Many photos I’ve tried to take from a moving train have been failures. Typically I only get a few keepers on any trip. Here are somethings that I’ve done to help improve my chances of getting a decent shot.
Sit on the dark side
If possible, sit on the side of the train which doesn’t have the sun hitting your window. When you sit with the sun hitting the window, it will show more dirt on the window and sometimes cause trouble with autofocus. Also, if the sun is on the other-side of the train, it will light up the scenery that you are shooting.
Window Lens Placement
Place your lens directly on the glass. This will help reduce glare. It does make taking shots more difficult since it limits your angles.
High Shutter Speed
A fast shutter speed, typically faster than 1/250 will help freeze the shot and reduce the motion blur.
High Seats
Some trains provide seating on two levels. A seat on the second level will help reduce the number of obstructions that come into your pictures.
Open Air
Where possible, try to shot in the open air and not through a window pane. I’ve only had two opportunties to shot open air: one time on the ACR and another time on VIA. Both of those times, it shooting not through a window produced very good results.
Since we are in a world of digital imaging, go trigger happy. You will end up with numerous shots of trees and other obstructions, but using the law of large numbers, hopefully some will turn out.