Photo Competition August People

 

A disappointing show of votes this month sadly, however it did give us a number of winners with six votes each.
A big thank you to everyone who took a second to vote for their favourite shots.

Inside the new INKA DMU - Dirk Paul Celoso

INKA and EMU At Tutuban - Dirk Paul Celoso

ROTEM and INKA DMUs at Tutuban - Jared Isaiah Jimena

917 crosses ROTEM at Blumentritt - Maverick Ocampo

Kogane and crossing keeper - Maverick Ocampo

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Second place goes to Jared Isaiah Jimena for his shot of 921 at Tutuban station which received 5 votes.

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Congratulations to this months winners. Our next competition will be in October, the topic still to be decided.

As always, the following are a selection of other photos that were entered into the competition.

Mark Chua was the winner of the inaugural photo competition.

Here he is seen with the first day of the reopened extension  of the Metro North Commuter.

This was taken between Sangandaan and Gov. Pascual.

I love this shot of boom gate repairs being undertaken.
I think it is at Espana station.
Mark Leus Masangcay

Great shot that not only shows the little photographed FTI station, but captures all the passengers off a recently stopped train.
Rhonor Rae Arasula

Another historic shot from Mark Chua.
Showing Mark with Sir Junn Magno upon the arrival of new DMU sets from INKA Indonesia.

Finally, a photo from our resident artist Fremel Bernal.

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Thank you to everyone who contributed to the latest competition. I am looking forward to our next one.

Did you know that we are now responsible for the Facebook page of the

Lucena Rail Heritage Committee?

Come check the page out.

We also have started the first of our 

location spotlight pages.
Spotlight: Sucat station

 

Ermita Jeepneys

 Ermita Jeepneys 2009

Ever since I first set foot in the Philippines, I have had a thing for their local icon, the Jeepney.

These colourful transport legends were a magnet for me, both photographically and, of course, riding around while exploring Manila. At the time, we thought they would be part of the scene forever.

Fast forward two decades, and numerous governments, and we find ourselves facing the very real  prospective of the current government eradicating them forever.

I am not going to get into the policy, mostly because it is against the law there for a foreigner to have an opinion. Not to mention that politics is banned in our 'Philippine Railway Historical Society'

Looking back through thousands of Philippine photos, I find a monumental amount of jeepney images, far too many to put in one post (far to many to put in one hundred posts LOL).

I decided to focus on a morning in Ermita, during a visit in 2009. We were staying in my old favourite Mabini Mansion, which is just a short walk from Luneta Park, a spot I had long wanted to photograph the

 'King Of The Road'.

The traditional jeepney is a very polarizing subject for people, who are either for or against them, I rarely note any middle ground.
However, beyond the important fact that they are the livelihood of thousands of families, for me they are the soul of Manila, the streets of which will become a very lifeless place should they all disappear.

So, just in case you have not noticed, yes I am a fan of the traditional jeepney. For me, they are as much a part of the Philippines as Adobo and Tanduay Rhum.

Have met numerous drivers over the years, most of them friendly, some suspicious of your intentions, but the one thing that has struck me is the pride in what they do.
So they should be, it is a long running tradition.

 Anyway, no matter how you feel, please enjoy this selection of shots taken during a warm morning back in 2009.
While I've taken incalculable jeepney shots since, this was probably one of the most memorable 

photographic sessions.

While the Jeepney comes in many different styles and colours, some come along that truly are outstanding.
The blue one above is a terrific example.

Well that's all folks, a small look at that mornings Jeepney action. Hopefully things change and these can be enjoyed for many years to come.
For me, the alternative is not something I really wish to contemplate*

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* = Personal opinion. I am entitled to such just as much as everyone else. Even if you don't think so :-)

Thanks to Nhing.

 

This post was to be a part of a special series covering some of the Manila elevated railway stations some way down the, if you will pardon the terrible pun, track.

However, a request for photos by a Daniel Charles Valenciano on our sister 'Philippine Association of Rail Enthusiasts' group, has seen me, if you pardon another terrible pun, roster it to run on a much earlier path than originally tabled.

Monumento was the original northern terminus of the LRT1 when it opened in 1984. This being extended eastward to Roosevelt in 2010. In fact, the first photograph below shows the construction associated with this extension.

1G 1022 1023 1024 have just pulled into Monumento station from the sidings beyond.

It will soon head southwards to Baclaran.

Many of the original first generation sets are still working the LRT1 daily, having done so for nearly 36 years. That the loads they carry, they have served Manila well, their operators sure having got their money worth from them.

1027 1026 1025 arrive from Baclaran.

Always busy on the LRT with a first generation set leaving for Baclaran, as a third generation arrives.

The second generation are somewhat more rare on the system. Only two sets were running at the time of this visit, reportedly due to reliability issues.

None were seen on this day, but they will feature in future LRT1 posts.

The LRT1 carries some large loads, seven days a week. 

It is often said that passenger numbers are far in excess of what it was originally designed to handle, with over 14 million in a month often being carried.

Another photo of the sidings beyond Monumento station.

Curving to the right is the Roosevelt extension (note change in ballast colour) which was to open the year after this was taken.

 

Class		Service	Builder
1000	1G	1984	BN Constructions Ferroviaires et Métalliques
1100	2G	1999	Hyundai / Adtranz
1200	3G	2007	Kinky Sharyo / Nippon Sharyo

Interested in LRT1 fleet updates and further information?

Publications available for 'FREE' on the 

'Philippine Railway Historical Society' Website.

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