I've Done A Stupid Thing....!

c.poulton

c.poulton

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Local time
5:02 PM
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Feb 23, 2005
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What a nightmare day I had yesterday - running late at work, massive delivery to deal with with staff shortages & missed meetings, hot and bothered and now I've just gone and left my case on the train!

Damn!!!!

Spent over two hours chasing trains trying to catch up with it to no avail.... Lets hope the train company lost property find it....... but I'm not holding out much hope!

So so stupid of me - my mind was on other things......

I'd just bought a new peli type waterproof case to use for camera storage as was on my way home and absent mindedly left it on the luggage rack on the train. Now in it's self this wouldn't be a massive issue (the cost was minimal), however I had placed in the case 18 freshly developed rolls of 120 film plus contact sheets that I had shot on my recent trip to Italy a couple of weeks ago!

Gone, and no backup as I hadn't had the chance to scan them as yet.... :bang::bang::bang:

Oh well, c'est la vie....... :(
 
Christian, I realise words are no panacea, but I really feel for you. Here's hoping you recover the 18 freshly developed rolls of 120 film plus contact sheets.
 
There's hope someone who finds a case will try to find you. With digital pictures you would loose a camera, too (as cards are carried in them, in most cases).
 
I assume in a country where people are cuing patiently in line for hrs, there will be some decent person to hand in your case or the cleaning crew at the end of the line will find it. There is a good chance you'll get it back.
 
Post a sign if you can, advertising for the return of the negs and contact sheets, no questions asked. That might be your best shot.

Best of luck!
 
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Christian, I'm sure you are now covered in bruises and cuts from kicking yourself and self-flagellation... I know I would in the same circumstances... my sympathy, and I do hope some decent person hands it in and it finds its way back to you.

Would an article in a local newspaper help publicise your dilemma, and hopefully increase its chances of a safe return?
 
I think most people would recognise the contents of the case would be valuable to the owner and would make the small effort to hand them in, the main problem will be getting lost property to match up the case with the yourself.

I would say if it doesn't show up when you call, make a trip in person to wherever they keep lost property, much easier to fob people off on the phone, but if I was you I'd be fairly hopeful of getting it back. best of luck with it.
 
lynnb said:
Christian, I'm sure you are now covered in bruises and cuts from kicking yourself and self-flagellation... ?
Click to expand...

Yes, it was such a stupid thing for me to do...! I'm passed the kicking myself stage now though and kind of resigned to not getting the negs back. Still, you never know... I filled out a report with the rail company lost property office, so all hope is not lost. I should know either way in a couple of weeks apparently...

The train that I was on covers a large area and I wouldn't really know where to start posting ad's etc., and what makes it worse was that it was not my usual train as I hopped on it at the last minute to try and cut my journey time down.
 
btgc said:
There's hope someone who finds a case will try to find you. With digital pictures you would loose a camera, too (as cards are carried in them, in most cases).
Click to expand...

Strangely enough I was also carrying a usb stick of all of my mothers digital images (I had to retrieve them from an PC of hers that had died) and I was concerned for their safety so I carried the stick with my iPhone in a backpack. The negs and contact sheets I wanted to keep flat and the best bet at the time was to use the case!:bang:
 
I quickly looked back to your OP and saw that you are in London. England on a train. I am hopeful. I do think there is a fair chance you'll get this back. Google is such that if you post on the internet, like you have here, 120 roll Italy peli, anyone searching for that may find your post. For me it comes up on the second page, 7 posts from the top. Trouble is Google search results differ depending on the user and his history. Better to put a post here with Italy Pelican 120 roll film. Except now you don't have to as I just did. Good luck.
 
c.poulton said:
What a nightmare day I had yesterday - running late at work, massive delivery to deal with with staff shortages & missed meetings, hot and bothered and now I've just gone and left my case on the train!

Damn!!!!

Spent over two hours chasing trains trying to catch up with it to no avail.... Lets hope the train company lost property find it....... but I'm not holding out much hope!

So so stupid of me - my mind was on other things......

