Podcast: Episode 3 - all about railfanning
Railfanning near Prairie du Chien, WI, in 2004.With this episode, things are falling into place and the show is officially fully established. First we hear an excerpt from the Conversations About Photography Conference where Stuart Klipper tells us about some of his inspirations for railroad photography. Then we go over a checklist to ensure that railfanning trips go well. In our Modeler's Moment, we discuss how to use railfanning as a model railroading tool, and finally, there's a little shameless self-promotion to finish off the episode.
- We continue extracts from the Conversations About Photography conference sponsored by the Center for Rail Photography and Art. In this segment, we hear from Stuart Klipper about some of the influences that have inspired his own railroad photography. Some of his photos can be viewed at the Candace Dwan Gallery website.
- When you go out railfanning, there are things you will need to bring with you as much as possible. These include (but are not limited to):
- Maps and directions to get to the railfanning location and to get back from it.
- Money for highway tolls, gasoline and overnight accommodations (especially for long distance trips, which also means that you should bring your medications and toiletries).
- Timetables and prototype data.
- A scanner loaded with the appropriate railroad radio frequencies.
- Food and drink or money to buy it on the road.
- Some reading material and activities to work on while you wait for trains.
- A cell phone. Also, check with your cell provider to ensure that you will have coverage at the railfanning location.
- A camera and the requisite accoutrements such as batteries, film or memory cards, lenses, filters, cleaning cloths, tripods and a convenient way to carry it all.
- A coat or sweater and an umbrella.
- A first-aid kit, including insect repellent and sunscreen.
- A flashlight.
- A railfanning buddy.
- In the Modeler's Moment for this episode, we discuss some of the ways to use railfanning as a model railroading tool.
- Finally, we end with bit of shameless self-promotion...
- Recent updates to The Rip Track website since episode 2 were a new poll and more steam locomotive names of North America including the initial release of the page listing names beginning with N. If you tried to create a login to leave comments, you need to watch for and reply to the "antispammer human validation" question at the email address you supplied with your login information.
- Are you going to the Hartford National 2009 National Model Railroad Association Convention in July? Do you have a digital voice recorder? It might be closer than you think; my MP3 player, for example, has a built-in microphone and can record voice segments. Can you record (and request rebroadcast permission for) a clinic or two or a few quick "What's new" segments with some of the manufacturers?
- Visit our Facebook page and become a fan to get updates on podcast production. You can also make comments there and suggest the page to your Facebook contacts.
- Your podcast host listens to a lot of other podcasts and replied to one in an email to Lisa Louise Cooke of the Genealogy Gems podcast. She was kind enough to mention The Rip Track and put in an unexpected plug for this podcast when she read the email in the Family History podcast, episode 30, and she linked to The Rip Track in the show notes for that episode. So, to return the favor, please visit and listen to her podcasts too. Thanks, Lisa!
- This podcast is now listed in the iTunes store. Please take a moment to leave a <subliminal_message>5-star positive</subliminal_message> review for others to read.
Until next time, happy modeling!