tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-275585592024-02-18T17:47:48.885-08:00Alain Saffel's photos of trains, graffiti, etcI started up this blog as a place to post photos, the main subject being train graffiti. I live near the train tracks and now that I have a good digital camera, I'm going to be taking some photos of the good, and maybe some of the bad graffiti.
My other blog is where most of my writing is. You'll find it in the links section.Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-82079835773853977002007-09-17T11:12:00.001-07:002008-12-10T17:51:38.877-08:00My photo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQZrDezMd5U5S-AQq8ikmXnsO2OxSHHep-yRIn8S8ZXYvFprBxhA5RfqJ12kzYIUIChOpJtSxOdUwB07kOfSBmyAuLdKRA-PuBexIqp_Euuf8xNVAQScD4LHq52dX9YUVyjbS/s1600-h/alainsaffel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQZrDezMd5U5S-AQq8ikmXnsO2OxSHHep-yRIn8S8ZXYvFprBxhA5RfqJ12kzYIUIChOpJtSxOdUwB07kOfSBmyAuLdKRA-PuBexIqp_Euuf8xNVAQScD4LHq52dX9YUVyjbS/s320/alainsaffel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111241544419780066" border="0" /></a>My photo disappeared from my profile...or maybe I removed it sometime? In any case, Blogger wants it to be a URL now... so, I need to post my new profile picture here.Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-5497914592193432542007-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:002008-12-10T17:51:39.539-08:00Pictures of walls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjA0_roy1kUubb0kbNAwn0rCYFuWapQNMCCGYGFl3S5r9Ey55kAWbw_hyphenhyphenQn6xwL65xnDMoR6ZNnhll2g89a7yoLXuYWdidBW0QPDwMefCHsx4bdQYgUksGPtKZBgX9Fnokc9ZR/s1600-h/pictures+of+walls.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjA0_roy1kUubb0kbNAwn0rCYFuWapQNMCCGYGFl3S5r9Ey55kAWbw_hyphenhyphenQn6xwL65xnDMoR6ZNnhll2g89a7yoLXuYWdidBW0QPDwMefCHsx4bdQYgUksGPtKZBgX9Fnokc9ZR/s320/pictures+of+walls.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053361571168968226" border="0" /></a>Here's an <a href="http://www.picturesofwalls.com/">interesting site I stumbled upon</a>. It's just pictures of random statements, or maybe not so random, that people have made all over the world.<br /><br />Some of them are quite funny. How many people thought the same thing, but just never took the time to put their comment up?<br /><br />As much as people don't like graffiti of any sort, I do. I'd rather see some sort of political or social commentary or maybe even art rather than just tagging.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDPbIceD7s2nFPHUW5ygohyphenhyphen11_CZlU6rjcZdL0ZEtz7yDrurr6AyRb2y-VkQNN3d2MgYDlXh9jOELsy41VmZtAcuz8aQAqr0Re5pxRjL1VdlZjGqpb1vn02Zltn8AaRuvMxog/s1600-h/040_ice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDPbIceD7s2nFPHUW5ygohyphenhyphen11_CZlU6rjcZdL0ZEtz7yDrurr6AyRb2y-VkQNN3d2MgYDlXh9jOELsy41VmZtAcuz8aQAqr0Re5pxRjL1VdlZjGqpb1vn02Zltn8AaRuvMxog/s400/040_ice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053361352125636114" border="0" /></a>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-55318173242977480392007-03-31T11:53:00.000-07:002011-04-05T08:59:45.998-07:00Getting Up: Half-Assed Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuYy18w01bqyWFjxM73E2QZQ-HIa9brrxWUdcnLt9eQ_URenim6-Hzdy9qtGSd8wG8GN47g3EeYI0ySlHnWCL2Fa24TDfhaNgB5as2rUkgQNsDbMyGlm-JykgKS1OgFn5ln1q/s1600-h/getting+up.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuYy18w01bqyWFjxM73E2QZQ-HIa9brrxWUdcnLt9eQ_URenim6-Hzdy9qtGSd8wG8GN47g3EeYI0ySlHnWCL2Fa24TDfhaNgB5as2rUkgQNsDbMyGlm-JykgKS1OgFn5ln1q/s320/getting+up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048165002452496162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >By Alain Saffel</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I am always on the hunt for old software. Rarely do I pick up a title brand new, unless I absolutely have to have it. You can also find some real gems that were never very popular. I made one of those discoveries recently.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I picked up a title called Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. It’s a PC game about graffiti. It looks great, and I even loaded it up on my laptop, but my laptop isn’t up to the task of running this software. I haven’t loaded it on my desktop computer but I know the video card isn’t compatible. I need a 64 meg card that can do shading. Hmm. Have to invest in that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">No matter, that just gives me an excuse to upgrade. Right? Oh, I could just go the video card route, but the desktop is a few years old, and just might need to be seriously upgraded (read: new.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I still look at all the trains passing by here, but really haven’t taken the time to get out take pictures, but I figured this would be one way to get my graffiti fix.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The game looks interesting because it’s not a first-person shooter; it’s a first-person painter. I’ll have to change my mindset to running away instead of standing up to foes. I know you do have access to a variety of weapons, but the focus of the game doesn’t seem to be on that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once I’ve upgraded my computer or video card, I’ll go a little more in depth about the game. I’m hoping it will be one of those games that will be so good I have to tear myself away from it, or risk divorce. Diablo was one of those games. I haven’t been gaming much, so it’s about time I get into something again. :)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think it’s time to head out to the local computer store and see what they have for decent video cards…</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update: A few years later. I ended up getting a new computer and eventually put this in. It didn't work well at all. Avoid it!