My next class at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania will run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.
The plan is to catch the fading rays of the setting sun out in the yard, then move inside to the main hall to make evocative images of the exhibits.
In addition, I plan to give a short presentation on night photography techniques.
Tickets are available through Eventbrite at:
Following Norfolk Southern’s Port Road in the evening, we knew there had been three coal trains on the move in relatively close succession.
But we didn’t know that the first train we’d seen was actually the second of the three.
To stay ahead of the parade of trains, we took a ‘new’ shortcut from Washington Boro, Pa., to Port Deposit, Maryland. Studying a map, I’d determined that with a little creative driving, I could beat Google Maps’ estimated time on back roads by taking a combination of Routes 272 and 222 to the Mason-Dixon Line.
We arrived in Port Deposit shortly after a train had passed a hotbox detector near milepost 10. Kris suggested a location for making photos from a car park on the north side of town, where the former Pennsylvania Railroad Port Road Branch rides along a fill above street level. This is opposite a row of buildings characteristic of the old town.
I was delighted that we’d beaten one of the coal trains, pleased that my ‘shortcut’ had worked so well. Except this coal train wasn’t one of the two we’d already seen. This was an extra-long train with a mid-train DPU (radio-controlled distributed power unit). The others had been singles. I was puzzled.
The DPU coal train was being held at Port Deposit, waiting for permission to enter Amtrak’s line at Perryville. In the meantime, a following train tripped the high-and-wide detector.
The minutes flashed by, and ultimately I made several sequences of the DPU train at Port Deposit. We then followed it to Perryville, only to return to find that at Port Deposit, the first coal train we’d seen hours earlier at Washington Boro was waiting, with the third of the three trains held in the darkness farther up the line. Well, that was cool, but just a little confusing. I had to annotate my notes to revise the order of the trains!
These photos represent my first sequence of the third train we saw, which was, in fact, the first. If you’ve lost the plot, don’t feel bad. Just remember that the whole adventure resulted in a lot of nocturnal images of passing coal trains.
Tracking the Light makes the most of a busy evening!
On December 2, 1984, I exposed this photograph of Conrail’s SEPW (Selkirk to Providence & Worcester) splitting the distance between two derelict signal towers at Worcester, Massachusetts.
The tower on the left is the former New Haven Railroad tower, while opposite the tracks on the right is the old Boston & Albany tower. The B&A tower was among the last remaining structures of its kind. It was demolished about 1987. The last time I looked, the gutted remains of the old New Haven tower still survived trackside.
Although an interesting photograph, this image may not make the final cut for consideration in my new book on Railroad Interlocking Towers.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!
The second of three Norfolk Southern unit coal trains was closely following the first, running on yellow (approach) signals.
We waited at Washington Boro, Pa., as the train approached. Unfortunately, the bright headlights confused the autofocus on my Nikon Z6-III, which I had set to AF-S instead of AF-C.
The difference is pretty straightforward. In the AF-S setting, there’s an interlock, and the shutter will not release until the camera’s autofocus has locked on to the selected subject. When the autofocus sensor was confused by the headlights, the shutter would not release.
While I eventually got the focus problem sorted out, the coal train was still rolling.
Despite this frustration, soon we were on the move after yet another nocturnal coal train on Pennsylvania’s Port Road Branch. When I had a moment, I fixed my AF settings.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!
Earlier this month, we paused at Tamaqua in the evening.
In recent years, this has become one of our regular places to look for locomotives and equipment.
The setting reminds me of my old “Wee Reading Company” HO-scale interpretation of the Reading. Although my yard was set at West Cressona, in practice it more closely resembled the north end of Tamaqua Yard.
Anyway, on this most recent visit, we found that Reading & Northern had installed some excellent lighting in the vicinity of the sidings where locomotives are stored between runs.
I made these images with my Nikon Z6-III with 24-70mm lens mounted on a 3Pod tripod. This allowed me to work at a relatively low ISO (200), permitting greater data capture and less noise.
