Greetings, train lovers and non-train lovers alike!
Train watching has been a hobby of mine since childhood, but I didn't start photographing them until my teen years when I got my first still camera, a Kodak Disc. I switched to video in 1993 using a borrowed full-size VHS camcorder (thanks Mike!), then moved to 8mm tape in 1996 when I bought a Sony Handycam. The Handycam was retired in April 2007, succeeded by a Canon HV20 that recorded 1080i HD to miniDV tape. In April 2012, the HV20 was replaced by a Canon HF-G10 that records 1080p HD to SD memory card. in October 2023 I began using my Google Pixel 8 Pro to supplement the HF-G10. I am always striving to add new content, so stay tuned!
Like the footage you see here? Want to reuse it? Do the right thing - ask permission and give credit.
That said, enjoy the videos!
Other Equipment:
Tripod: Manfrotto 546B legs, 502HD head
Microphone: Canon SM-V1/Rode SVM
Software: Magix Vegas Pro Suite (editing)/Blackmagic Camera (smartphone)
FastFlyingVirginian
PSA if you have a Google Pixel 11, 11 Pro, or (like me) an 11 Pro XL:
If you use your device to record video, there is a nasty bug that results in random file corruption. Out of 9 trains I recorded in Tyrone and Cresson on the 17th during my Pennsylvania trip, 7 of the clips had audio that was massively out of sync (think sound of locomotives passing after half the train is already past) and sounded as if it was playing at half speed. I fell back to using my camcorder the rest of the trip, then tried a couple more trains with the phone in Ashland on my way home and both of the clips turned out fine. It seems that if you are diligent about clearing the camera app cache after each recording, it helps. Google is working on updates to fix the issue. I am keeping the files for now in the hope that there may be a way to repair the audio, but after one attempt at a fix had no effect I'm not optimistic.
2 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 3
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FastFlyingVirginian
I've been experimenting with AI - no, not the generative slop trying to create images out of whole cloth, the assistive kind. Like taking my oldest VHS footage and upscaling it to 1080p HD, for example. Combined with know-how on picture denoising that I didn't have at the time of my earliest uploads, the results were pretty impressive in my opinion. There's a lot of things I could remaster...
1 week ago | [YT] | 7
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FastFlyingVirginian
The finale of my time at the America 250 event was the Parade Of Power on the evening of Day 2.
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
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FastFlyingVirginian
I spent the morning of Day 2 of the NCTM's America 250 event by the turntable, where I got a better look at some of the locomotives featured on day 1 as well as some new faces. The cliffhanger ending will lead into Part III, featuring the photo freight and passenger train moves and wrapping up with the 'Parade Of Power' finale.
1 month ago | [YT] | 0
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FastFlyingVirginian
My take on Day 1 of the America 250 gathering at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer. To call it a 'once in a lifetime' event is by no means exaggeration.
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
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FastFlyingVirginian
No pain meds since Thursday night, so I think the worst of my medical adventure this week has passed. Back to the videos.
1 month ago | [YT] | 15
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FastFlyingVirginian
I managed to make it to the America 250 event at the NCTM in Spencer for 2 of the 3 days I had planned, but in retrospect it was probably a good thing I sat the last day out. Long story short, the heat, humidity, and the stress of schlepping my camera gear around apparently aggravated an undiagnosed condition (kidney stone, 5 mm), and one painful 5 -hour drive home and a visit to the ER later I'm convalescing at home on some heavy meds while picking through my event footage.
Needless to say it will be a while before I get the videos out the door, but in the meantime if you missed Virtual Railfan's live coverage they managed to twist my arm to sit down with them for an interview on day 2. Right around the 2:30:00 mark in the archived video: youtube.com/live/54qnapifZpc?si=-xthPkBpZ9l2FobR
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 12
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FastFlyingVirginian
A full video of yesterday's Parade Of Steam will follow, but for now here's one of the highlights.
4 months ago | [YT] | 1
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FastFlyingVirginian
One more day off in my long Train Day weekend, the forecast called for great weather, why not go hang out and watch more trains? And out of all the people that might pass through Ashland on a given day, who happens to be one of the two other railfans I meet?
It was a pleasure to meet Danny Harmon of ‪@distantsignal‬ while we were both trackside in Ashland on April 27th.
5 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 4
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FastFlyingVirginian
"Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun...but Mama, that's where the train is..."
Part II of Ashland on November 23rd will be devoted to the holiday parade, but as could be expected in Ashland there were a few interruptions courtesy of CSX and Amtrak. Shooting into the sun wasn't ideal, but the more I look at the footage the more I like how the color got highlighted in places. Part III will show the trains after the parade ended and the crowd dispersed. Both II and III were shot in 4K, albeit at 30p for a change.
10 months ago | [YT] | 15
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