10/22/2017
West Waterford Update, We've Moved!
Ken Karlewicz, You Tube Update
Here is the link for My first
YouTube video.
Let
me know what you think...
Ken Karlewicz
New Paint!
Tonight finds me parked
alongside the Pan Am Railways main line at East Kingston, NH, having driven
down from Hinesburg under the pretense of catching the Pan Am Office Car
Special (OCS) returning eastbound to Portland overnight after spending the
weekend at the Glory Days railfan event in White River Jct. In theory, a great
idea! In reality, while the OCS rarely runs at night, my back up plan was to
shoot the New Hampshire Northcoast (NHN) gravel train, dependably returning
around 04:00 from Boston. There also was a good chance the Pan Am
freights EDPO and SEPO would be seen, powered by the newly acquired ex-CSX
C40-8s. For a nice change, I was not dealing with a single train.
The drive down from
Hinesburg consumes close to three and a half hours. At this time of night
though, it is a breeze, mostly interstate with little traffic. The drive
went well until..........I was closing in on the last turn, from rte. 125 onto
rte. 107. It’s eleven thirty and as I am looking for the sign for 107 I come
upon on of those temporary led road signs warning of planned activities. This
one read...........NIGHTTIME PAVING DETOUR AHEAD. Coming upon the paving,
I was (predictably) detoured around the stretch of road
that contained the turn for 107. I realized this after I had driven south
a few miles. I then backtracked and asked some paving company folks how to get
to 107 and East Kingston from here and they helped me out. A twenty to thirty
min. delay.Arriving at East Kingston the eastbound signal is green already! I was hoping this was not the OCS and was relieved to see EDPO come by. Now I could set up the lights and cut back the new growth sumac again, lol! I was last here in April, and was impressed at the reclaiming of ground the sumac had made! By midnight twenty three I was taking my first test shot. The next eastbound train would not show up until 04:39! By then it was obvious the OCS was not going to appear. It was the timeframe for the NHN gravel train making its return trip from Boston. I kept busy tweaking the lights, then listening to Coast To Coast AM while staring at the eastbound signal. Trying to “will it” to turn green. That didn’t work well at all, lol! While in the car I spotted a good size skunk wandering the area, so when I was outside I kept “awake” with an eye open for it.
It was well after 04:30 when the signal lit up green! This must be the gravel train I concluded. Running behind NHN GP 38-2s, this would be a nice catch indeed! I get up atop the stepladder, test the lighting, idling along all this time. and it looks fine. Within a couple minutes the crossing signals directly behind my position activate, the track down below the station lights up reflecting approaching headlights. I fire off an awareness flash for the crew. Now headlights appear, here comes the head end! I watch judging train speed as the lead unit quickly closes in on the station and my mark, I press the shutter release before the leaders pilot plow is by my mark. It turns out to be a good move as in the split second it takes for my eye to hand coordination to function, the front of the lead engine moves ten feet and is past my mark!
But................the reflection! In the instant the lighting reflects back I see the striped yellow and green nose of the newly repainted and rebuilt GP 38-2 3823! 3823 is the only GP 38-2 with the stripes I believe? Then darkness envelopes the scene, in a rush of wailing air horn and locomotives the head end roars past me followed by the empty hoppers. Once the last car is by me, I get down and inspect the image. It looks good! I like the nose! The station is its usual photogenic self. The wait was worth it! It is an honor to shoot trains at night here! See what you think? Shot on September 12, 2017 at 04:39, 1/800 at f3.5. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.
All The Best In 2017;
Gary Knapp
New additions for the paper train pool....
While some new home road cars are greatly
needed, these recently weathered
CN and CV paper cars were just placed into service and were photographed on
southbound Train RW6 (the paper train) as they posed during an early morning
cloudburst at Cobleskill N.Y.
They had been sitting on a shelf in boxes in the basement for the past
year and it was time to get back on something besides scenery.
I just bought a new, (used) camera, and the Sony X100 has the ability to
choose film effects while shooting.
The first I believe is Fugi Provia and the bottom one is a color print
film effect.
I still have to do some weathering on the rooftops but got excited to use
and test the camera.
I like the color range in the Pro via one better myself.
Hope you guys are having a great day...
Ken Karlewicz
CN and CV paper cars were just placed into service and were photographed on
southbound Train RW6 (the paper train) as they posed during an early morning
cloudburst at Cobleskill N.Y.