Tracking the Light examines Railroad Photography!
Some nights, we catch a Norfolk Southern unit coal train working east on the Port Road Branch toward Perryville, Maryland, en route to Baltimore.
One night, about two weeks ago, we caught not one, but three unit coal trains!
This was the first one we saw, approaching the intermediate automatic signals near milepost 35 in Washington Boro, PA. The next one wasn’t far behind.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!
Yes, that’s correct.
I was attracted to working the Cape Cod Central advertisement into a photo of their train.
Although I could have featured the FL9 in the ad photo in my photo with the ad, instead I opted this broadside view.
This allowed me to present the FL9 broadside demonstrating both its unusual length and its non-standard B-A1A wheel arrangement. While this was not unique to the 60 New Haven EMD Fs, it is a distinctive characteristic of the locomotive that is often not obvious in the classic nose-prominent three-quarter view, such as that in the ad photo.
In my EMD F-Units Locomotives published by Specialty Press in 2005, I described the FL9’s asymetrical wheel arrangement as follows, To spread the weight of steam boiler and added electrical equipment and keep locomotive axle weight in compliance with the Park Avenue Viaduct stringent weight restrictions, the FL9’s rear truck uses a three-axle Flexicoil truck with an A1A arrangement—whereby only the two outside axles are powered—instead of the typical two-axle Blomberg truck typically used on Fs.
Tracking the Light Explores the Pecularities of the New Haven FL9.
NOTE: Owing to a complicated server/host/computer problem TTL has been delayed and this my first photographic post to Tracking the Light in about a week. The problem seems to have been resolved, and I hope to resume Tracking the Light’s normal daily posts!
As of this morning, October 24, 2026, I remain unable to upload photo files to Tracking the Light. This appears to be a problem regarding internet security concerns well beyond the scope of TTL and relate to issues with the Word Press platform’s concerns.
There is virtually nothing I can do on my end at this time, although I continue my photography on a daily basis.
Yesterday evening, Kris and I visited COLA Tower in Columbia, Pa., in time to watch Norfolk Southern H19 make its eastward daylight appearance on its journey to Lancaster. This slow moving freight was easy to follow, and after departing Columbia I made a series of images at Mountville in the fading autumn sunlight.
Hopefully in the coming days the problems with Word Press will resolved, and I will again be able to share photos on Tracking the Light.
Brian Solomon.
Owing to an unexplained and unidentified server/host/computer problem, I have been unable to post photos to Tracking the Light, nor have I been able to diagnose or solve the problem.
In the past, issues like these have been resolved by the server/host. I’m sorry for the interruption to Tracking the Light‘s normally daily posts. Hopefully, the cause of the problem will soon be identified and resolved.
My digital cameras can see in the dark better than I can.
A couple of weeks back, I set up my Nikon Z6-III on a tripod and made this four-second time exposure of a Reading & Northern RDC-1 beneath the train shed at Port Clinton station and yard. If you look carefully, you can see stars in the sky and considerable detail beneath the train shed. I find this remarkable.
Although I’ve been making night photographs since the 1970s, modern digital camera technology has renewed my interest in night photography and made possible numerous photographs that were just out of reach with film.
Tracking the Light Explores the Art of Digital Night Photography!
We were finishing up lunch at Seafood Sam’s in Sandwich, Massachusetts, when we heard Cape Cod Central’s returning Luncheon Train sounding for a nearby crossing. (In Sunday’s TTL post, I wrote about it crossing the marsh in Sandwich).
That was our signal to hit the highway.
We headed east again on Route 6A (aka Old Kings Highway). Luck was with us: the road was soon clear of plodders who impaired our progress.
East of East Sandwich, the highway crosses the railroad. We’d overtaken the train a half mile back and made it to the far side in time for me to juggle a couple of cameras as the train came into view.
