookout observation car Sandy Creek	View
What A Wild Place To Watch Trains	Downers Grove IL		Downers Grove Illinois is a train watchers hot spot.  METRA is all over the place, and if that wasn’t enough, there is BNSF and Amtrak	View
A Lot Of Slow Freights In Texas	Fort Worth TX		If you like watching slow freights, Fort Worth Texas is the place to go.  Here the freights go so slow you can even read the graffiti on the boxcars.  The paint jobs on the boxcars are so bad even the graffiti looks good.  I wonder how the HO and N Gauge model builder kits will handle realism like this !!	View
Norfolk and Western 611	Roanoke VA		Thanks to the dedicated work of railfan organizations and restoration groups, the steam engine did not become extinct.  Some steam engines narrowly escaped the scrap heap to become static exhibits in rail museums.;  A few of them  were restored to full operability.  The 611 was one such engine.  It made countless fan trips before the rising costs of operation put it out to pasture in a rail museum.	View
Still More Slow Stuff In New England	Worcester, MA		On a gorgeous autumn day, Amtrak #449, the Lake Shore Limited, arrives at the Worcester, MA station. The train departs westbound for Albany, NY. A CSX mixed train rolls by and a CSX stack train comes off the Providence & Worcester line. MBTA #P513 arrives from Boston and terminates	View
Pere Marquette 1225			The Pere Marquette was a regional railroad that operated almost entirely within the State of Michigan.  It was absorbed by the Chessie System and now is a part of CSX.  Just like the Chessie and the Nickel Plate Road, the Pere Marquette ordered a series of 2-8-4 steam engines from  Lima Locomotive Works.  The 1225 was saved from the scrap heap and railfan groups restored it to full operability.	View
Hot Times On The Northeast Corridor	Trenton NJ		This has everything coming at you all at once – Conrail, SEPTA, and Amtrak	View
Union Pacific 3985	Eugene OR		The UP believes that promoting steam and the legends its venerated steam locomotives have produced is good business for the railroad.  Everybody still gets thrilled by a monsterous steam engine.  The 3985 is one of them.  Enjoy.	View
The caboose	Every good train could still use one to “bring up the markers.”	Library updated April 4, 2008	That’s All for now, guys and gals ..see you again when we roll the third volume of  Bobcarper99 Rail Video Village

That’s it for this edition of Bobcarper99 RailVideo Village Library  I trust this collection of videos from all over the world will have you watching them until the cows come home.  We’ve included something for everybody, from steam engines in China to trolleys in a snowy night in Arnhem in Holland.  We now have a daredevil grade crossing thriller in Hurlock, MD, a great Conrail view, engines spouting fire at the stack,and good stuff from Rochelle, IL. We even have the New York Central !!

Speaking of trolleys, we now have a classic of New Orleans 850 coming out party.  If you like Bourbon Street jazz, you will love these shots of the 850, all fit and ready to go after Katrina.

Videos are the name of the game these days.  To shoot a video like the kind you see in Bobcarper99 RailVideo Village Library, you need to have a steady hand or a tripod with a pan and tilt head.  Also, you need to minimize the times you zoom in or zoom out when shooting a train.  I’ve seen videos where the train appears to be going nowhere, even though you hear it running under full power. 

See y’all in the next edition

Bob Carper

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My Day Aboard New York Central 805

 

In my earlier days, I was a frequent visitor to the NYC Railroad Station in Rochester NY.  There was always enough railroad activity to keep things interesting However, the typical day saw a big lull in activity from 1 pm to 3pm.  The NYC Station had a switch engine assigned there.  He was definitely not overworked. 

His duties were very simple.  Following the routine of this switch engine, it was not hard to see why NYC got out of the passenger business.  Each morning at 5:30 am , Train 99 The Tuscarora would arrive from New York.  It carried three all room sleeper cars and one standard Pullman that provided overnight service from New York to Rochester.  It arrived on Track 5, and detached its four  sleepers  After debarking/embarking its coach passengers, it continued on its way to Buffalo.

The switch engine began its tasks soon after Train 99 departed.  It would couple onto the sleepers and move them from Track 5 to Track 14, which was way closer in to the terminal building.   The passengers could at leisure occupy their space until 9 am, after which they could have a very easy time of leaving their accommodations and going about their way. 

The switch engine would spend most of the day working the mail and express cars that were on Tracks 7 and 9.  These cars consisted of mail and Railway Express Agency traffic that would be set up for NYC head end traffic.  At some point in the day, it would have to go out to a wye on the west end of Rochester where it would turn the four sleepers so they would be set up to where New York bound passengers could go to bed head first, rather than feet first.  At 11:30 pm at night, the switch engine would couple onto the sleeping cars on Track 14, then run them out to where they would be switched onto Train 6, The Fifth Avenue Special which had arrived on Track 6. 

The switch engine duties had been long performed by an old B-10 0-6-0 steamer.  As a first step toward smoke abatement in Rochester, NYC assigned newly-delivered 600 hp diesel-electric switchers from American Locomotive Company.  The 679 was one of these engines.  It was subsequently renumbered to 805, and with its sisters 800, 802, and 803, it was assigned to do switching duties in the New York Central Station.

During one of my photography haunts in the NYC Station, the crew of 805  invited me to climb on board to see how things get done.  I received an introductory course in NYC’s Diesel School.  To this day, I remember where the controls were.  There was the big lever called The Throttle.  Old timers on steam locomotives remember it as the Johnson Bar.  There was the Main Brake which would slow and stop the entire train.  and the Independent Brake which would slow and stop just the engine.  There was the lever that put sand down on wet rails when the wheels would slip.   There was the lever that rang the bell and the pull cord that blew the whistle.  And of course, there was the reverser lever.  It was so simple even I could run it.

Being the fireman on a diesel-electric was even more simple.  There was absolutely nothing to do.  Items such as tending the fire, watching the water level in the boiler, and maintaining steam pressure  were all things of the past.  Just hearing these guys talk, I could sense that steam engines would be gone from the railroad in a few years,

The crew asked me if I’d like to see how they turned the sleeper cars around.  I jumped at the invitation.  It meant a ride out to the reversing wye on the West End, then a ride back.  They moved 805 onto Track 14, then very gently coupled it onto the string of four sleeper cars.  “We gotta wait until the tower has us lined up for Track 3″. said the engineer. 

