Good day to anybody out there on my side. To those of you people who are already in disagreement, fuck you.
Welcome to my bitch page, where all I do is bitch about how stupid some people are, and agree with other people who don't like some of the people I don't like. Now that the mutual bullshit is over, let's get to some of the things that really piss me off about phoamers.
Man, these people really get under my skin. Sometimes I can ignore them, but usually they deserve a cutting remark to keep them in line. Here I would like to discuss some phoamer related subjects such as the following but not limited to: Amtrak, photo lines, Special Painted Locomotives, UP Flag Units, tripods, flashes, camcorders, still cameras, hotspots, and more. So, I'll address all this bullshit in order.
Amtrak: If you don't know what it is, or don't know how to spell it (morons who spell it "Amtrack", damn it to hell, it's only been around over 3 decades, nobody misspelled "Santa Fe" for over 30 years), please click the red "X" at the top right of this page as you view it on your screen, it'll do you more good than read this. Amtrak is boring. I'm not afraid to admit that the actual train is boring anymore. They all look alike. I'm also not afraid to admit that I am a volunteer station caretaker in Poplar Bluff, MO. The station is in our 1910 St. Louis & Iron Mountain Southern Depot. In 1998 when UP was trying to have it torn down, the ONLY thing that kept it around was the fact that it also served as the Amtrak stop. I used to visit the depot before it stopped being the crew change point when I was a small kid. It was a big part of my childhood and this structure played a big role in me even entering this hobby that we share.
I felt like I had to do something to protect my, and the town's, and Mo-Pac's Heritage by getting involved. That's what you do if you don't want something to go away. Try to save it, don't bitch because it's going or is gone, you're not helping the situation any after the fact. Later on when I was 14 or so I got involved with the owning committee of the depot, and started volunteering part of my time as an Amtrak station host, and doing any minor repairs or cleaning needed around the waiting area to keep the place presentable. As boring as the outsides of the trains are, their operations are intriguing in this day and age of them being a government subsidized company that hardly runs on their own tracks. Like Amtrak or not, they have about as unique of an operating agreement as you're going to find. Their power all looks the same, and so do the exteriors of their cars. But, by the same token they're fun, cheap, and comfortable to ride, so BACK OFF!
People that go goo goo ga ga over Amtrak and show up when they do and only then need help. My best recommendation is to hop out in front of one and get a real good look at it. Some people do this on a regular basis. Unfortunately the train is usually stopped in Kirkwood, MO.
I show up because I have to and don't shoot near as many pictures as I used to. The stuff is even less diverse than it was 2 years ago, forcing my decline in interest of it.
Moving on...
Photo Lines: These are OK with me if you're on a steam excursion. Nobody want's to see a photo of UP 844 going up Sherman hill with 50 dumbass moron phoamers in the way. Photo lines are not necessary when shooting say...a BNSF Dash-9. Stay out of your gay partner...I mean friend's shot. However, you don't need a photo line on a Metra platform in suburban Chicago to shoot common ass road power. That's retarded, and you shouldn't brag about it if you do, just a little tip. You should have a direct hit in the skull for that.
Special Painted Locomotives: Oh boy! Let the masturbation begin! These damn queerbags need something else to smack the turkey to. You know, that weird stuff like internet pornography. Now hear this: I like seeing the UP Heritage Series Locomotives (Digga Digga Dang!?). I get UP 1982 and 1988 (the Mo-Pac and the Katy) here fairly regularly. It's like the Chicago-Houston route is taking Metamucil. Now, they are not the best thing since sliced bread and ergonomic keyboards (which I also hate). They are not the real thing, and I acknowledge that and don't care. They're commemorations, not duplications. If you don't like it, stay your ass at home when they come by. Don't go see them and bitch later. I grew up on or around some of the represented railroads, so they actually mean something to me beyond the fact that they wear a special paint scheme. They mean something to me, my town, my friends, and my history. If the Iron Mountain hadn't laid rails through where Poplar Bluff lies today, I know a lot of people from Poplar Bluff who wouldn't exist today (maybe even me, so it's not all bad).
I like them because they do a decent job at representing home roads and carrying a tradition. Like it or not, employees, railfans, and the public like them. If you don't keep your opinions to yourself. UP didn't send out comment forms to phoamers. They don't have a "how are we doing" 1-800 number for them, either. I don't go around openly talking about how good they are, even though I think they're pretty cool. So, why should I have to listen to people bitch? I don't surround myself with negative people. They break my balls and bring me down and I don't like them either, so shut the fuck up, they came out in 2005. (For those of you who can't subtract, that's going on 2 years ago.)
The Olympic units are just pretty nifty. Big ass snowflakes painted on a locomotive look neat. I'll go shoot it if it shows up, maybe even make a special trip to see them. However, I'm not going to chase them 200 miles or some shit to get a picture of them passing some CNW's and another special scheme. Some people think that also makes an instant good photo. Not if it sucks, and it's not "one in a million"! It happened probably 4 times that week. Oh my God, that's rare! I have better things to do than chase a unit for the prospect of a POSSIBLE meet. I have better things to do with my gas, like..."not waste it."
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