This "outerloper" wasn't able to sustain the energy to join in the slides Friday night, after a long day on the River Line. (Steve thought I was working on my computer, but it's a lie.) Thanks to the several of you who gave me good leads for some nice shots (including MN near Manitou), in spite of the overwhelming "brownness" of the territory in its present state.
I'd be interested in reading any sentiments about the shows. It was my first EastRAIL, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Having said that, I'll jump in and offer some thoughts of my own. For me, the two best shows were Greg McDonnell's Canadian coverage and Conrad Milster's wonderful essay on the steam tugs and railroad barges of New York Harbor. Scott Snell's East Broad Top journey and Robert Hart's memories of Lackawanna electrics were also strong runners-up. And Steve Barry did a nice show on South Jersey shortlines. In each of these shows, I learned something and was entertained in the process. In Greg's show I learned just what an extraordinary artistic eye he has, and how he has coupled it with his camera work. Motor drives are one thing (assuming he uses one), but choosing how to use one and select the results for inclusion in a show is quite another matter. And his selection of subjects and the composition thereof is brilliant. Scott Snell approached that artistic sense with his East Broad Top story, in that his choice of subjects and their composition was quite good. I just gave the nod to Greg... Both Misters Milster and Hart taught me well about their subject, and the way Milster included the working environment (boiler rooms, for example) and the personnel made the whole experience more true to life. Here I am, a native Californian, wishing that I could have seen this operation and these people at work in New York. And having been raised on the Pacific Electric, wishing I could have ridden those old Lackawanna cars! From these shows I actually learned something, and felt that I had missed something, while enjoying the presentation! These gentlemen have something to say. That is also why I found Steve Barry's shortline show to be interesting. The other slide shows I found weak, both in content and execution. Random shootings of locomotives or trains, in no particular order or with no particular reference to each other seem to me more the subject of a Tuesday night gathering at the model railroad club than what I would expect at this sort of show. Particularly annoying to me were the two video presentations. Toy trains in any scale are just that...toys...and the Northlandz (sic) tape illustrated that point in a non-verbal way much more strongly than words can convey. Where is there any sense of artistry here? One does not need to be impressed by sheer size. The only socially redeeming value in this tape was the mini-camera in the nose of a car (assumedly resembling a locomotive) being pushed around the track, thereby revealing both the wonder of the camera technology and the weakness of the modeling. Nor does one need to be impressed by brute technology. The 614 trip tape may appeal to some, but to this observer the use of high-tech helicopters and cameras strapped to blow down pipes speaks not of the beauty of steam, but of the insidious intrusion that technology makes into our appreciation of the experiencet. I just don't understand how anybody could think that seeing the 614 (or the 4449, or...) from a helicopter could possibly rival being trackside. AND, WHY DOES THE MUSIC HAVE TO BE SO GODDAM LOUD? More than one person complained about the loudness. Is this an ego trip? "My music is bigger than your music." Sounds like aural penis-envy. One of the bothersome things about the SPORRS list is the lengthy posts. Hmm! Here's mine. One man's meat... Ken Harrison Alameda, CA -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved
