What the other guys said is also true. But consider this. If you live more than 300 miles away you may be booking precious transportation costs, time off work, and motels, etc. So if you are gone for say one week, with 2 days of charters, you are probably going to spend maybe $1500, or more, based on $100.00 a night lodging for starters. Well the folks that can afford the expensive charters figure they are already spending a lot just to get there, so they want the best bang for the buck, and the $1000.00 for a two day charter is still cheaper than the other costs involved with getting there and staying in the area.
From my standpoint I probably am now in the camp of the cheaper charters. I feel I don't get the bang for the buck with the expensive ones. Too many camera clicks from the machine-gun still cameras, and everyone is elbow to elbow to get the right framing of the scene. Tons of walking and time is always a factor to get the runways in so its sort of frantic in some respects. There is lots of competition to get to a spot quickly so someone doesn't
get left out. If you are slow like me, you get what you get and I have been to spots where I couldn't get the shot at all, having to settle for something inferior. Now that's with 40-50 people. The railfan charters are somewhat "Competitive" because of that, and I can understand that cause the patrons have paid a lot of money and expect to get good shots, even if they are the same as 50 other guys.
The thing I do like most about the charters is that not only is the train good looking, but the engines usually work a bit hard, and thus put on a good show. This is not only good for stills, but for video, and sound. I remember doing the John Craft charter in 1992, and we got nice shots eastbound between Osier and Sublette, because they worked the engine a bit and they looked and sounded great. On a normal train these spots are mainly downhill and they would be free-wheeling so to speak with not much excitement.
I also enjoy getting spots on my own, that maybe someone else is not going to capture. Thats difficult unless you are doing the regular trains. I cannot do as much as I did in the old days, and am happy I have done a handful of events in the old days. Frankly I enjoyed going out for a week, riding the train, and staying around to photograph, including a special C&TS train(Dinner train), and the engineer school freights. Those were interesting and not the normal passenger train(School trains).
Any way you want to slice it the C&TS is an amazing place, for all of the above to please every taste imaginable. At least they don't charge $3,000 for a coach seat, and $5,000 for a dome car behind the first excursion of 4014 from Ogden to Evanston on May 12th!!! Domes sold out too!!! Everything is relative!
Greg