That didn’t take long, and 805 was tooling along the westbound freight track with four Pullman cars, one fireman looking at lists to see who he might bump with his seniority, one brakeman looking out the window, and one very excited kid.  We soon reached the interlocking plant of Tower 29, which controlled the junctions of the Falls Road and the Charlotte Branch.  These formed the reversing wye.

The brakeman on the rear of our four car train signalled the engineer that we were clear of the  switches which were on the west side of the wye.  As we waited on Track 3, here is what our consist looked like.  The “R” denotes the rear (cab side) of 805.  The “F” denotes the front (nose) of 805.  The arrow shows our westbound direction of travel.

<<=======R805F(coupled)-Car1 – Car2 – Car3 – Car4

When the switch opened, we pushed the cars from Track 3 onto the Charlotte Branch tracks.  Main Line Track 3 was restored to a clear block  Here is what we looked like sitting on the Charlotte Branch 

Car4

Car3

Car2

Car1

R805F(coupled)

Tower 29 then opened the switches from the Charlotte Branch.  We uncoupled from the cars and backed out onto Main Line Track 4, which was now red blocked.  We looked like this:

R805F

We then moved forward on Track 4 until we were clear of the switches on the east side of the wye.  The switch was opened, allowing us to back into the Charlotte Branch, rear side first, nose side out in front.  We coupled back onto our four cars.  We now looked like this

 Car4

Car3

Car2

Car1

R(coupled)805F

We now went forward with our string of four cars, nose of 805 first, rear end coupled onto the cars, and headed eastward on Track 4 back to the NYC Station.  Our train now looked like this

Car 4 – Car 3 – Car 2 – Car 1 – R(coupled)805F=======>>

We arrived back at NYC Station and spotted our four sleeper cars on Track 14, completely reversed from the  way they had arrived from New York in the morning.

At 9 pm, these cars would re-open to accommodate their New York bound passengers.  At 11:30 PM, the Fifth Avenue Special would ease into the station.  A new crew would be aboard 805 to run the sleepers out from Track 14 to Track 6 and connect the air and steam lines, and off they would go to The Big Apple.

Was my day aboard 805 exciting enough to make me hire on?  Of course it was!!  But railroading in the fifties on the New York Central was not safe.  Employment was on a down cycle.

I decided to complete my engineering degree at Illinois and remain a railfan in my spare time.  Less peril, more fun.

Looking For Foreign Power While Watching The Big Trains Roll

One One of the most interesting things about watching and photographing trains is that you never know what you will see coming down the tracks.  Back in the days of steam, if you were out photographing New York Central trains, you were on New York Central tracks.  Even when diesels were first introduced, and during the days of modern power, the locomotives of one railroad never ventured onto the tracks of another railroad.

Then things began to change.  In the 1970s, the railroads were confronted with serious cash flow problems.  As railroads began to consider mergers and acquisitions, interchanging power became more commonplace.  Locomotives of the Pennsy would turn up on the New York Central.  When the Southern Pacific was considering merger with the Santa Fe, engines painted “SPSF” began to appear. 

Before the major railroad mergers happened, interchange of locomotives began in earnest.  In Bellevue, Ohio, a former Nickel Plate Road hub, whole strings of Union Pacific locomotives were on the tracks.  Soon after the Penn Central merger, engines of the Burlington Road were regular visitors in Rochester yards. 

Besides interchanging power with other railroads, railroads also leased engines from third party lessors.  Firms such as Helms Leasing and First Union Railroad Leasing supplied locomotives to the railroads whenever any railroad found themselves in a power – short situation.  Railroads would also lease power from other railroads to meet power scarce situations.  Even Amtrak leased locomotives to the power short Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

Even the Canadians jumped in across the border to make train watching even more interesting.  The Canadian National acquired the Illinois Central, thereby giving the Canadians a rail link to the Gulf of Mexico.  The Canadian Pacific took over the Delaware and Hudson, thereby getting access to the Port of Boston.

What motivates the use of foreign power? One thing is pooling power. If two railroads will have an interchange point,  it may be more efficient to run thru the power to a yard beyond the railroad’s boundary.  If a railroad has to drop engines off a consist, there has to be brake tests, paper work, etc. This delays trains by an additional 30 minutes or longer.

The railroads are increasingly geared to operating in trainload lots rather than strings of individual cars that have to be classified at each division point rail yard.  Trains operating in this mode are coal, grain, bulk chemicals, and garbage, Where the origin and destination points will cross the boundary of participating railroads, chances are good that they will pool their locomotives.

This brings up power pay back or power equalization.   If the above pool exists, and Railroad 1’s run is 50 miles shorter, then eventually Railroad 1 will have to run an additional 50 miles on Railroad 2 to make up the difference. There may not be a limit to where those units will run to make up the horsepower/hours, so you can see foreign power all over the place

Another occasion where foreign power turns up is the testing of units. One company will borrow a locomotive for testing purposes from another railroad. The railroad company will usually test the unit in several places, and if they like it, will buy an order from the locomotive’s builder.

Seriously, the railroads exchange power everyday on run through trains. Let’s look at a typical Norfolk Southern (NS) operation to see what goes on.  As mentioned earlier, horsepower hours are calculated and periodically the railroads balance accounts (i.e., 4000 horses per hour on the foreign railroad = 4000 horsepower/hour owed to NS). On any given day, the NS will have dozens of units on foreign railroads and those same foreign railroads will have dozens of units on the NS. On that same given day, depending on where you’re watching trains, it may be difficult to tell who’s railroad your watching. For example, here on the west end of the NS Memphis District, there’s a good chance you will see more BNSF and UP power than NS.

If the foreign railroad wrecks it, they owe the NS the cost of repairs. Maybe the engine will be repaired at the foreign railroad’s shop or a contractor.  It might be sent home for repair. One thing about it, if a foreign railroad crashes and burns an NS unit, it will be very hard to hide the damage. If nothing else, the railfan network will have photos on the net within hours, if not sooner.

About the Author

Bob Carper is a veteran information systems consultant. He holds an engineering degree from Illinois and  a MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He has authored one book and several articles on railroading.  Most recently, Bob was honored by the Rochester-Genesee Valley Railroad Museum by having thirteen of his rail photos printed in their 2008 Calendar.

