Cumbres & Toltec

It's that time again for another fun filled story! I know you have all been waiting so patiently.

There are times when the whole crew doesn't always go.  For instance, half the crew was on vacation when the other half decided to go chase down in Antonito, Colorado.  This train is known as the Cumbres & Toltec.  It has two trains that run on a daily basis.  The first one leaves from Chama, New Mexico while at the same time another one leaves from Antonito, Colorado.  They meet up in the middle and eat lunch together.  Then they continue on to either Chama or Antonito.  Then there is a bus that will take the passengers back to the station they started at.  This trip is an all day trip and therefore passengers can not return by train.  They would be getting in at midnight.  We decided that on this day we would chase it from Antonito to Chama.

One quick side note.  Two days earlier I was working in the basement, I came out of one of the rooms and was moving pretty fast when I collided with a serving tray that had been left on the floor.  (Yes, it had been sitting there for months I just didn't see it.)  I hit my pinky toe and howled like an injured animal; it was broken.  It turned all kinds of pretty colors, but since it was a toe there's really nothing you can do but limp on.

We headed towards Antonito, but stopped in Alamosa to get pictures of the No. 18 train.  There of course were several crazy people trying to get shots of the engine, but there was this one guy who I'll never forget.  Now I'm one who likes to get dirty and crawl on the ground while taking pictures.  This guy took it to a whole new level.  At the rail yard this man lays down on the ground and then puts his head on the tracks as he's taking pictures.  The train blew it's whistle and prepared to move, but the man just stayed there clicking away with his camera.  I stood there gaping at this idiot and all I could think was how this was going to wreck my day if the train ran over his head.  Finally he gets up and clambers on the other side of the road as if everything was normal.  I love steam trains, and of course I wanna get the shot, but I don't think you'll ever see me lay my head on the track a few feet from the engine.

We pack up and head towards Antonito, it's only thirty mins away from Alamosa.  The sky isn't as blue as I had hoped for and there is a film of clouds over the sun.  It's not cloudy per say, but the clouds are just thick enough to mess with the light in the shot.  I'm frustrated but I can't control the weather.  We're early enough to the station that there are very few people around.  This gives me the best time to take photos of the engine without anyone standing in my way.  Mary (mom) decides to go to the bathroom; she should never ever under any circumstances leave me alone with a steam train.  (Oh and leaving me with my dad is even worse!)  I decide I want a shot from the ground, but this engine is not an oil converted engine.  For those of you who don't know what this means I'll explain.  Most steam engines today have been converted to run on oil not coal like back in the day.  It's a cheaper and more effective way to run the engine, and you don't have to shovel while you're going up the hills.

This engine actually runs on coal, there are men who shovel the coal as they go along the tracks.  The gentle hum she made in the station was nothing compared to the beautiful sound that resonated out of her as she climbs into the mountain.  So back to this shot I want to take and no supervision.  The ground is covered in oil, grime and coal dust. I'm determined to get the shot and look for a semi clean place.  I lay down and take a few photos (of course there are a few people who have shown up now and almost step on me.  Not entirely sure how they missed me.)  I'm pretty pleased with myself and hop back up hoping my mom won't know what I did.  What I failed to notice when I stood up was that my white pasty legs were covered in soot and dust as were my hands.  My shirt, that I tried to dust off, had black spots all over it.  Unfortunately, she's a mom and it takes her but two seconds to figure out what I've done.  She didn't leave me alone after that.  The shot was worth it as you can see.

        
What we failed to realize was that chasing the train from Antonito to Chama is nearly impossible.  The tracks are not near the road, and once it climbs into the mountains you are finished.  However, when chasing it from Chama to Antonitio, the tracks run parallel to the highway until a certain point, but there are many more opportunities.  So after driving a little ways, we realize our best bet is to chase it as it comes out of the mountains.  We have plenty of time and my parents and I go off to kill some of it.  They had a few jobs to do, so while they worked, I tried to elevate my foot because it was swelling up as the day wore on.  Unfortunately, their jobs took longer then expected and we spent most of the day driving from place to place.  We were running out of time to get back.  For those of you who don't know, my dad doesn't drive fast.  In fact, he's the guy that goes under the speed limit.  You can imagine the frustration that was playing through my mind as we head back towards Chama.  It is here where my dad decides to surprise us all and goes 90 on an intersecting road.  My mom's holding on for dear life and I'm trying to figure out where my dad is, because this isn't like him.  Thankfully there is no one on the road, including cops, as we fly past the fields.  There's a sharp curve up ahead and my dad doesn't think he needs to hit the breaks.  Now I'm the one holding on.  He does actually hit the breaks, we didn't crash and we continue on.  We managed to meet the train coming down the hill and sun came out as well.