</span><br /></p>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-75813870113263837372007-02-25T23:20:00.000-08:002007-02-25T23:25:15.144-08:00High tech graffitiI still have my eye out for trains with good graffiti on them. The traffic has been a little lean at the local railyard though. I actually haven't even been out this winter taking pictures. Maybe it's just the cabin fever.<br /><br />I did spot something really cool with <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/">Stumbleupon</a> tonight though. Laser graffiti. It's performance graffiti art. Check out the video.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.liveleak.com/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="autostart=false&token=edc_1172054853" scale="showall" name="index" height="370" width="450"><br /><br />I haven't had a chance to really look through the site, but <a href="http://eyebeam.org/">eyebeam.org</a> is the source of this cool video.<br /><br />As for graffiti, I still have a load of photos I have to sort through to put up on the site. I know I'll get to it. :)Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1156350714634599452006-08-23T09:15:00.000-07:002006-08-23T09:31:54.660-07:00Another round<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti9.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti9.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1156097557538295712006-08-20T10:50:00.000-07:002006-08-20T11:12:37.603-07:00Graffiti near Pinnacle PelletI now have a huge backlog of great graffiti and I am going to post it all on here. I also have some really nice photos from some trips I've taken recently and I'll post some of that.<br /><br />This set of graffiti was taken in Williams Lake near the Pinnacle Pellet plant. I've included a photo of it at the bottom of the post. While I was away at school recently, a guy I used to work with was actually killed there. He was hit by a train car they were loading (near the hopper above the track on the right.) Apparently the car wasn't secured properly and he tried to jump up and get the brake. I am not sure on the precise details, and I'm not sure I want to know.<br /><br />I worked for CN back in my college days and got all the horror stories from the guys there. I took their advice, true stories or not.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is one of my recent favourites. I love the colour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/traingraffiti4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/traingraffiti4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Railyard danger</span><br /><br />One of the stories (don't know if it's true or not) I was told was about a guy who had been crushed between the couplers that join the cars. I don't know how he managed it. Perhaps he was crossing between two uncoupled cars close together when an engine pushed them together? Anyway, he was still alive and his family was called. His wife rushed down to see her dying husband. When the cars were uncoupled, he died.<br /><br />Another story I remember was a funny one. One of the guys told me when I was going to sit down on the job, to clean off my shovel, place it on the track and sit on the flat part of the shovel. There were two reasons for this: first, you didn't want to get your ass dirty so when your supervisor showed up, he'd see dirt on your ass and know you were sitting down on the job. The second reason prompted a story about a guy who just sat on the track, but sat on one of the slightly open joints between two rails. A train came along and the gap closed. (Apparently the weight of the engines pushes the track slightly.) Well, this guy was in a bit of trouble with the train coming at him and his pants caught in the gap between the rails. He was in a panic to get his pants off before he got hit by the train.<br /><br />I don't know if it's a true story or if that actually happens, but it's a good story and that's all that matters.<br /><br />I was warned about sitting on the track in the railyard. The cars often move silently and you might not notice the random car rolling towards you until it hit you or cut you in half. At least on the track away from the yard you're less likely to get the random car, but you never know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/pinnaclepelletwilliamslake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/pinnaclepelletwilliamslake.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1156013547109662102006-08-19T11:51:00.000-07:002006-08-19T11:52:27.120-07:00More graffiti on the way!It would seem as if I haven't been out taking any pictures of graffiti at all, but that would be wrong. I have. In fact, I was out yesterday doing it. I just haven't been posting them! I'm sorry. Truly I am, because there has been some great stuff.<br /><br />Today I will put up some of the graffiti I've been capturing.Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1149438913281687922006-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:002006-06-04T09:35:13.293-07:00I've really Myst youIt's not often I can actually read what the graffiti says, but in this first case, I think I can. Anybody who is a fan of puzzling video games will know Myst as well. The second piece of art is an interesting one as well. The third and fourth aren't the greatest, but they all have something interesting about them. I always find it interesting to see how the art degrades over time. Myst is obviously very fresh, in fact, it is dated 2006.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti18.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti15.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti17.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti17.