I know you've been patiently waiting for an actual story. Well we're gonna start small, but here it is. (I know you're secretly waiting on the edge of your seat!)
My first train chasing experience was in the month of January 2011. Although some of the crew had chased before, this was one of the first times the majority of us went together. We went to visit the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad located in Alamosa, Colorado. They were running a steam special that weekend called the Winter Wonderland Express. If you know anything about Colorado, then you realize that the weather is all wonky and we can have a heat wave and blizzard all in the same day. The Rio Grande usually ran steam in the summer and diesel in the winter (because of this wonky weather), making this a pretty big deal for train lovers.
I can tell you I was nervous, I had never done this before and I had a new camera to boot. Ed, Milissa, Josh, Ken and I all got in the "D" and headed to Alamosa. Josh had chased this train before and had some pretty good ideas on where we needed to stop to get great shots. We got there early enough that we were able to drive around and locate places to go. When we actually got to the depot I was shocked at how many people were there. Clearly we weren't the only crazy people and when the train took off it was a big eye opener. (According to the rest of the crew the amount of cars we saw that day were nothing compared to chasing the UP 844 during Frontier Days. I will finally get to chase her during this event this weekend. I can assure you there will be stories to tell.)
We found a good location just outside of the station by a bridge. We weren't the only ones there and had to volley for positions. That's the downside to train chasing. If you have a good shot then most likely there is someone else that knows about it too. Once the engine cleared the bridge we were off to the races. Each one of us running to the car and getting it back on the road. The chase had begun.
If you recall from an earlier blog that sometimes we pace the train. Well this was my first "pacing" and it was wild. Imagine the "D" flying down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Now imagine seven to eight other cars doing the same thing. I honestly don't know how many cars there were for that one, but it sure was something to see. So here I am head hanging out the window, we're doing probably fifty miles an hour and the temperature is probably only 40 degrees. It's cold but I don't stop. Josh is in the passenger seat his head out the window with a tripod and camera filming the whole thing. We pull ahead because were closing in on a railroad crossing. We rush across the tracks scramble out take photos and hop right back in. We continue this process throughout the day.
Now here comes the best part. We get to a place called Forbes Park, this is where the train starts to curve and heads up into the mountains. This is usually one of the last stops for us before we go to La Veta. It is here that Josh wants to climb one of the hills to get a better shot. Since we have time we all scramble up the mountain. Did I mention that there is snow on this hill and that I am a short person? We manage to make it up the hill (although I really don't know how I made it because I was trying not to drop my new camera in the snow and avoid face planting all the way up.) It's cold, I only have a jacket and a long sleeve shirt (clearly I didn't think this through) and I'm standing in a foot of snow (give or take a couple of inches). My feet are frozen as are my hands and here's Josh standing a few feet away doing the pee-pee dance. Don't be embarrassed or turn away we all do it in one form or the other. (Don't panic Josh, I'll tell embarrassing stories about myself as well.) He dips behind the tree and we start to hear the whistle of the train. Good thing we're in place for photos huh? Don't worry he doesn't miss the train and we take pictures and video. Now the fun part, how am I going to get down? My dad is in front of me and he making the path down the hill for me and Milissa, who I should mention is shorter then me. I'm not sure this is a good idea because my dad isn't so light on his feet either. Since there is snow everywhere it's hard to see depth and as my dad slides down the hill, he calls out "Whoa, that was deep." I laugh, hey how deep could it be? Surprise!! It's deeper then expected and the snow goes up to my hips. I have no idea how I managed to get down after that, but my jeans are soaked, as are my shoes and socks. (I'll never learn will I? You'll understand that at another time.) We're cold but we climb back in the car, crank the heat and head down the road where we find a gate blocking us up the mountain and we don't have a code. This is very frustrating and I believe that at some point we will find a way to get up there.
We head towards La Veta and grab some grub. If you ever get a chance stop in and eat at La Veta Inn. They've got great food and service. It's one of our favorite places to eat when we're down there. But enough about food lets get back to the action. We scramble out of town before the rest of the train chasers can. It's here that we spend our time at a railroad crossing. Since I was new at the time, I had been pushed out of several shots during the day because I was being too nice. Well I wasn't going to let that happen again and I staked my claim on the side of the road. The rest of the crew was relaxing in the car but I stood, defiantly, outside. It is here that a police officer patrolling the area stops. He rolls down his window and asks if I'm alright. I say yes and that I'm waiting for a train. He looks up and down the tracks then at me (there's no train). He probably thinks I either escaped from the looney bin or I'm on a day pass and I need to go back. He doesn't question me and goes on his way. My crew in the car get a great laugh at that one and now I'm more cautious about standing on the side of the road when a car is coming.
