High Above the Rockville Bridge

Here's a photo I took yesterday while hiking on the mountain overlooking the Rockville Bridge outside of Harrisburg.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=182346


M.T.

Yes, that is a nice vantagepoint...I've been up on that Mountaintop on six separate occasions so far....I have a shot from there posted on the Altoona-Johnstown Yahoogroup homepage.

i've always wanted to know how to get to that spot, so how exactly do you, just hike straight through the woods or is there a trail, can someone explain

That shot is freaking awesome! Rockville is one hell of a spot. Someday I will check out that hotspot. I've never heard a bad thing about Rockville and the number of trains that NS pumps through there.


Lakeshore out

Maybe it's just the angle, but it looks like the Rockville bridge is down to one or two tracks across the span? How many did it used to have?

anyone know how to get up there!? haha

That spot has become a regular shooting location for me...a link to some shots from there http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=5581

RCH022 wrote:anyone know how to get up there!? haha

Drive up Roberts Valley Road...right turn onto another road up to the Radio transmitter towers, park by a gate at top of hill...hike back along a dirt road past the towers that eventually narrows to a grassy footpath that leads to the spot. 20-25 minute hike each way.

thanks for the info Will I need a telephoto lens to get a good shot or will a pretty standard lens do the job?

I used a standard lens. Becareful going up this time of year because of snakes & the path being overgrown. I usually only hike out there in the spring & fall. Also, the best time to take pictures is between 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Here are the photos I took while I was out there:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 513&nseq=5
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 346&nseq=6
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 16&nseq=62
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 13&nseq=63
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=527011
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=527014
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=527020
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=544675
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=544679
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=544681
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=544682
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=544683
http://mst145.rrpicturearchives.net/sho ... ?id=544694


Hope this helps......

M.T.

More excellent photos. What is track speed across Rockville Bridge?

I spent another morning up at the overlook a couple of days ago on Sunday morning....The lighting is indeed best early to mid morning, though lower sun angles in the Spring and Fall will extend the sweet light angle somewhat....One thing that concerned me a bit was with more railfans now discovering the spot, some of them appear to be slobs....cigarette smokers that use the world around them as an ashtray to throw cigarette butts, wrappers from food, iced tea bottles left behind...etc....How difficult is it to leave the place as one found it? Another comment is to avoid the area during hunting season. I went back one day last Fall to find a member from the local archery club up in a tree in wait for deer ..apparently during bow season...he apparently did not want me scaring away the deer and tried to tell me that the trail itself was on the Hunting club's land...My understanding is that the strip of land that the trail is on near the overlook is on State Gameland property.....unless someone knows for sure....

RCH022 wrote:thanks for the info Will I need a telephoto lens to get a good shot or will a pretty standard lens do the job?

My shots were taken with a point and shoot digital camera....I can get pretty good zoom with the standard lens....including shots of Enola Yard and Marysville.....if you own better lenses, it wouldn't hurt to take them along....but again, get out there early....I arrived on scene at 8:20AM this past Sunday to find the shadow of the mountain I was standing on was still partially across the tracks at the wye, but 15 minutes later the entire area was in full sunlight....By 11AM or so, the sweet light was gone, as the sun was now more overhead....I was heading back to the car by around noontime...

lakeshoredave wrote:More excellent photos. What is track speed across Rockville Bridge?

Track speed is not all that fast....30 mph or so seems to be the norm, though many slower movements occur with trains holding for traffic ahead...or to cross over onto and off the Buffalo Line...by no means is it a high speed racetrack across that bridge

[quote="dwil89"][quote="RCH022"]thanks for the info Will I need a telephoto lens to get a good shot or will a pretty standard lens do the job?[/quote]My shots were taken with a point and shoot digital camera....I can get pretty good zoom with the standard lens....including shots of Enola Yard and Marysville.....if you own better lenses, it wouldn't hurt to take them along....but again, get out there early....I arrived on scene at 8:20AM this past Sunday to find the shadow of the mountain I was standing on was still partially across the tracks at the wye, but 15 minutes later the entire area was in full sunlight....By 11AM or so, the sweet light was gone, as the sun was now more overhead....I was heading back to the car by around noontime...[/quote]
ok cool, cuz i'm rocking a digital point and shoot as well, thanks for all the info, i'll need to head up there soon!