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I Cannot Control The Weather... But

Joseph C Hinson

Blog #28 of 48

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April 20th, 2014 - 09:10 PM

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I Cannot Control The Weather... But

As a railroad photographer, I used to hate cloudy and rainy days. I considered it a personal affront to me to have to go out and shoot on days where the weather was not pristine. And, what do you know, railroads run in all kinds of weather. As I get older, I realize the sheer lunacy in worrying too much about the weather. Afterall, we cannot control the weather, unless you believe Art Bell. So instead of bitching and moaning about it, I still go out and shoot in it and sometimes get some stellar shots.

This past weekend, two railroads took a really big load from the port in Charleston, SC up to the General Electric plant in Greenville. The first day had the train going from Charleston to the CSX Railroad yard in Cayce, not far from where I live. So on Friday, I got up early and caught it going up the old Columbia, Newberry & Laurens Railroad. The shots weren't great, but I was really looking more forward to the Saturday leg of the trip anyway. So I got a few shots of it in Irmo, SC, then came home.





So as any good photographer, I kept checking the weather forecast for Saturday. Instead of getting better, the forecast actually got worse. Rain on and off all day. So on the day of the final leg of the move, I woke up with a horrendous headache. I took this as a sign not to go. A quick check of various Facebook groups told me the train had not left yet. So I took a hot bath in a dark bathroom after downing some headache meds and finally decided to make the trip.

There was one shot I had been wanting to get for some time and the weather would actually work to my advantage as I would not have to worry about sun angles and shadows. So when we pulled into town and saw the train crossing the first road, I was happy and shocked by our good timing. The railroad crew was actually having to put the train together, so it was not leaving yet which gave me plenty of time to set up my shot and shoot the breeze with some of the other railfans who were also braving the weather that day.

So with the rain, I tried to be very careful with my camera. I kept it in the bag for as long as I thought I should and then kept it under my shirt until the last possible minute. I did not want it to get wet. But then I had to put the camera up to my eye to compose the shot. Remember this was the one shot I wanted above all others that day! And as I made some last second changes to the settings and framed it as I wanted, I never noticed the one thing that was going to make me cuss that night as I processed the shots.....



Rain spots. Above the train on the right side of the frame is a big blob of rain. Dust spots can be cloned out, but a rain spot on a tree would take way more time and effort than I'd care to invest. I got some decent shots that day considering the weather, most of them without any rain spots.....





But on the one shot I wanted to turn out better than any of the rest, rain spots.

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So at some point during the chase yesterday, my son and I saw a little store near the tracks and decided to take a bathroom break and get a drink. While I waited for my son, another customer came in that knew the clerk and they were talking to each other about the crowd of folks standing beside the track. Neither knew what was going on. So I told them there was a really big rail car with a big load on it for GE.

The clerk expected something really cool and got her smart phone and said she was going to take a picture. By now, I butted in and told them what it was and that my son and I had come up from Columbia. She looked excited as she waited for the train to come into view.

And finally the train came into view... first the GWI=painted unit, then the red and grey. The clerk just stood there waiting.... then the flat car. Finally the GE load came into view... and her shoulders slumped. She never took the picture.

I said, "It's a really big ass rail car," She came back around the counter and rang up our drinks. I thought about making a snarky comment, maybe even mentioning that they should probably clean their bathrooms more than once every ten years, but didn't.

It seemed like the railfans and railroaders following the train were joined by people who just happened to see it passing and fell in with the caravan. At one point, a mini van with a family in it joined and the mother was heard to say, "I never thought this is how I'd spend my Saturday morning." Since she was out at multiple stops, I assume she was enjoying it.

Just thought it was fun and funny to watch the caravan. And I couldn't help but think, "If it's this crazy today chasing a freight train in the rain, how is going to be next year when the 611 is out?"

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Reginald McDowell

9 Years Ago

Irmo, SC

Great series of shots Joe!!