We finished our day in peace and decide to head back home. Although it wasn't as eventful as some of our other trips it was one I will never forget. Once we finished, I couldn't wait to go on another trip and it's a feeling that hasn't left me since.
One more thing you should know, during this trip I was introduced to another train chaser who, well lets just say we don't like him very much. This guy has four cameras mounted on his car, they aren't steadied and just bounce along all the time. He drives like an idiot and tends to be at the front of the train all the time. He bugs us non stop because he does his homework and knows the backroads just as well and sometimes better then us. We've dubbed him yacka$$. At first I didn't think he could be that bad, but when you're trying to take a picture and his car shows up next to the train or in the background it gets pretty aggravating. We've made it our mission to get in his way as much as we can because he does the same to us. (And who says there isn't any competition among train chasers?) He will appear many times during our chases.
If you want to see more work from the crew check the links in the blog below.
Now here comes the best part. We get to a place called Forbes Park, this is where the train starts to curve and heads up into the mountains. This is usually one of the last stops for us before we go to La Veta. It is here that Josh wants to climb one of the hills to get a better shot. Since we have time we all scramble up the mountain. Did I mention that there is snow on this hill and that I am a short person? We manage to make it up the hill (although I really don't know how I made it because I was trying not to drop my new camera in the snow and avoid face planting all the way up.) It's cold, I only have a jacket and a long sleeve shirt (clearly I didn't think this through) and I'm standing in a foot of snow (give or take a couple of inches). My feet are frozen as are my hands and here's Josh standing a few feet away doing the pee-pee dance. Don't be embarrassed or turn away we all do it in one form or the other. (Don't panic Josh, I'll tell embarrassing stories about myself as well.) He dips behind the tree and we start to hear the whistle of the train. Good thing we're in place for photos huh? Don't worry he doesn't miss the train and we take pictures and video. Now the fun part, how am I going to get down? My dad is in front of me and he making the path down the hill for me and Milissa, who I should mention is shorter then me. I'm not sure this is a good idea because my dad isn't so light on his feet either. Since there is snow everywhere it's hard to see depth and as my dad slides down the hill, he calls out "Whoa, that was deep." I laugh, hey how deep could it be? Surprise!! It's deeper then expected and the snow goes up to my hips. I have no idea how I managed to get down after that, but my jeans are soaked, as are my shoes and socks. (I'll never learn will I? You'll understand that at another time.) We're cold but we climb back in the car, crank the heat and head down the road where we find a gate blocking us up the mountain and we don't have a code. This is very frustrating and I believe that at some point we will find a way to get up there.
We head towards La Veta and grab some grub. If you ever get a chance stop in and eat at La Veta Inn. They've got great food and service. It's one of our favorite places to eat when we're down there. But enough about food lets get back to the action. We scramble out of town before the rest of the train chasers can. It's here that we spend our time at a railroad crossing. Since I was new at the time, I had been pushed out of several shots during the day because I was being too nice. Well I wasn't going to let that happen again and I staked my claim on the side of the road. The rest of the crew was relaxing in the car but I stood, defiantly, outside. It is here that a police officer patrolling the area stops. He rolls down his window and asks if I'm alright. I say yes and that I'm waiting for a train. He looks up and down the tracks then at me (there's no train). He probably thinks I either escaped from the looney bin or I'm on a day pass and I need to go back. He doesn't question me and goes on his way. My crew in the car get a great laugh at that one and now I'm more cautious about standing on the side of the road when a car is coming.
We finished our day in peace and decide to head back home. Although it wasn't as eventful as some of our other trips it was one I will never forget. Once we finished, I couldn't wait to go on another trip and it's a feeling that hasn't left me since.
One more thing you should know, during this trip I was introduced to another train chaser who, well lets just say we don't like him very much. This guy has four cameras mounted on his car, they aren't steadied and just bounce along all the time. He drives like an idiot and tends to be at the front of the train all the time. He bugs us non stop because he does his homework and knows the backroads just as well and sometimes better then us. We've dubbed him yacka$$. At first I didn't think he could be that bad, but when you're trying to take a picture and his car shows up next to the train or in the background it gets pretty aggravating. We've made it our mission to get in his way as much as we can because he does the same to us. (And who says there isn't any competition among train chasers?) He will appear many times during our chases.
If you want to see more work from the crew check the links in the blog below.
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