Friday Foaming In Rockville

by Jim on 2011/07/08

[Jimbaux is breaking his own vows, knowing he’ll go down in flames.]

Make Me Believe

What, you don’t like Godsmack?  What in the heck is wrong with you?

As I mentioned at the beginning of the crazy color posting, I was working on that post around midday Friday when I was thinking of going foaming but also right when Melanie invited me and a few friends over to the pool.  Let’s see, what do I want to do?  Do I want to drive a zillion miles to find trains that might not be there, or do I want to hang out with some lovely ladies at the pool.  Yeah, I like trains, but I didn’t have to think very hard about this one.

Will I Ever Feel Like I Once Did?

You guys are not going to get these references if you don’t listen to the song!  What?!?!?!  You don’t like Godsmack?  Is it possible to not like Godsmack?  Anyway, the gathering at the pool was nice.  It disbanded, but it later reconvened elsewhere.  Before that, however, I went out and got some pictures nearby.  Guess what I photographed?

Well, isn’t that special?  It’s almost a train picture.  It’s almost a train.  To be specific, it’s a shot of a Shady Grove train on the Red Line of the WMATA.

I Know This Can’t Be Right

Well, I hope that it gets better than this soon, lest I think life is a waste of time.

That’s better.  It’s a real train this time.

However, the above two photos give evidence of one thing that majorly sucks about all of today’s train shots.  They’re all shot through fences, which really fouls things.  If I had my old 70-200mm/f2.8, this would be less of a problem.  I need to find a way to get my hands on another one of those.  Anyone care to make a donation?  No?  Okay.

There’s Got To Be Something More That I Can Live For

Doesn’t today’s song truly rock?  I saw those guys in concert twice in New Orleans, and it was awesome!

I moved further north to another location, and I made a quick stop at the Super Siete for foamer snacks.  Ah, what an afternoon!  There I was, just after and before spending time with lovely friends, standing on an overpass over the track in Rockville, Maryland, camera hanging from my neck, scanner buzzing, bottle of cold Vanilla Coke, bag of Cheetos, MARC putting out, breeze blowing, CSX sucking, sun setting.  Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

All is right in the world, even though I don’t have a real, real train.  Well, not all is right in the world, really, but I’m trying to fake it until I make it; so, work with me here, okay?

Visual evidence – in the form of a weed-chocked spur not visible in the picture – suggests that the building at the far left of the picture once had rail service.

Running In Circles, Confusion Is Calling My Name

Whatever, Jimbaux Sully.  Doesn’t Sully rock?  Here’s the eastward view from atop the overpass, complete with evidence of the oh-so-vexing fence.

Yeah, I know, it’s nothing special, but it is what it is.  Oh, y’all need to check out the comments left at the bottom of the prior post!  I’ve also gotten several private replies about that, many from people from this area telling me to not judge the area by the actions of those at St. Denis, who are apparently known to be that way.

Throw Away My Dreams

Here’s something else I grabbed on the way down:

That’s enough of that foolishness.  After that, I rejoined the socializing I had left earlier, and that’s where this story rightfully ends, my peeps.

Be Cool, Keep Pimpin’

What, you don’t like Kid Rock?  Oh, yes, Jimbaux, don’t change the subject from Godsmack.  Well, I need to change the subject anyway!  First, please remember, if you like what you see here, please join the Facebook fan page, the best way to be alerted to site updates; just go to that link and hit “Like” once you get there.

In my continuing efforts to promote the work of my friends, I offer you two very different pieces from two very different friends from two very different parts of the country.

Creamy Goodness

That’s the name of Mark’s and his brother’s group.  Listen to their stuff, including a neat version of “Careless Whisper” that’s very different than both the original version and the Seether version, here.  Tell ’em that Jimbaux sent you, a’ight?

Bernie Stresses Stress

Bernie, in his latest post, did a wonderful job of encapsulating a problem that I seem to have had all my life, and while I do not want to take pleasure in anyone’s pain, it’s reassuring to know that I am not alone in my suffering regarding the subject about which he managed to say so much in so few words.  Isn’t it a great piece?  If you post a comment on his site, if you don’t mind, please repost the same comment here so I can read it too!  Drop by his site, and tell him Jimbaux sent you, a’ight?

Peace,

Jimbaux

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

1 Tom Becket July 8, 2011 at 08:56

You’ll never get used to the fences, but you will learn to work with them. One of the problems with most of the northeast is that many areas where passenger trains run-which is a lot of them-is that there has been a history of vandalism. This usually involves idle youth throwing things from bridges onto, or in front of, trains. There were many NE Corridor assigned Amtrak engines that had metal grates over the windshields(known as “ghetto grilles” to combat this unfortunate phenomenon. One other function of the fences is to discourage jumpers.

Fences with the normal size links are not too hard to work with, you can usually position your camera so that it will get in the space sufficiently well to not obstruct the shot. The tight weave is a little more challenging. I have found that the fence links generally don’t show up in the photos, due to them being too close to the lens, but it’s something you may want to play with.

One other caution: there are a lot of people who apparently don’t have enough to do, who carry cell phones. If they see someone taking pictures of trains from a bridge as you are doing, they may call the cops on you. It’s not as bad now as it was right after 9/11, but there are still enough of them out there, and still enough cops who don’t understand that taking photos of subjects in plain sight from a public vantage point is not illegal, that it could result in an unpleasant encounter. Some of the train crews also used to view calling in fans as great sport, though this seems to be more prevalent among the transit operators than the railroad people. You may never have a problem, but be aware that the northeast is still kinda wired about these things, and most of the cops see EVERYONE as a suspect, even if you’re not doing anything illegal.

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