works by having a program continually scour over 200 railfan-themed groups on Flickr for geo-tagged images. When a new image is found, its metadata (number of comments, views, favorites, photographer, link to the full size image, geographic coordinates, and so on) are stored in the Railfan Atlas database. Using the percentile rank of the image’s views, comments, and favorites, along with the number of images the photographer has on the map already, a score is assigned. When someone looks at the map, which is a customized Google Maps interface that highlights railroad tracks in red, top-scoring images are shown first, with more appearing as you zoom in further. It’s not a perfect method, since photographers who haven’t networked much on Flickr generally receive less interaction from the community, but it’s the best a computer (or at least my software) can do. Some people have asked if it’s legal
or allowable by Flickr, Google, and the photographers who have their work shown on the map by Railfan Atlas; the short answer is “yes.” Flickr and Google both make their technology available to projects like this, so long as their terms of service are followed. From a photographer’s perspective, only public images, with public geotags, posted by photographers who allow API access to their photostream can have their images included, and changing any of those settings will automatically remove them from the system. As a freelance web developer, it’s desirable
to have a side project which can be used to learn about and experiment with new programming techniques, and Railfan Atlas fills that role for me very well. As a railfan, I am overjoyed by the fact that it’s been so useful to other people in the hobby (according to more than 6000 users in just the past six months). In addition to thumbnails of the top-scoring
images, Railfan Atlas has a heatmap view, which reveals “hot spots” where there are lots of photos. This can be incredibly helpful for
finding locations in unfamiliar areas. It also reveals the presence of a well-defined “railfan alley” running between Pittsburgh, Pa., and Minneapolis, Minn. While North America has no shortage of contributors, roughly 55 percent of images in the database are European. Beyond photos and heatmaps, Railfan Atlas
also lists the top photographers in the extent (map area) being viewed. This is a great way to find new people to add as contacts on Flickr. It’s also a fun way to track your own (or any photographer’s) shooting habits. Besides planning foaming trips to mysterious, far-off lands, it’s also easy to explore areas I’m already familiar with to discover new photo angles, gain operational insights, and discover other photographers with similar interests. It’s easy to spend several minutes panning and zooming around the map — the average user on the site spends six and a half minutes doing just that. For those of us who are into model railroading, it’s a great way to find prototype photos from a specific location. You can enter a place name in the search bar on top, and the map will zoom into that location. While it’s admittedly difficult to see all of the images in the map extent, that’s a feature I’m hoping to introduce as time allows. If you’re interested in statistics, Railfan
philamemoriesv1.qxd 3/22/2010 1:55 PM Page 1 Approx.
Three hours
ONLY $29.95
www.
RonRailPictures .com
RonRail2@aol.com
ww.RonRailPictures.com PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
VOLUME THREE - THE RED ARROW TROLLEYS
The story of a surviving suburban trolley system from the 1950's to today. Includes Routes 101 - 102 - 103 and 104. As seen through the Super-8 lens of Gary Grahl, a look back at the marvelous Brill, St. Louis and Kawasaki rail cars through Delaware County to West Chester, Ardmore, Sharon Hill and Media. 126 Minutes ONLY $29.95
VOLUME TWO - SUBWAY AND SURFACE LINES
Philadelphia SEPTA City Transit: Juniper St to 40th St subway lines through Woodland and Chester Ave surface lines and more. 1970’s PCC Cars through 1980’s Kawasaki. Experimental color schemes and one of a kinds. Includes Routes 10 - 11 - 13 - 34 - 36. ONLY $29.95
The Colorfull Years - 1970’s and 1980’s
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
From the lens of Gary Grahl. See Philadelphia PCC’s during the colorful 1970’ and 1980’s on Routes 6, 15, 23, 53, 56, and 60.
Atlas has a page which updates in near realtime, and includes several graphs and charts that visualize and quantify most of the parameters that the database tracks. Community interactions (views, favorites, and comments) are compared by global region (again, the European railfans are more active than those of us in North America), as well as by individual photographer. The top 32 photographers in each region, as ranked by average photo score, are also listed, which is another great way to discover great photography. Using the website certainly benefits from
having a speedy device and beefy internet connection, but it can be used effectively in
VOLUME 1 SURFACE LINES
RonRail w Pictures
1 Hour 7 Minutes
VOLUME ONE - SURFACE LINES
Two Discs Set 2 Hrs 23 Min Two Discs Set 2 Hours 23 Minutes 20
RonRail Pictures
Includes Routes 6 - 15 - 23 53 - 56 - 60
From the lens of Gary Grahl. See Philadelphia PCC’s during the color- ful 1970’ and 1980’s on Routes 6, 15, 23, 53, 56, and 60. ONLY $29.95
Add $4.00 S&H per order (PA add 6% tax) See us on the web at
www.ronrailpictures.com or mail check or M/O to RonRail Pictures, DeptT
5552 Republic Way, Bethlehem, PA 18017 WRP_Susquehanna_Jul15_6v_Layout 1 7/2/15 11:10 PM
Susquehanna and Western
Before the era of container trains and big diesels, we take a fond look back at the old Susquehanna operations from Jersey City tidewater into the mountains and coalfields of eastern Pennsylvania. You’ll enjoy rare black and white views of Ten-Wheelers and Decapods, early Alco and EMD diesels, as well as streamlined motorcars and Budd RDCs.
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Canadian Pacific Train 199, a hotshot between Chicago and Vancouver, screams through Wacouta, Minn., on December 28, 2009. This portion of railroad, along the Mississippi River in southeast Minnesota, is popular amongst photographers and very well represented on Railfan Atlas. NICK BENSON PHOTO
(877) 787-2467
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55 New York,
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES Vol 1 Surface Lines - The Colorful Years - 1970’s and 1980’s
NEW!
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