Our first foaming expedition... or Chasing the Starlight... or Waiting

So my husband and I were crabbing at each other.... not fighting... just the odd fussing... so in the end, he got what he needed and I got what I wanted... a photo op of the Coast Starlight as it went through the Elkhorn Slough...

The first thing that went awry was that she was over 1.5 hours late today... which was good and bad... Trying to estimate when she would get to our spot was tricky. I ALWAYS err on the side of too much time especially since missing it would be a major bummer. So we drove to our spot... a nice lot in the slough and right by the train tracks and settled in for the wait....

and we waited... and we waited

and then we spotted an otter floating by....

and then we heard it.... far...far... far away... a 2 horn toot....

and we waited...

and then another not as far away 2 horn toot....

and we waited...

and ....

and then a much louder. 2 horn toot.....

and we waited and waited and then...

we spotted an idiot

and then finally around the corner we got her in a her glory... with a Pacific Parlour Car....

and a VERY special (okay to me) horn toot!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/97163322@N02/sets/72157645282884961/

Totally worth the wait!

Omigawrsh! Can anyone possibly be more idiotic than that?

oregon pioneer said:

Omigawrsh! Can anyone possibly be more idiotic than that?

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Isn't just riding a motorcycle a tip off that the person riding it isn't playing with a full deck? LOL

I won't repeat the conversation we had... we had to get that picture... a Don't.... I just couldn't believe it. We were not being subtle. My husband is standing on a post... with a camera... pointing down the tracks... There are no local crossings to sound a horn. The closest is a town away and that train came around the corner surprising even us and we were waiting for it!

Safety/stupidity aside...would this be considered "trespassing" on railroad property? At a grade crossing what is the priority of ownership...the owner of the road (public or private) vs the railroad?

Photographing his motorcycle on the tracks isn't unlike photographing a person on the tracks which is very common lately.

FrensicPic said:

Safety/stupidity aside...would this be considered "trespassing" on railroad property? At a grade crossing what is the priority of ownership...the owner of the road (public or private) vs the railroad? Photographing his motorcycle on the tracks isn't unlike photographing a person on the tracks which is very common lately.

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So far as I am aware the law says the train always has priority. I am not aware of any exceptions, even up to and including emergency services such as police vehicles, fire engines, and ambulances. This is probably due to the laws of newtonian physics as much as any other law. No matter who has the legal authority the train is going to impact anything in its path due to its mass and momentum. Although simple trespassing may or may not apply depending on the situation and/or jurisdiction there are other laws which are intended to keep active roadways and railways clear of obstacles which would still be in effect.

Devil's Advocate said:

FrensicPic said:

Safety/stupidity aside...would this be considered "trespassing" on railroad property? At a grade crossing what is the priority of ownership...the owner of the road (public or private) vs the railroad? Photographing his motorcycle on the tracks isn't unlike photographing a person on the tracks which is very common lately.

Click to expand...

So far as I am aware the law says the train always has priority. I am not aware of any exceptions, even up to and including emergency services such as police vehicles, fire engines, and ambulances. This is probably due to the laws of newtonian physics as much as any other law. No matter who has the legal authority the train is going to impact anything in its path due to its mass and momentum. Although simple trespassing may or may not apply depending on the situation and/or jurisdiction there are other laws which are intended to keep active roadways and railways clear of obstacles which would still be in effect.

Click to expand...

thanks!

That was a cool! I looked at all the photos. There was one I'd have cropped more into to get closer. Nice write up, too!

Thanks! It was a lot of fun.... I'm not good with touching, changing or cropping pictures... just learning! I do love taking pictures though!