You may access his books at  www.amazon.com by searching on “FOCUS-The Railroad In Transition.”  Bob is presently promoting My Power Mall and you can view this at http://www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/10561. 

For additional information go to http://www.secure-webconference.citymax.com.  You may also contact him at robertcarper06@comcast.net

Railroading On A Bench Top – The Joys Of Model Railroading

 

The hobby of model railroading has been around for a very long time …almost 100 years.  Every Christmas, no matter where in the country we live, Santa would bring a train set and tracks, and it would run round and round the Christmas Tree.

Then, as soon as the Christmas tree would be taken down, the train set was stowed away in its packing box.  It would sit in the family closet until next Christmas.  Many times, another train set would join the older train set.  Then, the two train sets would run around the tree.  Oh what fun !!!!!

Just before World War II, a number of very interesting things happened.  First and foremost was the emergence of the Lionel Corporation. About the same time, a man named A.C. Gilbert was launching his own company to be known as American Flyer.  Suddenly, toy trains became real.  Lionel modeled a train set in the exact likeness of the New York Central.  It sold in 1940 for over $200, a stupendous price in that day for a train set.  American Flyer produced a number of very accurate models of both the New York Central and the New Haven railroads, which also sold for very heavy price tags. 

Soon thereafter, a number of authors wrote books showing how to design various track layouts.  These showed how to install switches, build railway stations and houses, trees, and model factories.  All at once, toy trains were evolving into model railroads.  After WW II, model railroading took off and has not stopped ever since.  A new industry and hobby was born.

What made it all happen?  I believe it was the emergence of HO Scale as the model size of choice.  The very first toy trains were scaled at ½ inch to the actual foot.  Lionel produced its toy trains at ¼  inch to the actual foot.  This was known as O Gauge.

However, it was HO Scale that really launched the hobby.  While Lionel and American Flyer produced excellent replicas of the New York Central and other railroads, they were just too big to fit inside a house or apartment.  In June of 1948, Gordon Varney, founder of Varney Model Railroads, issued the second of his “Commemorative Cars”.  This was the Hollywood & Western. The H&W was a refrigerator car from the famous pioneering model railroad layout belonging to Jim Trout, Sam Raymond, and Dick Sutphen. Varney came up with the name and made the sides for the reefer car when he visited the layout at Trout’s home prior to World War II. At the end of the war, Varney decided there was a market for private owner car sides, and began producing HO scale refrigerator cars with Hollywood and Western markings. This car kit, along with the Firewater & Kicking Horse boxcar (Heritage Collection Issue No. 8), were the first recorded mass-produced private owner cars ever made available to the public in HO scale.

 Varney soon had very good competition.  In the late 1940s, the Athearn Corporation entered the HO Scale market.  Athearn is an American manufacturer of model railroad equipment, produced and distributed by American hobby manufacturer Horizon Hobby of Champaign, Illinois, USA.The story of Athearn really began in 1938, when its founder, Irv Athearn, started an elaborate O-scale layout in his mother’s house. After placing an ad selling the layout and receiving much response to it, Irv decided that selling model railroads would be a good living. He sold train products out of his mother’s house through most of the 1940s. After becoming a full-time retailer in 1946, Irv opened a separate facility in Hawthorne, Ca in 1948,  In that same year, he branched into HO for the first time.Irv Athearn died in 1991. New owners took control in 1994, but Irv’s commitment to offer high-quality products at reasonable prices remained. Athearn was bought in 2004 by Horizon Hobby Inc. Athearn was then moved from its facility in Compton to a new state-of-the-art facility in Carson, California.Another major supplier of model railroading rolling stock and buildings has Walthers.  Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., has been dedicated to manufacturing and distributing high quality model railroad equipment worldwide. Walthers carries over 85,000 different items for model layouts from over three hundred manufacturers.  The company supplies model railroading products to thousands of hobby shops around the globe! 

Under the leadership of Bruce Walthers, the company became the largest distributor of model railroad products in the world. Mr. Walthers successfully transferred the family business to the third generation in 1984, remaining active as Chairman of the Board of Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. to the present. He was a Board member and served as President of both the Model Railroad Industry Association and the Hobby Industry Association of America (HIAA). On January 28 of this year, Mr. Walthers passed away.

Undoubtedly, thanks to the work of Walthers and other firms, the most popular scale today is HO gauge (or OO gauge in Britain). The name “HO” came about because the scale is Half that of O gauge. Because HO is only half the size of O gauge, this enables four times as much railway to be built in the same space as would be in O gauge. Trains can have twice as many cars as would be practical on an O gauge layout.  HO gauge is still a  large enough scale to incorporate a reasonable amount of detail in your layout.  Your hobby shop dealer can give you a comparison between all model railroad gauges.  The thing that should be uppermost in your mind is your space limitations in your home or apartment.

There is an enormous amount of ready to roll stock available in HO gauge, more so than in any other scale. This makes the construction of a proprietary layout where all of the rolling stock is off the shelf a relatively easy matter. The  wide range of kits and scratch building components also makes it suitable for the beginners layout where you can move on to kit building and scratch building as soon as the you feel that you are ready.

This brings up the most endearing feature of model railroading.  Because of the wealth of equipment offered by Walthers, Athearn, and other suppliers, you are totally free to model anything you wish.  The only limitations are (1) your imagination, (2) your available space where you live, (3) your finances, and (4) an understanding spouse.  HO models offer brass replicas imported from Japan and Korea of some of the greatest steam engines ever built. The photographs you see in this article are a HO model of the New York Central 4-8-4 Niagara, one of the greatest steam locomotives ever built for an American railroad.

You can build a model railroad depicting steam, early diesel, or current diesel engines.  You can build a model railroad representing railroads that have since gone out of business or else have been acquired via merger.  Some of the most notable but extinct passenger trains like the Empire Builder or New York Central’s 20^th Century Limited are running once again. 

 

The other popular scale today is N gauge. It is called N gauge because the track gauge is nine millimeters and “N” is the first letter of the word “nine” in most countries where N gauge is used.