They had been sitting on a shelf in boxes in the basement for the past
year and it was time to get back on something besides scenery.
I just bought a new, (used) camera, and the Sony X100 has the ability to
choose film effects while shooting.
The first I believe is Fugi Provia and the bottom one is a color print
film effect.
I still have to do some weathering on the rooftops but got excited to use
and test the camera.
I like the color range in the Pro via one better myself.
Hope you guys are having a great day...
Ken Karlewicz
Ken Karlewicz's July Op Session Update
Last Night in Maine!
My last night in Maine.
Tomorrow, Sunday, I drive Mom and myself back home to Vermont in the bright
hours............eeeek! I sacrificed the seafood dinner for a Subway
Veggie-Delite salad with egg, in the interests of arriving in Livermore Falls,
easily a two hour drive, before RUPO did. Once I arrived in
Livermore Falls, I waited to hear some indication from the District One
dispatcher of RUPO as the previous night I had heard them starting out of
Rumford in the wee hours, most unusual. Instead, after an hour and a half,
having heard nothing, I feared the worst, that the job was not in the area, and
headed southeast to Winthrop, figuring I could double back in the event the job
showed some sign of life and if not, I could still count of WAPO being around
overnight. Thirty min. later I am in Winthrop, park and shut off the car to
listen...........both to the scanner and for WAPO on the line that goes through
town, after twenty min. of uncomfortable silence I get the idea to go to
Monmouth. Maybe a twenty min. drive.
Arriving in town from
the north rather than the south, I drift down the hill to the rte. 132 crossing
and turn to swing in and park at my familiar spot. Bright red reflects
back from my headlights! Another car is parked in my spot! A man is inside
staring back at me! What the heck!? You gotta be kidding me I thought. I drove
down past the freight house, turned around and come back up and park behind the
red car. Having heard nothing on the scanner, I figured to set up anyways
hoping to see WAPO. It’s my last night here for a while, I would like to shoot
a train of course. I pop the hatchback, get
out and change into hiking boots, then start to put together the lighting. The
man jumps out to ask if he is “in the way”. I assure him he is not, and we
converse about our various “missions” tonight. His name is Justin Berard, a
railfan, he is waiting for WAPO as a friend of his, the engineer, is making his
last run on this job before taking a yard switcher job in Waterville! Justin
relates how he normally waits to see WAPO further east in Belgrade, but
tonight, for some reason, he decided to go to Monmouth with his grandson
accompanying him! We chat while I set up a couple lights. He asks about the lighting and what I am up to over here from Hinesburg, Vermont. Then Justin mentions how “they are already by Belgrade”. I walk a little quicker now, LOL! Knowing it will not be 02:30 tonight when they go by! Justin is surprised I seem to know where each flash unit needs to be placed, then I mention how I just did this setup last night! LOL! I invite Justin to pose in the photo waving to his friend for me. Please? He agrees to! His grandson is asleep in the car seat, so why not! I’m pumped up! This could be great! And to think I tried to bribe Bonnie & Richard Wingler to come over from Cadyville, NY and pose for me with the promise of a gift certificate to The York River Landing?! (Big smile) Justin shares the lead locomotive, it’s the 611, an SD45 carbody wearing the “Blue Dip” scheme. Perfect! I have not shot the Blue Dip here. Tonights the night!
I finish setting up the lighting, (whew!) and I position Justin in the scene. After a couple test shots and repositioning of flash units, I’m happy. A headlamp goes on the ground behind Justins feet to remind him where he needs to stand and to prevent me from cutting off his feet while hand holding the tiny GR when the 611 comes past us. Just like it was rehearsed, an air horn blows for a crossing in town! WAPO is here! Like previous run-bys here, everything slows down. Minutes seem to pass as WAPO proceeds towards us. Justin practices his “wave” as I do a couple test shots. It is so quiet, the power sounds like it right up around the curve. Now the crossings signals activate, headlights illuminate the cut above the crossing then slowly swing into view, navigating the short tangent section of track then 611s loud air horn blows for the crossing leading WAPO over it! The live view monitor on the GR goes dark as the shutter closes down from the headlights! Justins is down in front of me waving away, I’m atop the stepladder watching my marks. This time I want to wait until the cab is closer to me.
