Railfanning BNSF Staples Sub (2013, P2)

BNSF and Amtrak action on the BNSF Staples Sub in Minnesota.
Part 2, June-September 2013.

The good old days! Shot with a pre-HD camera behind the fence of the Northstar station. In these early days of railfanning, I didn't have social media for heads-ups, ATCS monitor to see where trains were, nor did I have a scanner to hear what was coming.

All I had was the Amtrak app to notify me when the train was at the nearest station. Then, by timing Amtrak's passing though town (22 minutes for a typical run, 25 minutes with a freight helper), I would set up, and then whatever passed by around the time Amtrak came was what I saw.

In some cases, I got fortunate.

Back then, pretty much anything was possible to see, but often I wasn't out to view it.

Since then, social media and friend connections combined with ATCS and other technology make railfanning a lot simpler.

Many new young railfans have sprung up in the area in recent years, full of excitement and drama like everyone else.

The hobby isn't as fun as it used to be, but it's nice to look back in time and see what roamed the rails when I was "a kid." I don't get out much anymore, for varying reasons, but it is nice when I do get out.

In summer 2013, I was a entering my senior year in high school. And obviously, I wasn't the greatest at camera work or placement, but over time, I evolved.

Видео Railfanning BNSF Staples Sub (2013, P2) канала NorthlandTrains