Re: Why do Railfan charters have to be so exclusive?

KevinM Wrote:
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> Earl, I think you've pretty much hit the nail on
> the head . . .  I think the camaraderie piece of
> it is still there, though.  At least in my case it is.

Ah-yup.  There's nothing quite like returning from Osier to Antonito in the rider gon under the light of a full moon while sharing a bottle of wine with a couple of hard-core phraud-o-grapher® friends.  I've been blessed to share that experience at least twice, IIRC . . .    

Chris Webster Wrote:
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> Photography has also changed.  Maybe today's fan
> trips should have "Selfie Stops" instead of run-bys?

No need to stop for "Selfies" if the above-mentioned camera-aderie is on board — IMHO, the best shots, while not exactly "Selfies", are taken by friends while the train is moving:






. . . or not:




trainrider47 Wrote:
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> Kevin to the contrary, I sure enjoy riding and
> based on the number of people riding in the
> gondolas or riding out on the caboose platforms or
> up in the cupola on charters, people are enjoying
> the ride. Lots of talking going on too. Sure, at
> the end of the day many would like to get to
> dinner quicker, but on the 2015 HTP charter we had
> to move the train from Cumbres to Antonito over
> night. A small number of us chose to ride and it
> was pure magic. It was a full moon and when the
> train made the turn into the gorge at MP 321.5 it
> was like somebody had turned on a giant flood
> light, the moon was so bright shining down the
> canyon. It was bright enough to show colors in
> the aspens and cast shadows of the train on the
> walls of cuts. I've got no pictures on film or digi-
> tal, but images are burned into my head. I'd do
> that trip again in a heart beat!

Youse guys even stopped at Hangman's Trestle so I could try a shot using a couple of big flashbulbs, but I wasn't able to pull it off.  Like you, though, I do have the slowly fading memories.  And the memory of running my car over a big rock on the mesa above The Whiplash the following morning . . .  

MSRRKevin Wrote:
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> You can still buy used Athearn F7s and a few
> freight cars used & have a tabletop setup for
> fifty bucks.  I just don't think that most model
> railroaders want that anymore.


All valid points, but I still enjoy riding and I take photos mainly to spark good memories -

My parents made the mistake of buying me an Athearn F7 for Christmas back in the late fifties.  Dang thing never did run right, and I couldn't afford one of those after-market power replacements.  A three-day trip on the D&RGW cost about the same in 1960, and even with only one or two run-bys each day was a MUCH better investment!

- El Abuelo Histœrico, Greengo y Curmudgeoño de los Locomoturas Viejos y Verdes,
aka Der Grossväterlich DünkelOlivGrünDampfKesselMantelLiebHabender



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2019 09:25PM by Russo Loco.