I’ve got Justins feet framed OK as 611s cab looms large coming off the crossing. I find my other mark as it goes out from 611s plow passing in front of it, pause, then press the shutter release. Blue reflects back before darkness returns! I give the engineer a wave as the cab slowly passes me then wait to carefully get down after the last car is past. There’s no waiting to see the photo though, it looks like SUCCESS on the back of the GR! I give Justin a thumbs up! Back down on the ground Justin agrees, he likes the photo too! We share emails before he takes off to follow his friend further southwest towards Portland. I am on cloud nine afterwards! This is a shot I wanted to get before the EMDs disappear with more GEs coming to Pan Am.
I was reminded of the late Dr. Alan Irwin reflecting on tonights adventure. A constant source of encouragement and admiration for my railroad photography, Alan himself a highly skilled photographer, he was always reminding me how “Luck favors the prepared.” This was certainly the case tonight! Special thanks of course to Justin Berard! Shot in Monmouth, Maine on June 24, 2017 at 00:12. 1/800 at f2.8. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.
All The Best In 2017;
Gary Knapp
"Old Ties - A Load For A Gondola"
In Chapter 22 I gave you everything you needed to know about
modeling a scrap tie pile.
In this chapter I'll tie (pun unintended) the two ideas together
in modeling a load for a gondola. I again used my wife's (used) Diamond
matches. They come 300 to a box so you get plenty to go the distance
should you choose to make a full load (photo 1). I made a partial load
filling in the remainder of the floor with bric-a-brac and some Monster Model
Works tie plates. The ties only consist of a single layer on top of a
piece of 1/8 tick balsa and some grey cardboard for height (photo 2). I
painted/stained the match stick ties individually with a combination of black,
grey and brown. This is a bit tedious but, (I think) worth the effort for
achieving realism.
A caveat: I don't go to the rather insane level of
explanation the contemporary modeling magazines go in describing my how-to
methods. The "chapters" are meant to be inspirational. If
you chose to follow up on any of my ideas you welcome to approach them in your
own manner.
Cheers,
Wayne Sittner
5/14/2017
The Golden Track Nail
Ken Karlewicz Op Session
Southbound with B&M power at Central Bridge waiting on a recrew.
Aaron's helper set in Cobleskill
Northbound coming north down Richmondville hill into Cobleskill.
Action in Cobleskill...southbound passing the helpers on the team track and the local on the #2 main.
The 5002 and 5005 working the team track in Cobleskill.
Thanks for the pictures Brad Peterson and the Great layout Ken Karlewicz
A Little Georgia In Ft Edward
When I pulled in to the parking area here at Fort Edward, I started changing into rain gear and hiking boots when I heard an air horn south of me! Not knowing if or when 931 was departing from nearby Saratoga, NY I concluded the worst was about to happen, stopped changing and moved across the track, ready to drive back north. After a few minutes of silence it became evident the air horn I heard belonged to a southbound my scanner did not pick up! Whew! Probably the Whitehall to Saratoga local D44 I concluded. We are still on! I finished changing and set up the lighting. I waited for an hour and a half once I was set up before I heard a train blowing for the crossing to the south at Gansevoort, NY here we go! But as it approached the air horn sounded suspiciously like a CP air horn, NOT the more melodic NS horn! After a few minutes D44 came slowly past the station providing me with a test shot of the jobs pair of GP20-C Ecco units! Nice, but not what I came down for. The resulting photo told me my changing the nose lighting this time was a good idea, as I pointed the flash heads slightly away from the nose rather than head on.
Some forty five minutes after D44 was by me I could hear a new air horn, this time it sounded like NS, coming from the south! Train time! After several minutes 931 came across the two bridges over the Hudson River at Rogers Island south of me and into town! Rounding the curve below the station then up past me at perhaps thirty mph, the lighting was so subtle when I pressed the shutter release I did not notice it reflecting back with 8101s headlights before me! Jeez! Did it go off?! The short consist, not more than twenty cars it seemed was by me quickly, but the image on the back of the GR told the story..........SUCCESS! What a beautiful paint scheme! And that nose. Wow! I was glad I was wary of throwing too much light on the nose, (the entire locomotive for that matter) with its light gray top level. Special thanks to Richard Wingler and Gordy Smith! Shot in Fort Edward, NY at 04:52 on April 7, 2017. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.