We chased it back, jumping out of the car, hobbling to the crossings and jumping back in.  Since the highway follows the tracks there were a lot of looky loos.  But we managed to avoid most of them.
It's our last crossing of the day; my foot hurts, but I don't stop because this is too important.  It's coming down the tracks and I get into position.  I decide I want to be on my knees for this one (you know who won't let me on the ground.)  I get ready and my dad's pretty close to me as it cruises down the tracks.  This is the one time I am thankful that the train is not moving too fast because it quickly dawns on me as it approaches that the train hangs over the tracks more than I anticipated and I'm too close.  My mom starts screaming to get up and my dad and I scramble backwards as it slides by us.  I was maybe a foot away from the wheels.  Probably one of the closet calls I've ever had.  But in the end it was worth it. My mom, however, was ready to shoot both of us.  We thought it was hilarious.

 
Since the train runs through the mountains we decided to come back when the colors were changing.  That is our next story...but you're just going to have to wait a little longer to hear that story.

Winter Wonderland Express

And now ladies and gentleman the moment you've all been waiting for....(Too cliche?)

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.  

The Misfit's Ride

I know what you're thinking, when are you going to start telling us the stories about your adventure?  Patience my friends, you'll get hear them in time.  But in order for you to grasp the bigger picture you need one more tid bit of information about us.  It may seem silly to some of you that I have a blog focused on the cars we use to get from place to place, but for some of these stories you need to know what we're driving so you can get an even bigger laugh out of it.

Let's start off with the main car that we use when we chase these trains: The "D" or a blue Dodge Durango.  In time I will have a picture of it, but for now you'll just have to use your imagination.  The "D" is owned by Ed and like I said before he is usually the driver.  Since there are normally 7 people going on these trips and we want to ride together we need a car that can fit us all.  Granted it does get a little tight this SUV has gotten us to our destination safely (mostly).  You'll just have to wait for that story (I guarantee it's a whopper.)  In this car we have had many things happen, sliced fingers from lifting the seats, cut knees from hopping in and I can't forget about how dirty we tend to make it.  On one trip every window was covered in mud and the only reason why we could see anything out of it was because of the windshield wipers.  You should have seen how much we had inside the vehicle.  (Another story you'll get a kick out of.)

On occasions we have to find a substitute because The "D" may have an issue.  Sometimes we just go in separate cars and nothing exciting happens.  However, recently we had to use a different car.  It was Josh's grandmother's turquoise mini van.  I bet we were quite a site driving down the road with stuffed frogs on the dashboard and a bright yellow smiley face air freshener.  Josh had the honors driving this vehicle while the rest of us crammed in the back.  I can only imagine what people were thinking when they drove by us.  Now this car was only used once, but I guarantee it is one we will never forget.  (I've got you curious now don't I?  That story I'm saving for last.)


Hang on to your hats, the next blog will be the best one yet!

For those of you who are interested in what we achieve on these trips I have included a few links to sites where our work is located.  This will give you a better sense of what we do on a regular basis.


Notch Eight Productions  Josh
Green Kandi Productions Reesa
Look Beyond Photography Me

Meet the Crew

Before I get into more details about our excursions I want to take this opportunity to introduce the members of the Misfit Train Chasers.

Lets start off with our driver: Ed.  He's a family friend and the father of one of the other members of the crew.  He's responsible for getting us to and from locations, as well as pacing and racing the train.  We love to torment him and tell him he's not going fast enough, but he always manages to get us to the location we want to be at.  During one of our trips we had to practically peel him out from behind the wheel, but you'll just have to wait and learn more about that one.  He's always helpful when it comes to gadgets, and if something isn't right he's usually the one that can fix it.  Our crew wouldn't be complete without him.

In no particular order lets continue with the guy who has loved trains his whole life: Josh.  He's a hardcore train enthusiast who chases steam and freight trains across the country.  He's the go to guy for the best locations for photos and video.  Although he specializes in video he also shoots photography.  This guy knows his trains and if you want to know special information about the train in question he'll probably know the answer.  He's also the guy that normally has something weird happen to him, for instance running out of his shoe while he dashes down the road.  You could say he's started all this madness, for he's the one that has been chasing the longest.  (I guess you could say that it's his fault that we're all crazy...maybe)

Then there's Milissa.  She just goes with the flow, quick with funny comments and remarks; you never know what is going to come out of her mouth.  Armed with her camera and phone she is one you don't want to mess with.  She is the go to girl for information: updates on schedule changes, progress on weather and other general information.  She's also the resident sleeper, you'd be surprised how quickly she can fall asleep and some of the places.  But thats usually only after a very long day of train chasing.

Our newest crew member is Reesa.    We can call her a rookie, but don't let that fool you.  She is quick with the camera and she knows her stuff.  She helps Josh shoot his video while he takes photos.  They're a great team and some awesome footage comes out between the two of them.  She just started chasing with us at the start of the year and she catches on quick.  She may not be in love with the trains like us (hey we're crazy) but she loves the excitement that goes along with the chase.