The advantage of N gauge is that because it is so small, there is room to run long trains. A four-coach passenger train in N gauge may be only slightly longer than an O gauge locomotive. Also with N gauge it is possible to fit it into a reasonable amount of the surrounding countryside and still have enough space for the trains. With N gauge you can achieve the effect of full length trains running through open countryside without requiring an aircraft hanger to house the layout.

The disadvantage of N gauge is that because it is so small, it is very difficult to include many of the minute details available in the larger scales. Even when you find a way to include the small detail you are very likely wasting your effort, because it will be so small that many people will not be aware that it is there (except for you of course).

Therefore the aim with N gauge should be to present the broad picture rather than the smaller details. N gauge can be used for small shunting layouts but does not appear as realistic as can be achieved with a larger scale. N gauge works best with long trains and plenty of open countryside. Thus it (paradoxically) really needs more room than layouts built in the larger scales.

There is a reasonable amount of ready to run stock available in N gauge, especially for those who model American railroads. Kits and scratch building components also exist although constructing models is made more difficult by the smaller size of the models.

Today, almost a half million model railroading enthusiasts are out there.  They range in age from their early teens to very gray senior citizens.  They flock to model railroading hobby shops located in every town and hamlet.  They build model railroads as small as “N” Gauge to as large as “G” Scale garden railroads.  They model all types of locomotives, cars, buildings, bridges, rivers and waterfalls, factories, coal yards, and everything in between.  Their model railroads represent all of the principal rail lines that presently operate to a thousand or more fictitious rail lines that exist only in model form. 

Their model railroads represent every time era of American and world history.  The time spent by these modelers is endless, where the model railroad may get more attention than the newborn baby.  The quest for realism is equally endless, where models emit authentic sound effects, go through signaling systems, and even have video cameras mounted in the locomotives to perform a railroad video of the model itself. 

I would begin your quest for your “greatest” model railroad by visiting  the local hobby store.  Spend a few hours browsing through the various displays and seeing what is out there.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions because these guys are just as anxious to have you as a new customer as you are to have a model railroad with endless fun.  Do a search on the web for all related topics, and above all, subscribe to the leading model railroading publications.

Don’t get lost in your basement, and above all, keep the family cat away from your layout.

About The Author

Bob Carper is a veteran information systems consultant. He holds an engineering degree from Illinois and  a MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He has authored one book and several articles on railroading.  Most recently, Bob was honored by the Rochester-Genesee Valley Railroad Museum by having thirteen of his rail photos printed in their 2008 Calendar.

You may access his books at  www.amazon.com by searching on “FOCUS-The Railroad In Transition.”  Bob is presently promoting My Power Mall and you can view this at http://www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/10561. 

For additional information go to http://www.secure-webconference.citymax.com. You may also contact him at robertcarper06@comcast.net

Evolution of Railroad Photography – It’s The Best Ever !

Trains and railroading is a very exciting hobby. One of the most rewarding aspects of “chasing trains” is railroad photography. Right now, it’s the best it’s ever been.  Here, you get a chance to take back the memorable rail scene into your photo archives. If you are so equipped, you can create a video of the rail scene you’ve witnessed. You can show them off to railfan groups. With secure web conference, anything is possible to promote your photographic skills.

o The art of rail photography has advanced over the years. At one time in the 1930s, the 4 x 5 Speed Graphic was the camera of choice. Produced by a company in Rochester NY known as Graflex Corpoation, it was the workhorse of every photojournalist around. Its lens and shutter speeds were ideal for train photography. Besides, its very appearance would mark you as a photojournalist. You didn’t need permission to enter rail property. One look at you with your Speed Graphic and equipment bag, and every railroad manager and security cop would plead with you to take their picture.

The Speed Graphic was a ponderous camera to lug around. In the 1940s, the Speed Graphic went to war and most of the memorable WW II photos emerged as the product of this camera. In the 1950s, the twin lens reflex replaced the Speed Graphic. The Rolleiflex indeed made its mark. One of the most noted of rail photographers, Ed Nowak, used a Rolleiflex for most of his work. Phillip Hastings was another rail photographer of eminence. I did all of my work with my trusty twin lens during that period. It was very easy to use, and you could “get down low” to photograph rail height scenes of trains coming at you. The Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum located south of Rochester NY has a featured collection of the best of my railroad photographs. All of them were the work of my twin lens. I still have that twin lens stashed away somewhere amidst the wreckage of my household.

In the 60s, 70’s and 80’s, the Rollei and other twin lens reflex cameras faded from view as a camera of choice for rail photography. In its place came the 35mm Single Lens Reflex, or SLR. Spearheaded by Nikon and Canon, the Japanese invaded this camera market. One of the biggest reasons why Japanese made cameras did so well was their lens systems. The lens resolution was so sharp that locomotive details were never blurry or indistinct. Night photography, a dream scene for pictures in rail yards and terminals was a cinch. Photographs with existing light within locomotive cabs and cabooses did not need electronic flash

The SLR could use an array of lenses for different effects, something the twin lens could never accomplish. Using a long focal length telephoto lens, a SLR could photograph a train as if it were coming right on top of you. With a short focal length lens, you could capture a broad expanse of scenery such as that within the California mountain ranges.

The 35mm camera is still around, as is the twin lens. However, it is the digital camera that has made itself the indispensable tool of rail photographers. The biggest drawback of both the SLR and the twin lens was the photographic film silver halide method of image capture and development. Ever since its inception, this has been the basic building block of photography.

The digital camera has changed all that. Instead of capturing a silver halide image on photographic film, we now capture images in digital format with a new term called “megapixel” that is a measure of image quality. Digital images are stored within the camera’s memory or to an auxiliary image storage device. These images can then be downloaded at any time to an attached PC, and then can be subsequently stored, re-worked, or moved anywhere on the internet. There is no more photo darkroom, no sending out for color slides, and complete image manipulation versatility. Images can be stored on CD or DVD formats, Whole albums of train photos can be created and stored.

Capacity rating in megapixels is the most important feature of a digital camera for rail photography. The higher is the megapixel rating, the more detail and color rendition will be captured in your train photo. You cannot see this unless you have a PC along on your train photography mission which can display your work from its files. On the other hand, you do not want to lug around a PC near a rail site, since the dirt and other outdoor elements might do it in.