All The Best In 2017;
Gary Knapp
4/04/2017
253 By Midnight
In tonight's night photo we return to Canadian Pacific's ex-Delaware & Hudson Canadian Main at Plattsburgh, NY. Standing in for you and I in the photo are long time D&H railfans Bonnie and Richard Wingler who, upon being promised a “253 by midnight” agreed to drive “into town” from nearby Cadyville to join me to pose in the night photo. They knew what they were getting into, (big smile)! Bonnie and Richard are responsible for inviting me down to Rogers Island in Fort Edward, NY to shoot this gem at their re-enactment campsite: https://neverhomeboy.smugmug.com/Canadian-Pacifics-Delaware-Hud/i-tD66hqC/A in Sept. 2010. Tonight marked the first time we had met up in over two years!
The reason behind our “rendevous” was the pair of 5000 series rebuilt SD-30 Ecco units powering 253 tonight! This was thought to be the first time a pair of the attractive rebuilds have worked on the D&H together. We are all for this becoming an operational pattern! LOL! Run the Ecco units on the short run from Montreal to Saratoga, NY and save the GEs to go west! The Winglers drove in tonight as I was finishing the lighting around 21:30. We did the required test shots, Gary did his tweaking of the lighting, and the new owner of the station building came out to see what we were up to. He liked how his new home, the station, looked in my test shots! He will get copies yes!
With 253 normally departing from Saratoga, NY at 19:00, we knew we could expect to see them here anytime after 22:30, depending on work enroute, etc. We talked by our autos as 22:30 came and went, and 23:00. But we heard a garbled transmission on the car scanner which we took for the defective equipment detector south of us at Port Kent, and some twenty minutes later we heard more garbled talk which we deduced to be 253 working nearby in Bluff Point Yard. After several minutes of talk silence took over, and we took up positions, crossing the track wading through the snow, only to hear after several minutes 253 talking with the dispatcher. Ok......NOW we concluded they are on the move! Bonnie thought how we should hear 253 whistle for crossings south of us, and I thought to myself, yeah right, not tonight........because we are in here! LOL!
Maybe ten minutes pass by as we listened for the approaching 253. The reason for our attention was how they come around a blind curve, over Dock St. crossing, and down past us at the station with an allowed track speed of thirty mph. You need to be ready. I think I hear ‘em! This proved to be a railfan failure, LOL! Then several minutes later we hear the distinct, but faint rumble of EMD prime movers. Suddenly the quiet is broken as crossing signals activate up at Dock St. An air horn sounds out blending in with the bells at the crossing! And CP 5035 emerges from behind a building on the blind curve, I fire off the lighting as they cross Dock St. I’m judging 253s speed as he rolls in on us, the engineer gives us a short toot just before 5035s pilot plow passes my mark! Yup! It looks like thirty mph to me! After shooting Pan Am Railways for several nights this is fast! LOL!
The lighting does its thing and I check the image as it comes up on the rear of the camera, then out of habit turn to give a wave to the head end, now several car lengths past me! Having shot this scene many times with the Canon 5D in the past, tonight surprisingly marked the first time I have shot with the Ricoh GR here! I am smiling after seeing the results! We three migrate back over across the track to the autos where we visited for a while then Bonnie & Richard headed for home. I stayed to see what 252 had for power coming across the border into Rouses Point, (just in case) but they had a GE, so I collected the lighting and took off. Shot in Plattsburgh, NY on March 20, 2017 at 23:40. First day of spring! We are holding off on planting gardens.....for now. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.
Bonus photos are included of myself with both Bonnie and Richard! They deserve to be publicized! Not all my railfan friends are willing to pose in my night photos. You know who you are, lol! Special thanks to Bonnie and Richard! By the way, the tiny point and shoot hanging from my neck in the photos IS indeed the $550 Ricoh GR! With Pocket Wizard transmitter attached to the hotshoe. An amazing camera/lens combo!
All The Best In 2017;
Gary
Universal Man
In Chapter 8 "The Gulliver Effect" covered how I alter figures for specific "needs" but, this little fellow wasn't so much altered as he was used for a variety of specific needs. I think most of you saw when I used this guy as a man waving. Many of the visitor groups even got to see him wave good-by via email after you left and returned home. He was thanking you for your courtesy.
I've used the same figure to adjust the mirror on my trucks and now, with an easily made prop he hands up train orders. I attached the "prop" with Elmer's so it can be removed easily when using the figure for other needs or to return him to the adjuster of truck mirrors. And, yes I know I have to have the fireman reaching from the cab to retrieve said "orders".
Wayne Sittner
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