I'd just bought a new peli type waterproof case to use for camera storage as was on my way home and absent mindedly left it on the luggage rack on the train. Now in it's self this wouldn't be a massive issue (the cost was minimal), however I had placed in the case 18 freshly developed rolls of 120 film plus contact sheets that I had shot on my recent trip to Italy a couple of weeks ago!

Gone, and no backup as I hadn't had the chance to scan them as yet.... :bang::bang::bang:

Oh well, c'est la vie....... :(
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your misery. I had a similar experience. I lost my wallet containing my Uni ID, debit & credit card, etc - all because I was trying to keep my hands warm whilst tucking a very thick book under my armpit! Somehow the wallter just dropped off mt chest pocket! I was really annoyed with myself. So I feel your pain.. I wish you all the bests in finding those frames.

Just to cheer you up - I visited your flickr page, Christian. I'm enjoying your B&Ws a lot. :)

Bests,

Ashfaque
 
icebear said:
I assume in a country where people are cuing patiently in line for hrs, there will be some decent person to hand in your case or the cleaning crew at the end of the line will find it. There is a good chance you'll get it back.
Click to expand...

Yes, there is hope. The local station staff were very helpful in as much as they could do - the problem was that all of the smaller stations are unmanned nowadays so they could not just call ahead and get someone to retrieve the case at a station further up the line. I'm relying on the cleaning staff now handing it in...
 
I left my favourite heavy shafted English umbrella on a tram in Melbourne. I had bought it in 1986 in a summer storm in Florence. I was offered a towel and a glass of water with lemon, and I paid the going rate for the best umbrella for a bitter Melbourne wind, and any rain anywhere. Ten years later I left it in the tram. I rang the depot nearby after an hour or so when I realized I didn't have it. "Oh yes, we have that. We thought it was pretty special and that someone would ring. It's here for you when you want to collect it." I still have it.
 
btgc said:
There's hope someone who finds a case will try to find you. With digital pictures you would loose a camera, too (as cards are carried in them, in most cases).
Click to expand...


Or, with digital the images might have been on cards at home because they were replaced with fresh cards after the trip.

Or, the cards might have been loaded into his computer and automatically backed up by now. After all Christian had time to develop the film

This is not a film vs. digital thread. This is where we express empathy for a fellow photographer who may have lost his work.

I feel for Christian and I sincerely hope his case is returned to him intact.
 
willie_901 said:
Or, with digital the images might have been on cards at home because they were replaced with fresh cards after the trip.

Or, the cards might have been loaded into his computer and automatically backed up by now. After all Christian had time to develop the film
Click to expand...

Yes, this isn FvsD thread. My mom uses digital and never ever removes card from it, recently she came back from USA with about 700 pictures on a single card in camera. And as I know so many people don't use multiple cards on trips neither back up data to external media daily. I shot it, it flashed for 5secs on LCD and I know it's there! In fact she loaded files onto PC about month after return as free space just run out.

Good to hear card with OP's moms card is safe.
 
I once did the exact same thing in Barcelona....

Was on a train into the city listening to a philosophy lecture in my headphones. Was totally wrapped up in it...My back pack was stupidly placed on the over head rack.....next thing I knew I was at my station so I lept up and got off....a few blocks later I realised I was a bit lighter then I should have been....

The back pack contained (GET THIS!) my laptop, wallet, passport, canon s80, external harddrives and other stuff cant even recall. Everything of value to me at that time, minus the iPod i was listening to.

I went back to the station, the guards spoke no English and my Catalan/Spanish was very rudimentary. They told me the final destination of that train, I waited 20mins for the next train, went to the end of the line and hunted down the train.....after a fair bitof back and forth and miscommunications, I found the train, entered at the rear and ran through the empty carriages scanning for my bag....nothing...

I reached the drivers compartment, bashed on the door, and an old short fat balding bearded Barcelonian train driver opened up...in broken Spainish and sign language commuicated that I was desperaty seeking my back pack...."ahhh si, la mochila negra...si si...) He turns around, reaches down, then hands me my black, full, wonderful back pack....

I have never felt so elated. The rush i felt, shooting right back from that feeling of sickness and "of man, what have i done!" etc was amazing. This was peak hour in Barcelona....not the most honest or polite of cities to say the least....but I got it back...

Hope you get your case back mate....
 
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