Wow, it's rare to see a commuter rail where M bells are still dominant, NJ Transit is the only commuter who actually uses M bells on new installations!
***** Wow ! Didn't know that much about signals till now ! Seems like Carlsbad Village is the only place on the Surfline with remaining Mechanical Bell Signals.
Yeah, thanks man. Never really liked 2309 anyway. Don't really feel though this is my best video. I'll be returning to perfect all my shots without (hopefully), any problems.
Nice video Brent, I'd like to ask how you keep your shots so steady as a train downs by fastly. Because I've noticed a lot of my shots are shaky every time, and I'd like to ask maybe how you do it or what tripod u recommend. Because I just got an external mic to upgrade my sound quality, now I just need less shaking. Much appreciated, thanks and keep up the good shots. Ian
Thanks ! It all mainly depends on how close you stand to the train and what type of train you're expecting. Usually the CabCar leading trains carry a lot of wind along with the freights trains as well. Most trains with the Locomotive leading barely have any wind with the exception of the draft at the rear of the train. What I used to do was I had my tripod at its most retracted state, low to the ground, but I've gotten used to the full height. It's all based on your preferences. The idea is to keep it as steady as you can, regardless of the speed. What I usually do is when I film high speed trains, at any height, I tighten everything on my tripod so it is fixed and won't turn because of the wind. I also give it a press downward so it is firm in the ballast or any type of ground. After all that is set up, when the train approaches, you keep your hand at the top of the tripod, just below or near the camcorder. I then lean against the direction of the oncoming train, putting some of my weight downward on the tripod. This prevents me from losing my footing by the wind while at the same time keeping the tripod extremely steady.
***** Thanks for the advice! I mainly do hold on to the top of the tripod when it comes, I can tell at this point that the cabcar does have a whole bunch of force and wind. But maybe I'll try leaning against it more, because I'm pretty heavy, but yeah. Sometimes even if I'm far enough from the train (Like 15 feet or so) it still tend to shake. Now I even have an external mic which puts on more weight, and sometimes I put on the Image Stabilizer, but idk if that really helps, but thanks for taking ur time to explain to me the advice, and I will follow it well! The only issue I have with low shots is that I have to bend down a whole bunch, and I may easily pull a back muscle or something, so I tend to do medium/normal height shots. But thanks!
Excellent video! It's good that you got the signals before the trains past to give us viewers a heads up. Nice job!
Thanks ! I'll be returning again to give it another go for the perfect shots once and for all !
You have no idea how lucky you are to live near that kind of railroad action. Commuter trains are awesome!
Wow, it's rare to see a commuter rail where M bells are still dominant, NJ Transit is the only commuter who actually uses M bells on new installations!
Yeah. Lots of old signals are being replaced by Electronic Bells. It's already been seen everywhere else on the surfline.
***** Wow ! Didn't know that much about signals till now ! Seems like Carlsbad Village is the only place on the Surfline with remaining Mechanical Bell Signals.
***** Oh yeah, forgot about those locations with mechanical bells. Never been to San Juan Capistrano before though since it is a QZ.
Nice video and action!
Thanks !
Awesome video!
Thanks !
Looks like the engineer is week on the horn on 2309 :( great video by the way!
Yeah, thanks man. Never really liked 2309 anyway. Don't really feel though this is my best video. I'll be returning to perfect all my shots without (hopefully), any problems.
BrentNguyen46 2309 has a new horn, sounds so much better.
Nice video Brent, I'd like to ask how you keep your shots so steady as a train downs by fastly. Because I've noticed a lot of my shots are shaky every time, and I'd like to ask maybe how you do it or what tripod u recommend. Because I just got an external mic to upgrade my sound quality, now I just need less shaking. Much appreciated, thanks and keep up the good shots.
Ian
Thanks ! It all mainly depends on how close you stand to the train and what type of train you're expecting. Usually the CabCar leading trains carry a lot of wind along with the freights trains as well. Most trains with the Locomotive leading barely have any wind with the exception of the draft at the rear of the train. What I used to do was I had my tripod at its most retracted state, low to the ground, but I've gotten used to the full height. It's all based on your preferences. The idea is to keep it as steady as you can, regardless of the speed. What I usually do is when I film high speed trains, at any height, I tighten everything on my tripod so it is fixed and won't turn because of the wind. I also give it a press downward so it is firm in the ballast or any type of ground. After all that is set up, when the train approaches, you keep your hand at the top of the tripod, just below or near the camcorder. I then lean against the direction of the oncoming train, putting some of my weight downward on the tripod. This prevents me from losing my footing by the wind while at the same time keeping the tripod extremely steady.
***** Thanks for the advice! I mainly do hold on to the top of the tripod when it comes, I can tell at this point that the cabcar does have a whole bunch of force and wind. But maybe I'll try leaning against it more, because I'm pretty heavy, but yeah. Sometimes even if I'm far enough from the train (Like 15 feet or so) it still tend to shake. Now I even have an external mic which puts on more weight, and sometimes I put on the Image Stabilizer, but idk if that really helps, but thanks for taking ur time to explain to me the advice, and I will follow it well! The only issue I have with low shots is that I have to bend down a whole bunch, and I may easily pull a back muscle or something, so I tend to do medium/normal height shots. But thanks!
SoCal Railfan