Rail photography has indeed come a long way since the days of the Speed Graphic. One of my pet ambitions is to revisit my old New York Central haunts in Rochester and do some mean photography in those haunts before old age does me in. However, there are a pair of photographers tooling around Rochester that have done some excellent work with digital cameras. Just think ..I was climbing up and down New York Central railroad embankments with my trusty twin lens in Rochester before these guys were even born or before the digital camera ever got invented !!!

However, railroad photography is just as exciting a hobby as ever..with the new digital camera equipment, give it a try. Don’t forget to get permission from railroad authorities before venturing out onto railroad property. Who knows – the old man with an old twin lens camera you might see out there might just be me !!!

About The Author

Bob Carper is a veteran information systems consultant. He holds an engineering degree from Illinois and  a MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He has authored one book and several articles on railroading.  Most recently, Bob was honored by the Rochester-Genesee Valley Railroad Museum by having thirteen of his rail photos printed in their 2008 Calendar.

You may access his books at  www.amazon.com by searching on “FOCUS-The Railroad In Transition.”  Bob is presently promoting My Power Mall and you can view this at http://www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/10561. 

For additional information go to <a href=”http://www.secure-webconference.citymax.com”>All About Webconferencing</a> or <a href=”http://www.html-secrets.net/blog”>Effective Web Design</a>.  You may also e-mail Bob at robertcarper06@comcast.net

Restoration of New York Central’s Hickory Creek

In the summer of 2007, a select group of railroad fans witnessed a miraculous event.  The sleek, two-toned gray observation-lounge sleeper named “Hickory  Creek”  made a triumphal return to its former home on the New York Central.

Each evening the Hickory Creek and its sister observation lounge, the Sandy Creek, would “bring up the rear marker lights” on one of the most prestigious trains in the world.  This was the famed Twentieth Century Limited of the New York Central.

The Century wasn’t just a train.  It was an everyday happening.  Government leaders, corporate executives, sports stars, radio and television personalities, actors of the movies and the Broadway stage, and other world figures would book their itineraries on the Century many months before their scheduled departure.

Prior to the Century’s departure from New York to Chicago, the New York Central would roll out a plush red carpet on the boarding platform.  At the other end of The Water Level Route, the same ritual was repeated in La Salle Street Station on the eastbound Century’s trip from Chicago to New York.

The Century carried only private room sleeping car accommodations.  It made no stops along its route except at division points.  At these stops, the NYC changed crews and inspected each car.  Crews assigned to the Century had top seniority.  The dining car crews were internationally acclaimednoted chefs.  The Century’s dining and club car personnel were hand picked from among the finest in the world

The observation lounge cars were named “Sandy Creek,” and “Hickory Creek.” They were the focal points where the elite gathered.  These cars had raised lookout lounges for greater view.  A commonplace traveler might never know which celebrity would be a traveling partner.  The Century itself was a movie star, being used for the Cary Grant movie “North By Northwest.”  It also provided the backdrop for “The Sting.”

Time and a change of generations proved to be the undoing of the 20th Century Limited.  Passenger travel by train declined to virtually zero.  In the late 1960s, the New York Central got out of the passenger business and Amtrak took it over.  There would never again be another 20th Century Limited.  The New York Central itself would soon be gone for good, ultimately being replaced by CSX

The twentieth century itself vanished off the calendar.  Amtrak was now the sole passenger carrier in North America.  All of the remaining relics of the once famed great steel passenger fleet were now either in railroad museums or else consigned to the scrap merchant.  The Century’s two raised lookout observation lounge sleeping cars were fortunate enough to evade the scrap heap. 

Of the two cars, the Sandy Creek achieved stardom.  The Hickory Creek was initially the tail end car for the circus train.  After it served out its years with the lions and tigers, it was eventually put out to pasture, awaiting its inevitable fate.

The North American rail tour operator changed its corporate name and offered a new look for rail excursion travel.  The Sandy Creek was the “star” of this rail travel experience.  Its new owners renamed it the “New York.”  Its advertising used very similar terms to the Century’s heritage.  Examples were “one of the most treasured passenger cars in North America. Its plush seating and circular bay window makes this an elegant place to watch the passing scenery.”  It was called  “The Lookout Lounge,” named after the Century’s  design of a ring of eleven extra-high windows.

But what about the Hickory Creek?  A railroad fan group in New Jersey spotted the derelict observation car and bought it, saving it from the salvage operator.    Using volunteer “sweat and toil” from the members of the group, and aided by a Federal grant, the restoration work of the Hickory Creek began in 2000.  These good folk were going to “raise the Titanic.”
 
They did just that.  The insides had their original carpeting and lounge chairs restored.  The Lookout Lounge regained its former New York Central identity, complete with the serving bar and all of its lounge chairs.  The bedrooms were totally restored to their original New York Central configuration.
 
The car’s exterior received the original New York Central two-tone gray paint and white lettering.  The last operating version of the Hickory Creek was titled “New York Central” instead of “Pullman.”  This was due to the fact Pullman went out of business in the mid to late 1950s.  The restoration folk opted to restore Hickory Creek to its original status.  A model of Hickory Creek exists, however, with the New York Central re-titling.  So, railfans can have it both ways.

On Sunday, June 26th, 2006, the Hickory Creek made its inaugural run as a restored signature car of the 20th Century Limited.  It was indeed fitting for this car to run most of its trip on the ex-New York Central trackage – tracks that it had plied upon for so many years past.  Indeed, they had “Raised The Titanic.”

A year later, the raising of the Titanic was completed.  The New York Central Historical Society was holding its annual April 2007 meeting in Buffalo, NY.  The NYCHS consisted of many “old timers” that had worked many years on all parts of the former NYC.  For four unforgettable days, they gathered together riding aboard the Hickory Creek, attending the convention, and exchanging tales of yesteryear.  These astute folk were indeed living through a happening.  God bless them all. 
Restoration groups are a wonder to behold.  Their goal is to bring the past back to life.  They exemplify the Three P’s — Patience, Perserverence, and Persistence.  The resurrection of a New York Central observation lounge car is one beautiful example of what can happen by a group of dedicated folk.

