03/24/01: October 2000 West Virginia trip report added.
03/06/01: Fall 2000 section added to the Ohio section.
11/04/00: Added August WV trip, posted many new shots from Photo CD in most sections. Check 'em out!
10/18/00: Added Ohio section, posted Vintage Ohio Central shots.
10/06/00: Updated information, promise of bigger things to come...
05/31/00: Coverage added of Memorial Day Weekend 2000 with Paul and Brad.
04/16/00: West Virginia pages and pictures posted.
04/10/00: Colorado and Information pages and pictures posted, links added
03/27/00: Site created, Arizona and links pages and pictures posted
The Title of This Webpage:
Just in case you're a little less train-savvy than most of the
people I'm expecting to visit this site, here's what the title
means: The throttles on diesel-electric locomotives have eight
positions, or notches. The 8th notch is the wide-open or full
power setting. The subtitle--"Full Throttle Railroad
Photography"--helps tie everything together.
My Equipment:
I have a Canon Elan II body and 28mm, 50mm, and 100-300mm
autofocus lenses. My film of choice is Fujichrome Provia 100F,
although I have also shot a good deal of Kodachrome. While this
equipment yields excellent results, it makes scanning rather
difficult, as I do not have a slide scanner. Instead, I use a
flatbed scanner with a 35mm slide adapter. It does ok with well
lit Fuji slides, but has a lot of trouble with most everything
else. In some cases, I have had prints made from the slides and
scanned those instead. The older shots on this page (before the
summer of '99), were done with some type of point-and-shoot
camera. I eventually hope to get a good slide scanner, but will
make do with what I have until then.
My Philosophy and Acknowledgements:
I try not to be very picky about the weather or locomotive
paint jobs--I just enjoy getting out and watching trains. I also
try and avoid trespassing and any other dangerous and/or illegal
activities--I would much rather the railroads be flattered to see
someone standing trackside, camera in hand, than get upset about
it. As for the actual photography, I try to take pictures that
convey a good sense of locality--city skylines, well known
buildings or landmarks, and pictures of nice scenery that just
happen to have a train in them. I have several people to thank.
First and foremost is my grandfather, Walter Frame. Though not a
railfan himself, he has developed a love of trains through his
love for his grandson. I can't even begin to count all of the
hours we've spent trackside. Next are my railfanning buddies from
college, Paul Didelius, Brad Robinson, and Jerry Jordak. Paul in
particular helped me get serious about this interest, convinced
me to lay down the funds for a good camera, taught me how to use
it, and is still helping me improve. Besides, what good is a
hobby if you can't share it with anyone? And I also appreciate
all of my family and friends who put up my interests.
Paul contemplates our predicament from a mountain stream in
West Virginia.