The rest of the crew is related to me; this will explain quite a bit.  First off we have Ken (Dad or in some cases Old Man.)  He's the reason why I love trains as much as I do.  He's been fascinated with them since he was a little boy and has passed that on to me.  When I was little we would be standing out on the observation car in rain, snow or heat for the entire trip.  You have to watch him though, he can't be trusted on uneven ground or near holes.  Then he tends to do acrobatic tricks that are quite amusing.  He just purchased a new camera and is excited to try it out.  

Next is Mary (Mom).  She is pretty much the voice of reason (sometimes).  She likes trains but isn't as hardcore (crazy) like me and my dad.  She tags along in the back taking photos and just having fun with the crew.  I will say she's an easy target, and sometimes end up as the butt of our jokes.  It's all in good fun and she retaliates (for those of you worried about that).  Mom's usually the one yelling at me or my dad to step back from the tracks.  Apparently we're not satisfied with a shot unless we're inches from the front of the train.

Then there is Carrie.  I guess you could say she's an honorary member of the crew.  She isn't as taken with train chasing as the rest of us.  She likes the camaraderie but is not too keen on jumping in and out of the car as we race down the road.  There are many times that she calls us crazy, but this is usually when she has white knuckles from holding onto the seat in front of her.  (Can't imagine why she would need to hold on...do you?)  She's more of a train passenger then an actual train chaser.  We'll convert her yet.

Last but not least there is me.  I am what the group calls a "Steam Snob."  I refuse to take photos of diesel engines and I'm not thrilled when I ride them either.  Most of the crew are excited for any train ride, but I'm usually the one griping that it isn't steam.  I can't really explain my fascination with steam, but you'd understand if you were standing at a railroad crossing seeing the black smoke steaming from the stack, hearing the chug of the engine and the beautiful sound of a whistle from the boiler within.  I just started out taking photos for fun, but quickly discovered that this was one subject I seemed to excel at.  I tend to be the one with ideas to chase this train or that.  I research all over the country trying to find steam trains that are unique.

That's the misfit crew.  Now you know, so when I mention names you will have a sense of background knowledge.      

Aren't we a good looking bunch?

What is a Train Chaser?

Random person:  "Oh you're a photographer?  What do you specialize in?"
Me: "I'm a train chaser."
Random person: "Uh?"

It has occurred to me that most normal people have no concept of what a train chaser is.  I guess that mean's I'm not a normal person.  Over the years I've had to explain more then once what it is I actually do.  Since I've decided to create a blog on the events that occur on these chases, I might as well explain once and for all what it is a train chaser does.  It's a very simple idea and you can apply it to many things like storm chasing, or in a morbid way ambulance chasing.  Train chasing is exactly what it says: we chase a train.  For those who need more details I'll break it down for you.

First the crew that I travel with (I'll get into more details about them later) locate a train that interests us, it can be a tourist train located in Colorado or maybe a coal train crossing borders.  Once we've settled on a train, we study maps of the area finding the best routes to take 1) to get to the train and 2) locate areas near the tracks that will provide the best shots.  We also check weather forecasts, and sun positions.  I bet I can guess what you're thinking: sun positions? What does that have to do with anything.  For the best shot and video the sun needs to be on the nose of the train and we need to be on the sunny side.  In some cases the sun will be on the wrong side of the tracks or even worse behind the train.  You see the shady part of the train turns the photo dark and loses details.  Once we've cleared the weather, researched routes and sun positions it's time to load up the car with our gear.  We are armed with cameras, lenses, lens cleaners, tri-pods, video equipment, sound equipment...the list goes on.  It's time to hit the open road and it usually here where odd things occur, making the trip memorable.  On a normal train chase we follow it from the station to it's destination and back again.  We follow the roads that run parallel with the tracks and sometimes even pace the train.  It's basically a hurry up and wait game, we fly past the train to get in front of it to a crossing.  Then we hop out take photos or video as the train passes us by.  We jump back in the car and repeat the process.  (I told you we weren't normal.)    

The best part of train chasing is riding together with the crew.  Depending on the day there will be anywhere from 4-7 people in the car.  Sometimes there is eight and we are forced to split into two cars but we usually try to avoid that.  Now picture this 7 people in one car flying down a dirt road next to a train.  They pull in front of the train stoping at a crossing just up the road, dirt is flying and these 7 people scramble out of the car and rush towards the rail road crossing.  I guarantee it is something you wouldn't forget and I am proud to say we've made a mark on several unsuspecting passengers.

Despite what you may think, there are millions of train chasers all over the world.  You would be surprised at how many people are fascinated with these iron giants.  Sometimes trains are so popular that there will be hundreds of cars chasing it from city to city.  We're all volleying for the best shot and competition can be fierce.  Cars get in the video blocking the train or people stand in our way as we try and take a photo of the train coming down the tracks.  It doesn't matter how many times you've chased a train, nothing ever is the same.  So stick around and prepare to hear some outrageous stories as I take you with on some of our journeys.