About The Author

Bob Carper is a veteran information systems consultant. He holds an engineering degree from Illinois and  a MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He has authored one book and several articles on railroading.  Most recently, Bob was honored by the Rochester-Genesee Valley Railroad Museum by having thirteen of his rail photos printed in their 2008 Calendar.  You can read the story about how this all happened by visiting http://rochesterblog.com

You may access Bob’s  books at  www.amazon.com by searching on “FOCUS-The Railroad In Transition.”  Bob is presently promoting My Power Mall and you can view this at http://www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/10561. 

For additional information go to http://www.secure-webconference.citymax.com. His blogsite is http://www.html-secrets.net/blog.  You may also contact him at robertcarper06@comcast.net
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The Trains Roll At Night – How To Photograph Them

The railroad is a place that operates around the clock, seven days a week. From the time the sun goes down until dawn on the following day, the rails are never silent for very long. Some of the most outstanding and dramatic photographs of trains and the people that operate them are taken at night. You can have incredible digital photos of trains at dawn and dusk and at nighttime.

Night photography of trains is not a new thing. I’ve been doing it since the mid-1950s. All of the great rail photographers have a sizeable collection of night photographs in their collections. In my book, “FOCUS – The Railroad In Transition,” I have a good number of night photographs which are still dramatic to me every time I look at them. Photographing trains at night is a combination of the arts of existing light photography with the insight and knowledge of how the railroad works. Here are night photography ideas to capture the big trains at their most illuminating time

First and Foremost, You Need Good Equipment

Without good equipment, there is no sense even trying to do night photography of trains. You need a good sturdy tripod. Secondly, you need a cable release that can mount up with your digital camera’s shutter receptacle. If you don’t have these, go home.

If you plan on taking digital photos at night, a professional grade tripod is an absolute must. It is extremely hard to hold a camera still for the length of time needed for a good night exposure, and any shaking can result in blurred photos or completely blacked out subjects.

Your tripod should have a pan head atop which your camera will mount. It is almost a necessity that this tripod head can pan and tilt. These are essential if you want to compose your photo, especially at night. Panning allows you to move your camera from side to side. Tilting allows your camera to move up and down. Used in combination with each other, you can beautifully compose your photo of a locomotive or a rail terminal illuminated by stadium lights or a rail signal bridge in the last fading strands of the passing day.

With a tripod, you can set your digital camera to use a long exposure time, snap a photo, and not worry so much about ‘camera-shake’. However, to remove any chance of camera movement, either purchase and use a cable release or another type of an external shutter release. Even the simplest motion of releasing the camera shutter button during a photo shoot can cause the camera to shake, rendering a beautiful photo almost worthless with blurriness.

Next, your camera cannot be an el cheapo. You must have an ultra fast lens with a maximum aperture of f 2.0 or better. It must have time exposure settings of “bulb” and “time.” Depending on the work you want to do, it should have a wide angle lens or a lens that can zoom in to a wide angle coverage.   Your camera lens should zoom out for telephoto work, especially of a train standing in a yard or terminal.

You Need To Plan And Detail Your Photo Session

Photographing trains at night is not just going out to a section of track, aiming, shooting, and then saying, Ah!” over your finished results. At the very least, you will end up with blank frames. At the very worst, you could end up in jail – possibly worse, if you are unfortunate enough to get attacked by rail security dogs.

Planning ahead consists of these items: Where do you want to photograph night scenes? Which trains will be operating? What do you want to accomplish? Are you on an assignment from a publication or are you working on a publication of your own? Are you doing it “just for fun?” If you plan accordingly, you will ensure that all your night photo sessions will be successful

Once you have your photo session planned out, you must get official permission to be on rail property. The railroad is a very dangerous place to be. At night, being on the railroad is even more hazardous than in daylight. If railroad officials do not have a good idea about why you need to access rail property especially at night, they will not let you in.

If the railroad Oks your request, it is a very good idea to ask that a rail security person escort you while you are in a rail yard or engine terminal. To combat pilferage of piggyback containers, railroads have used attack dogs. Besides making sure you are safe wherever you go and do not roam freely about dark spaces in the yard or terminal, security folk know the commands to call off the dogs. You don’t.

Other gear you should have on your night photo mission will include a small flashlight, a cell phone, a radio that can be tuned to railroad operating frequencies, and a reserve supply of batteries. Above all else, you will need extra memory modules to store your work. Remember, we are not using camera film on a digital photography mission.

Having gone through the basics, let’s get some prize-winning night shots..

First off, you should learn how to Use the Night Program or Scene Mode on your camera.
Letting your digital camera’s presets help you will ensure that you take great night photos.
If you are just starting out taking photos at night, check to see if your digital camera has a special night program or scene mode – read your camera manual. This mode will adjust your camera settings, tuning it to low-light conditions and possibly allowing you to take better night photos than if you were fumbling through other options. If you’re not sure about adjusting exposure times and have no idea what ISO means, a one-touch setting may be all you need.

Secondly, you should get accustomed to long exposure times

Just like in the days of film cameras, a long shutter exposure is mandatory in taking clear, crisp night photos with your digital camera. One of the main tricks to taking good photos at night with your digital camera is taking a series of long exposures of a subject. One exposure just will not cut it. You need to shoot a “spread” of at least five or more shots. You will have only a glimmer of an idea of what the camera will pick up for the light it sees. The long exposure times are needed to compensate for the low light. The longer the exposure, the longer your camera absorbs the scarcely available light. While a sunny day with plentiful illumination may only require a camera shutter to remain open for 1/250th or 1/125th of a second for clear, crisp photos, low-light conditions may require decreased shutter speeds of 1/15th of a second or longer. Check your digital camera manual for instructions on changing the shutter speed – it is usually the “S” in the “PASM” or “ASM” camera setting modes.

Thirdly, you should try to capture the unique lighting displays that you find in bridges, buildings, and railroad signals. If your night photo session is in a rail station, you are in luck. In a large city, you may also have the benefit of lights from surrounding buildings to further enhance the night view. Some rail terminals may be located near a bridge or near water. Lights of all sorts can add to the drama of the scene.

