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Joe

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Thanks MHV. I used a tripod for all of these. I was going to bring the D1X but cold weather & NiMH batteries makes for short shooting. I'm working on converting a pack to LiIon cells, but I have to find a charger that I trust with the cells...you don't want to mess with lithium cells (boom!)

 

So instead I brought the D200 along. If I had more space in my bag my 120 TLR would have come along for the ride.

 

Lenses used:

 

1, 2 and 3 were with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 (AI-s). 4 and 5 were with my Tokina 12-24mm f/4

 

All of the rollsign shots were with the Tokina as well, though i'm a bit puzzled as to why my polarizer didn't take the glare out of the glass.

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now where were all these shots taken :confused:

but they are splendid (great)! :tup::tup: The rollsign knobs looks as if it can fit a key so they can change them quicker. Thats a very smart Idea-I wonder why they didn't do this for the R32's.

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Very impressive! :tup::tup::tup:

 

Thanks Leroy. :cool:

 

Tripod certainly makes sense. I see, how long does the battery last in the worst of weather on the D1X? That's a precarious process, converting, but if you can accomplish it, more power to ya! I wouldn't try that at home though...

 

Oops, I guess I was fair bit off on my guess! Nifty fifty, always a good bet. Shot four is an excellent one, I knew that was with a wide angle but had no idea which. I've always heard that the 12-24 is a great lens but I've always been tempted by the Sigma 10-20mm. Colors look excellent anyhow.

 

What type of polarizer are you using? I've always been a Hoya guy myself. I assume the 12-24 is a 72mm... or a 77mm? Isn't the filter a variable polarizing (twist) type? That would make me think the reflections are just how the filter was positioned... In any case, worked wonders for the colors in those shots.

 

Favorite bit of nostalgia is the "Please no..." sign on the R17. I remember the days you had those plastered all over the GMC RTSes, and then all over the subways as well...

 

Well done.

 

On one charge of a NiMH EN4, I get about...100 shots with minimal chimping. Pretty pathetic when you consider that the lithium EN-EL3s give me almost 500 shots per charge. Plenty for me and I have a battery grip for the D200 if I want the extra battery immediately accessible.

 

I went with the Tokina over the Sigma (as well as even the Nikkor) for a few reasons. First, Tokinas QC is better than Sigmas. Second, the Sigma 10-20mm (at the time) was a variable aperture lens. While faster on the wide end, it was slower on the long end. I'd rather have a constant aperture throughout the zoom range. Third, the Tokina has completely correctable distortion and is distortion-free at 24mm. The Sigma and Nikon have a strange distortion signature that cannot be corrected fully.

 

All of my filters are Hoyas, I was using a multicoated circular polarizer. The Tokina has a 77mm thread in the front which is fortunately a common size for larger lenses. I'm lucky that my lenses are of either 52mm or 77mm flavors. Makes things a bit easier. The polarizers work best when you're shooting perpendicular to the subject but for whatever reason, didn't do much in any position that it was rotated in. Kind of a bummer, perhaps next time i'll use some cardboard to stop the light.

 

These are all very good sharp. Great perspectives and image quality. You made 6688 look real good. Outstanding job Joe! :cool:

 

Thanks Harry. 6688 could certainly use a bit of cosmetic work nonetheless.

 

Excellent night shots, sir!

 

Thanks, Spec.

 

Man those came out great, though I still get an unsetteling feeling seeing the train with the sealed beams on and standing in the middle of the tracks. Next time we have to get shots on the bridge too.

 

Hah, vest anxiety eh? When the weather warms up i'm going to be more inclined to diagnose that small issue with the sealed beams.

 

I definitely do want to shoot at some of the spots I talked about. Would be cool to take the car up to Sprague, hah (though you know what car i'm definitely going to take there one day.)

 

These shots made my jaw drop!:tup:

 

Well, as long as you don't drool all over! Thanks, Tram man.

 

now where were all these shots taken :confused:

but they are splendid (great)! :tup::tup: The rollsign knobs looks as if it can fit a key so they can change them quicker. Thats a very smart Idea-I wonder why they didn't do this for the R32's.

 

I took these at the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, CT. To be honest, i'm not really a SMEE guy myself, so I don't know a lot about those things, but i'm sure someone here would know the history behind the different kind of rollsign knobs.

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now where were all these shots taken :confused:

but they are splendid (great)! :tup::tup: The rollsign knobs looks as if it can fit a key so they can change them quicker. Thats a very smart Idea-I wonder why they didn't do this for the R32's.

 

 

Hah, vest anxiety eh? When the weather warms up i'm going to be more inclined to diagnose that small issue with the sealed beams.

 

I definitely do want to shoot at some of the spots I talked about. Would be cool to take the car up to Sprague, hah (though you know what car i'm definitely going to take there one day.)

 

To be honest, i'm not really a SMEE guy myself, so I don't know a lot about those things, but i'm sure someone here would know the history behind the different kind of rollsign knobs.

 

It felt very odd to be on the roadbed with out a vest and even weirder to be in front of the car with the head lights on.

 

As for the rollsign knobs, on SMEE cars the R10/11/12/14/15 all had small signs over the windows with an actual crank handle which is not hard to use when changing signs. The R16/17 had that round handle (if you can even call it that) which is a royal pain in the ass. The hole you see can be used if you jerry rig your self a a "key" out of a bolt and a emergency brake valve handle. As far as I know, no actual sign changer was ever issued for those signs. I don't remember off hand what the R21/22 cars had but the rest of the redbirds and the R32/38 had "X" handles which also had keys to make it easy to change them. Every car after them have used the hex key for the signs.

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Heh heh, thanks St. Louis. The new tech ad is actually a bit too new for the car. 6688 was retired in 1988, iirc.

 

Actually if you're interesting in sharing some printing costs, I've acquired some free digital materials that can be used to fill in some of the missing or damaged ads in the car (we can discuss off site...this is where that ridiculous Facebook thread used to come in handy).

 

Personally I'm in favor of leaving the 110 ad in there since it's like a railfan easter egg. They find it and they all start giggling like schoolgirls. It's actually kind of entertaining, to say the least.

 

One thing I do need to get first before anything can get printed are the 16x39 size for the bulkhead though. If you're interested in this, let me know and I'll do it. I also know a certain person who like subway cahs who might be as well.

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Damn, nice work! Interesting ads in 6688. :tup:

 

Thanks TF. Even for a SMEE, 6688 is a pretty interesting car.

 

Damn, the pics are really incredible. :tup:

 

What year is the subway map? I'm assuming it's somewhere in the late '80's since I can see the <M> via West End.

 

Thanks IRT. Off-hand (i'm eighty-six miles away currently), I don't know what year that map is from. Next time i'm up 'round those parts i'll stop inside and take a look. What I can tell you is that the car last ran in 1987 (it was a lead motor on the Farewell to the R17 fan trip) and previously served on the GC shuttle.

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