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti16.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1149356428016384452006-06-03T10:31:00.000-07:002006-06-03T10:40:28.026-07:00What's the MSG?I haven't been out hunting for graffiti lately, but I did get out yesterday. You know how long trains seem to be when you're sitting waiting for it to go by? Try walking around one. I did that yesterday. It was pretty hot out in the afternoon too, but I got some good photos.<br /><br />The photos I'm posting today are some I took a couple weeks back. There's some pretty good stuff too. I like the placement of the eye on this one, on the raised panel.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti11.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This one reminds me of a character from Star Wars. I'd have to go back and watch the movies to figure out which one. Sounds like a good excuse to kill the weekend. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti12.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti14.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti13.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1149004311877932172006-05-30T08:46:00.000-07:002006-05-30T08:53:51.033-07:00Some great graffiti latelyI haven't updated in a while, and it's too bad, because I've taken some really interesting photos. In the past week I haven't seen much at all though. Lots of chip cars, which never seem to have a lot of graffiti. The boxcars really are the best.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti8.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti8.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1147234095775592452006-05-09T21:04:00.000-07:002006-05-09T21:43:16.150-07:00Silver graffiti & train switchDriving by the rail yard today I saw a couple pieces of graffiti I had to have a picture of. I stopped by later with my camera and spent nearly an hour there and near the lake taking photos.<br /><br />This first piece of graffiti was a nice one. It was done in silver and the artist had enough time to do the whole side of the boxcar.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraffiti4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/200/RailGraffiti6.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not normally a big fan of tags, but I did find a couple of interesting ones. I liked one of them because it was framed by the ladder. The other one required the tagger to go up the ladder. I can picture them up on the ladder, hanging on with one hand and spraying with the other. The effect of that one, with the paint running was to make it look like a bunch of oriental characters.<br /><br />I'm not sure why I'm not a big fan of tagging. I guess it's because it's usually just black or white. I like the regular graffiti because it's bigger and bolder, a lot more colourful and I guess I can respect the artist for taking a bit more risk in producing the larger piece. There's a certain amount of artistic expression in tagging, but it seems taggers are more inclined to just tag anywhere, which kind of pisses me off.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti7.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/200/RailGraffiti7.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I don't count this "I love you" piece as a tag because it's not a signature. I just got a laugh out of it. "I love you. Layup in middle o'nowhere. Salty ocean breeze. Butt naked wimmen." It's a modified haiku actually. It goes 8-5-5, while haiku are traditionally 5-7-5. I used to write a lot of them in my highschool and university days. I like the imagery the author/artist brings to this one. It reminds me of my honeymoon at Long Beach on Vancouver Island, except for the butt naked wimmen!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraffiti5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/200/RailGraffiti5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">More rail stuff</span></span><br /><br />As part of my rail theme I plan to include pictures of rail-related items. I took a number of photos, and this one was my favourite of the day. It is a locked up rail switch.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/Rail%20switch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/Rail%20switch.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It incorporates a number of my favourite elements in photos. It is a closeup, though not quite macro (don't have that lens yet), and the out of focus background due to a shallow depth of field. I like the shallow depth of field. It gives it a bit of an impressionist feel. I really like the composition and colour in the photo as well.<br /><br />I thought I'd take a picture of the CN no trespassing sign as well. This one is located by the old beach on<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/CN%20Rail%20no%20trespass%20sign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/200/CN%20Rail%20no%20trespass%20sign.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> the south side of Williams Lake. It's not a big beach, and not many people use it anymore. The "beach" isn't so great but the location is private, and despite the railway being so close, it's actually kind of quiet and relaxing.<br /><br />Speaking of no trespassing, I haven't run into the CN police yet. Apparently they get quite upset with anyone walking on the road there. I understand that. Trains certainly are dangerous. I have a healthy respect for them, give them a wide berth when crossing the track and make sure to not walk on the track. Sometimes those cars are very quiet when one or two are rolling down the track randomly. I heard all the safety speeches when I worked for CN when I was in university a long time ago.Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1146875424024139312006-05-05T17:22:00.000-07:002006-05-05T17:30:42.020-07:00First graffiti capturedI headed out late this afternoon to the railyard to see what there was for graffiti. There was almost nothing, except for one car with a couple of big paintings.<br /><br />I checked out the locations with easy access and I think I discovered something. The boxcars are kept closer to the terminal, while the industrial product cars are kept further away. I guess this has to do with security. It's the boxcars I'm looking for too. The industrial cars generally aren't very good for graffiti. You need nice flat sides.<br /><br />Both of these pieces were on the same car. It was a bit of a hike down the hill to get to them, and back up. I didn't want to drive in. The CN police are pretty uptight about that sort of thing. They've been uptight about people walking or biking near the tracks too. I'd take my chances with them if I was biking or walking rather than the no-sidewalk road.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraf1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraf1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />These pieces aren't the most spectacular, but the one was not bad. Kind of a multi-coloured camouflage idea. What do they say? No idea, but maybe I'll figure it out at some point. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RailGraf2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RailGraf2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1146844857826545242006-05-05T08:46:00.000-07:002006-05-05T09:00:57.846-07:00McLeese Lake: RMV passing byThis shot is one of my favourites. We were heading to Quesnel and I decided to stop near the copper loading terminal for Gibraltar Mine to get a shot of the Rocky Mountaineer train as it passed by.<br /><br />I was probably within 10 feet of the track as the train passed by. This is not necessarily a safe thing to do, just in case something drops off the train or is sticking out. But, it was worth the risk for the shot. I got another good one here in the winter I will post as part of my journalism portfolio.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RMVmcleese%20lake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RMVmcleese%20lake.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The engineer had been accelerating but it sounded like he eased up a bit before he reached me. He was also clanging the train's bell as he went by. You can see him waving in the photo. I'm glad he wasn't on the horn! I bet they would have had a good laugh over that one. I don't know if they get a little nervous with people standing that close to the track. I wouldn't blame him.<br /><br />If you're interested in buying one of my photos, please email me at: <a href="mailto:%20alain@thejournalist.ca">alain@thejournalist.ca</a>. These are substantially pared down photos and the originals are far higher quality. On my 8.2 megapixel Canon 30D I shoot at the highest quality setting inJPEG which gives an image size of 3504x2336. I am considering just shooting everything in RAW format so it will be that much better. I've got 2 gig and 1 gig Ultra II compact flash cards, so they're fast and they will hold lots.Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1146808795851544862006-05-04T22:51:00.000-07:002006-05-04T22:59:55.860-07:00Rocky Mountaineer Vacations first official run to QuesnelI seem to be a little obsessed with trains. Not that you will ever be able to tell.<br /><br />I took over 400 photos relating to Rocky Mountaineer Vacations finally arriving in Quesnel on it's new Fraser Discover route. It was quite the event and I caught the train in Quesnel as well as Williams Lake.<br /><br />The whole event was quite fun.<br /><br />This picture is the RMV train in Williams Lake. You can see Signal Point in the background.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RMVsignalpointWL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RMVsignalpointWL.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This is, of course, the Williams Lake train station. I was lucky I caught the train. We were driving along to Quesnel and I hadn't realized the train had stopped briefly. Long enough for me to get ahead of it and get a pile of photos.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RMV%20train%20stn%20WL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RMV%20train%20stn%20WL.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And of course, here is the same train arriving later in Quesnel. I got a couple of cool photos in between at the copper loading terminal just north of McLeese Lake. I'll post those tomorrow.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/1600/RMVquesnelarrival.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6699/2905/320/RMVquesnelarrival.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Alain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27558559.post-1146790320890550502006-05-04T17:47:00.000-07:002006-05-04T17:52:00.896-07:00Getting rollingWelcome to my other blog.<br /><br />I've always been interested in graffiti. I've never done it, but I like to look at it. I don't look at graffiti the same way I look at tags. I'm not a fan of tags. I have a lot more respect for the effort that goes into a good piece of graffiti.<br /><br />My blog will be dedicated to posts of graffiti I see on train cars. I live quite close to the rail line, so I see it every day. Some of it is really good and some of it isn't. I'll probably end up posting a bit of both.<br /><br />If you see any interesting graffiti, pass it along and I'll post the photo.<br /><br />Thanks<br />AlainAlain Saffelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113733551059068324noreply@blogger.com0