One of my favorites was at the New York Central Station in Rochester, NY. There, passenger trains would pick up and debark passengers on tracks adjoining the main line. They would be governed by a “home” signal which would be set to red over red over green when the train was clear to go back on the main line. In those early days, there were no digital cameras. The good folk that presently run CSX and Amtrak were not even born. But imagine today, seeing a digital image of a night scene showing Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited with a home signal in color and with station platform lights glowing against the sides of the engine and cars.

I’ll conclude this article with an excellent example of what happens when everything falls into place I needed a “round the clock” sequence of photos depicting a rail yard in operation. One of the largest and busiest rail yards was rge Pennsy yard at Conway, PA. I obtained the necessary permission from Pennsy officials, who also assigned an escort for the time I would be in the rail yard.

I shot many scenes that night and used up about ten rolls of 120 film for my twin-lens. The twin-lens really earned its keep that night, since I was able to compose all my shots, especially under night conditions. My escort was just as fascinated watching me go about my work, and he invited me to go atop the main observation tower that overlooked the entire expanse of Conway Yard. There, I shot at least 20 exposures but it was worth it. The results of that night’s work are in my book “FOCUS – The Railroad In Transition.”

Photographing trains at night can be an exciting adventure. Try it sometime, but remember to first get official permission before you even begin your photo mission.

About The Author

 Bob Carper is a veteran information systems consultant with an MBA from Pitt. He has written several books and articles on trains and railroading.  FOCUS – The Railroad In Transition and American Railroads In Transition are still available at www.Amazon.com.  Most recently, the Rochester – Genesee Valley Railroad Museum published their 2008 Calendar which featured Bob’s 1950-1955 New York Central photographs in Rochester NY.  This calendar is available at www.rochnrhs.org

For additional information go to All About Webconferencing or My Power Mall. You may also e-mail Bob at robertcarper06@comcast.net

Watching The Big Trains Roll

The The hobby of railroading has many exciting avenues of pursuit. Train watching is perhaps the least xpensive of all aspects of railroading. Depending on what you see, it can be a lot of fun or the most boring and unrewarding sport you ever tried. Here are a lot of words that will make train watching interesting.
y of railroading has many exciting avenues by which you can pursue this hobby.  Train watching is perhaps the least expensive of all aspects of railroading.  However, it can be a lot of fun or the most boring and unrewarding sport you ever tried.  Here are a lot of words that will make train watching a lot of fun.

First off, you have to know where to look to find where the trains are …..and where they aren’t.  If you find a stretch of track where there are only one set of rails, and the rails look rusted, the chances are great that you’ve come upon an abandoned line, or at least a seldom used line which sees only one train a day or less. 

If you are fortunate enough to have a railroad underpass located where you can get to it, you are in train watcher heaven.  Here, you might see all sorts of yard activity as well as main line freight and possibly a few Amtrak passenger runs thrown in for good measure.  If you live in an area where the principal rail empires are located (CSX, NS, UP, or BNSF), you will most certainly find what we call a “railroad hot spot.”  Check your local street map or better still, the USGS maps for your area.  Also, it would be a good investment to buy a railroad radio frequency scanner and look up the radio frequencies where railroad transmissions are found.  Scanners can be had for between $100 – $300 but they will let you know when you can expect to see a train appear. 

If a railroad underpass overlooks a railway yard, you are one league beyond train watcher heaven.  In addition to main line activity, you will also see yard and switching moves.  .  This is a very safe place to watch the trains, since it is on a public sidewalk and totally removed from railroad property.  If you find a good overpass location like this, you can easily see at least 60 trains a day pass through the area.

If you are on an overpass, you Imust act safely and responsibly.  Do not park or stop your car anywhere on the roadway that goes over the tracks.  You may cause a bad accident.  NEVER throw any object you might find down onto the tracks or onto a passing train.  NEVER stand in a roadway that does not have a sidewalk or at the very least, a pathway that adjoins the roadway.  A little bit of common sense will go a long way in your getting spectacular train views from “up above.”

Okay …so there are not any railroad underpasses in your city, or any that you can watch trains safely.  Your next best bet is to find a local grade crossing where the railroad right of way crosses a public road.  Your first and foremost word of advice is STAY OFF THE TRACKS !!!!!  You must do your train watching on public right of way and must NEVER venture onto the railroad right of way.  If you like to photograph trains, you will need a telephoto lens to get that “up close” feeling when trains go by.  You can obtain some great rail photos if you still keep your distance away from the railroad right of way.

One last word of advice.  If you find yourself trapped away from your car by a train that has stopped in the middle of a grade crossing NEVER NEVER NEVER try to get back to your car by climbing over the couplers between cars or else trying to climb over a railway car using its ladders.  You could be killed or seriously injured.  Not only will you be seriously injured, but the police will arrest you for trespassing. 

Here are a few of the railroad hot spots you might wish to consider in your quest for ideal train watching spots.  More will be added to this blog as we compile information about them.

  

1. Horseshoe Curve, Altoona, PA.

This is the first and foremost train watching spot in perhaps the entire nation, with the exception of the Tehachapi Loop on California and the crossover of two main lines in Rochelle, Illinois. 

 

1. Rochelle IL

Rochelle, Illinois is where the Union Pacific (UP) and Burlington Northern – Santa Fe (BNSF) main lines cross.  Over 100 trains a day pass through this area.  The City of Rochelle has built an observation gallery strictly for train watchers, and this has drawn international interest as a place where US railroading passes by.

1. Cresson PA

Cresson is located on the Norfolk Southern main line that runs from Pittsburgh over the Alleghenies to Harrisburg and Philadelphia.  There are a number of bed and breakfast hotels located in Cresson, where you can watch the NS action all day and all night.

1. Northeast Corridor Amtrak

Any place from Lanham, MD to Northern New Jersey is fair game to watch Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor trains in operation.  All of the activity is passenger trains, except for way late at night when the passenger train traffic subsides for the day.  Then, you may be privileged to watch one or two NS freights sneak out onto the Corridor to cross over to the coal docks area north of Baltimore.

The Northeast Corridor is a steady repetition of passenger train operation and you run the risk of repetitive scenes.  The scenic areas are the crossings of the Susquehanna River, the areas around Philadelphia, and the Northern New Jersey areas north of Trenton. 

