We had a great selection of 11 entries for the August 2016 chapter photo contest. It was a bit of a short deadline for getting them in and hopefully that didn’t keep someone from entering. Our next and last contest for the year will be October from the 1st to the 8th and the deadline for emailing your entries to me is October 11th. Again, I’ll be out of town during the next meeting, but will judge the contest from the road and send the winning entries to Bill Thomas for the Pennyrail and Bill Ferrell so he can show the winners during the next meeting. We will the work on putting together a calendar using the winning entries. I’ll have a report on that for the November 2016 meeting. Send your entries for the October Photo Contest (Chapter Members only) to jim@jimpearsonphotography.com
1st Place August 2016 – Photo by Bill Grady2nd Place August 2016 – Photo by Matt Gentry , NB_Illini – Curtis Rd – A 30 minute late North Bound Illini prepares to blast through the Curtis Rd crossing south of downtown Champaign, IL during midday on August 7, 2016. One wouldn’t think that the train is going to stop at Champaign-Urbana station in just over a mile, but this former Illinois Central line is pancake flat and this veteran GE P42 can be put down easily. (Notice the antenna plane on the roof over the left side of the cab. This is special to Illinois Corridor Amtrak locomotives only)3rd Place August 2016 – Photo by Keith Kittenger
Results of the June 2016 Chapter Photo Contest by Jim Pearson. There were a total of 8 entries for this contest from four different members. While all the photos were of great quality our judge, Jim Pearson, has narrowed down the field to the top three winning photographs.
First place goes to Bill Grady for his black and white photograph of Norfolk Southern train #891 at Paducah and Louisville Railways Oak Street Yard in Louisville, KY with 4 brand-new GE ES44TH’s on the lead. Later in the day 2 of the units were placed on the South end of the consist for the trip over the PAL to the Warrior Mine just west of Madisonville, Ky.
“I like how Bill has used the leading lines of the track in the foreground to help draw your eye into this photograph. Also the decision to make this a black and white photograph really makes it stand out with the clouds in the sky. Also, the fact that it was the first revenue run for these engines helps to make it a bit news worthy! Good job Bill!” – Jim Pearson, Judge
Second Place goes to Rick Bivins for his shot of CSX X186-07, an empty intermodal with BNSF power, as it heads south under the bridge at Barnsley, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision.
“Rick did a great job on his composition with this photograph! Good use of leading lines and placement of the engines make for a dynamic picture. Shot with iPhone also! Goes to show, it’s not the camera that makes the photo, but the person that is behind it! Also, the best camera to use is always the one you have with you!” – Jim Pearson, Judge
Third place goes to Blair Terry with his photograph of NS 611 at the station in Manassas, Virginia.
“A great shot Blair! I think it would have been much better if you were a bit further back from the train to show a bit more of the environment and perhaps allow the viewer to see a bit more steam or smoke coming from the stack of 611.” – Jim Pearson, Judge
We will have our chapter member photo contest from April 1-8th for shooting and email your entry(s) (no more than two entries per member) to Jim Pearson by the 12th of April. Open subject as long as it’s train related. You have to be a chapter member to participate.
Saturday May 9, 2015 brought about the first photo contest of the West Kentucky NRHS. The only rules set forth by our judge, Jim Pearson, were that you have to be a member of the WKNHRS and that the photo had to be taken on May 9th, which also happened to be National Train Day, so there was a happy coincidence. At our May meeting the chapter decided that we will hold two of these contests a year and the next one will be in November 2015. Date has yet to be determined.
The winners were as follows: 1st – Jim Kemp. 2nd – there was a 2 way tie for 2nd between Rick Bivins and Matt Gentry. 3rd – Bill Grady. Honorable Mention belongs to Blair Terry. Click on each photo to see the full picture.
1st Place by Jim Kemp – Location: Near Lakeville, New York (Livonia, Avon, & Lakeville mainline, former Erie). View from the brakeman’s seat aboard LA&L Alco C425.
2nd Place Tie by Matt Gentry – In the late morning of May 9, 2015 Metrolink train #662 crosses over the Los Angeles River as it makes its way east and ultimately south towards Oceanside, CA. Lying in the background is the skyline of downtown Los Angeles in a less than common cloudy overcast day. The rail line in the foreground is the BNSF line that leaves Hobart Yard and turns south. This line turns into the Alameda Corridor.
2nd Place by Rick Bivins – NB at Mortons Gap, Ky just south of Cross Street.
3rd Place by Bill Grady – CSX Q029 is digging in on Elmwood Curve at M.P. 290 on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
Honorable Mention by Blair Terry – Atkinson Yard Power, Madisonville, Ky
Other entries were:
Thomas Bryan – Slaughters, Ky. CSX Q688 leaves Slaughters after meeting Q595.
Bill Ferrell – Atkinson Yard Overpass, Madisonville, Ky
