Even if the busy mainline is filled with beautiful viewpoints, you still need luck. After hours of waiting for no train to come, in the burning sun, our stock of water heating up and shrinking away too fast, we had to decide to do something else. Take a break (like what the train traffic did). Walk back to the car. Get a dollar menu at … Continue reading Time for a break
Double stack container trains (and the Stagger’s act, check wikipedia) have played a major role in the revival of American railroads. They allowed huge efficiency gains and competing prices, helping rail freight transporters become profitable companies. To illustrate the point made in the previous chapter of this story: this shot was made after switching lenses and setting up again. 2 trains and a number of … Continue reading Long live double stack trains
When out shooting, one of my goals is to not make two photos from the same point of view. Always try different angles. Unless I want the conditions to be exactly on the spot, of course. So, when the next eastbound train announced itself, I set up to shoot the photo that will follow next, but first made this image of the portal of the … Continue reading A well used tunnel
Making photos of the same train doesn’t become boring. For getting this shot, I had to run down the hill a bit and zoom out. The speed of the trains allows it easily… Continue reading More curves
The Tehachapi loop is spectacular to see, but the line between Bakersfield and Mojave still has a lot more to offer. It runs almost completely through a mountainous area. There seems to be no meter of straight track on the line. A lot of tunnels were needed to conquer the pass. They are identified by a number, counting up from Bakersfield. Here an eastbound train … Continue reading Tunnels and curves
1 day. That’s what it takes to get from Brussels to the west coast of the United States. The flight brought my friend and I safely to San Francisco International Airport. I recommend visiting San Francisco, it’s a nice city. I visited a couple of years ago already though, and the longing for adventure in the wide open was too strong… so after getting our … Continue reading The loop
Railscapes 