A word of extra caution:  Trains in the Northeast Corridor travel at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour and since the entire line is electrified, you do not even hear trains approaching.  To repeat an old adage ….STAY OFF THE TRACKS AND KEEP BACK AT LEAST 50 FEET FROM THE NEAREST TRACK    The blast of air coming from the slipstream of a high speed passenger train can knock you over.

Also remember …the Northeast Corridor is a very strategic piece of real estate.  Even if you plan to photograph trains from a railroad overpass, it is a very good idea to check in with local law enforcement or Amtrak security to let them know who you are and what you are doing.  Failure to do this could result in your arrest and detention as part of the Homeland Security initiative.

1. Point of Rocks MD

The Point of Rocks – Brunswick MD – Harpers Ferry WV area is a very scenic place to watch and photograph trains.  Over 60 trains a day go through there.  Point of Rocks is where many trains leave the southern branch of CSX and proceed northward directly to Baltimore, bypassing the Washington DC area.

1. Gaithersburg MD

There are several good train watching spots in the ex-B&O southern branch that passes through the Washington DC metro area and then swings north to rejoin the line at Baltimore.  Gaithersburg is a good location because the trains are at grade level and train watching does not interfere with the Metro Red Line that begins at Shady Grove.  Here, you can see CSX main line freights, MARC commuter passenger trains, and Amtrak’s Capitol Limited. 

1. East Main Street Overpass, Rochester NY

You would not think Rochester NY would be a good train watching spot, but it is.  Here at the East Main Street Overpass, you can look directly into the Goodman Street Yards, and see mainline CSX freight as well as switching moves and branch line operation.  This was at one time the fabled New York Central’s Water Level Route.  It subsequently became the Penn Central after the NYC merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and it ultimately became Conrail.  When Conrail fell part, it became the NYC portion of CSX. 

The photograph in this blog shows the view from this train watching location.  Here, we have a Burlington Northern – Santa Fe (BNSF) engine leaving the yards, showing that even seasoned train watchers can find power from “foreign” railroads turning up almost anywhere.

1. Fairport NY

Fairport is located about 15 miles east of Rochester.  Here, the old New York Central West Shore line comes in contact with the ex-New York Central main line.  A number of freights go around Rochester on the West Shore, thereby bypassing congestion at Goodman Street Yards.  Result:  Fairport is an excellent place to watch trains

Here is a photo showing a new CSX locomotive with a trailing Union Pacific engine.  The two smokestacks are trademarks of the Fairport area.  They have been there for years.

1. Hammond IN

Hammond, Indiana is a very active piece of railroading operation.  Rail lines belonging to CSX and NS run through here, and there is scarcely a moment’s quiet where you do not hear the sound of train horns as they signal their approach over the many grade crossings in the area.

1. Avon Yard, Indianapolis IN

Avon Yard is located just west of Indianapolis and is a former New York Central yard serving the line between Cleveland and St. Louis.  The area west of the yards is a good spot to watch the trains up close, since two public roads dead end at the tracks.  There is a service road which goes into the yards which is not accessible unless you are a CSX employee or you have permission from CSX to enter the area.

Webcam Sites

You can do a lot of train watching without even leaving your home.  A number of operators have set up webcams that overlook railroad hot spots.  All you need is a broadband internet connection and a computer which has a fast internal processing speed.  You must also understand the pros and cons of trainwatching through webcams.  The pros are obvious.  You can see trains anywhere you are linked to a webcam as soon as the train passes by.  Come rain or shine, the trains run and you see them as they go.

The cons are also significant.  Some webcams do not focus in too well on the railroad scene, resulting in some blurred scenes.  Sometimes, unwanted objects are photographed along with the trains.  You can get a listing of webcam sites from these URLs

http://www.railcams.com/

This site gives webcam shots every 90 seconds from around Santa Ana, CA, Portland OR, and Fullerton, CA.

http://www.railroadpix.com/rrphotos/Railcams_-_Railroad_Webcams/

This is a listing of railroad webcams around the world.  Some of them operate every 90 seconds or so to dispatch an image, or else are tripped automatically when a train approaches.  You can get a better handle on when these webcams operate by going to this website and just having a look around.

Rochelle IL Webcam

This is one of the very best webcams to be found anywhere on the internet.  Here, you see the railroad crossover between the BNSF and the UP main lines.  Over 100 trains per day go through here and the webcam quality is very good.  You can see the detailing of each of the locomotive types that go through here as well as the type and characteristic of the trains themselves …..manifest, coal, grain, automotive, double stack containers, truck-trains …..you name it, it runs through here.  I have seen CSX and NS locomotives operating on both the BNSF and the UP.  Why not ……if UP and BNSF power turn up in Rochester NY, why can’t eastern rail power show up here? 

To access the Rochelle webcam, you need to be a member of TRAINS Magazine.  Easy enough done……just log on to http://www.trainsmag.com and sign up as a new member.  It is free, and once signed up, you can work your way into “webcams” and you will get into the Rochelle webcam.  All you will have to spend is your time …..but it will be worth it.

Horseshoe Curve PA Webcam

This is taken from a distance to the NS Main Line but it is very, very busy.  You can see traffic in both directions along the NS main line.  This was at one time the fabled Horseshoe Curve of the Pennsylvania Railroad that subsequently became the Penn Central, and which then became Conrail.  As part of the CSX and NS takeover of Conrail, 58% of it went to NS and 42% went to CSX.  NS took over all of the former Pennsy routes and got half of the NYC lines which ran from Chicago to New York, which was the fabled “Water Level Route”  The website is as follows:

http://www.visitpa.com/visitpa/webcams.pa?wc=horseshoe

In Conclusion

So, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it.  Watching big trains can be fun.  It comes in all sizes and shapes.  In subsequent articles which will appear in this blog, we will show you the various rail museums and railfan groups that are out there and will direct you how to get into these groups and enjoy them.  Remember also that railfanning can be a single sport which you can do yourselves, but is loads more fun when you can do it as a group.  There are other blogs around which will give you excellent advice (you see, I don’t know everything …(LOL) and by coming back to this blog, you can see the work of others as they post articles to this blog.  You can even start or participate in an on line conference room, where rail enthusiasts around the world will gather to share ideas and show off their photographic work.  Go to this website:

http://www.hotconference.com/members/rsc22

and sign on.  Get others to sign up or join your railroading conference, and you are really on track.