Don’t be fooled by the results. These were grab shots; there was no elaborate planning behind them. And, soon we were on our way again!
(There’s more to come!)
Tracking the Light Posts Explores Railroad Photography!
On Tuesday, October 13, 2026, I presented my Autumn Foliage & Light class at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, we made photographs on the museum grounds, both outside in the yard and inside the main hall.
For me, photographing at the museum is a visual exercise. Sometimes equipment in the yard is shuffled around, so this time I found that catching the Baldwin diesel switcher in nice morning light offered a change of scene. The biggest change I found on Tuesday’s visit was the exeptional progress to the new roundhouse that is under construction at the western edge of the property.
However, since the exhibits in the main hall rarely change from visit to visit, I try to see things differently each time I photograph. This is an opportunity to make new photographs of familiar subjects.
I largely worked with my Nikon Z6-III and 24-70mm lens. Here are a few of the photographs I made during the class.
Tracking the Light Examines Railroad Photography!
I’d been hoping to find a location on the railroad that captures the marshy coastal character of Cape Cod.
With this in mind, we were following Cape Cod Central’s westward Luncheon Train. Near Sandwich, Massachusetts, we turned onto a side road where we found this broadside view. So we pulled in and waited. We arrived about five minutes ahead of the train.
I made these images with my Nikon Z7-II mirrorless digital camera, but also finished off a roll of Kodak Ektachrome with my dad’s old Leica M2.
It wasn’t all about photography. Not long after the trailing former FL9 passed the marsh, Kris and I were on our way to one of her favorite Cape Cod eateries, Seafood Sam’s, where we ordered . . .
Fish & Chips!
We had time to enjoy our lunch before a distant whistle signaled that it was time to head trackside again to catch the Luncheon Train‘s eastward return.
Tracking the Light Explores Sandwich Options!
As we drove west toward Safe Harbor and Washington Boro, we watched a mountain of fast-moving clouds approaching from the north. Kris noted that thunderstorms were predicted.
“Here?”
As we crested a ridge on River Road, the sky had darkened to something like midnight.
“That looks angry.”
Nearing Washington Boro, we heard Norfolk Southern’s dispatcher speaking to a coal train over the railroad radio. There was discussion of a track circuit fault near milepost 42, west of where the train’s location
“The train is close. Sounds like he’s east of COLA (Columbia, Pa.)”
When we reached the intermediate (automatic) signals in Washington Boro, they displayed all red in the westward direction. Then we heard the whistle for a grade crossing. We reversed direction, retraced our steps, and parked at Blue Rock. I grabbed my Z6-III as the train entered view and set up a photograph to emphasize the boiling sky.
From there, we raced ahead to Safe Harbor. The coal train was maybe a couple minutes behind, and I figured we might as well photograph it here.
“We might as well roll it by. It’s a ‘free shot’ if we’re going to follow it to Maryland.”
By the time we arrived, the evening sky was a striking mix of storm clouds and blue sky, making for a dramatic silhouette. The coal train was close, but the rain closer. First came the sprinkles, then a deluge. I abandoned my spot and ran for the car.
Kris laughed when I jumped in, soaked.
“Time for Plan B!”
I reversed and drove over the bridge that leads to the Safe Harbor Dam, a path often closed to us during our nocturnal visits. We parked on the Susquehanna side of the two massive Pennsylvania Railroad bridges as the rain intensified. It felt like being in a dishwasher. After a minute, I heard the road of our train approaching and grabbed my camera.
“You’re not going back out there?” Kris asked.
“We’re here, and so’s the train. I’ve been wet before.”
I exposed a burst of photos, shooting through the torrents. My camera was soaked, and I looked like a drowned rat.
We tried to continue our chase, but the rain grew even more intense. Finally, we agreed to abort.
When we arrived home, we could hear distant sirens on Route 272. I checked the traffic, and sure enough, there was a wreck on the highway, not far from where we’d turned off. We dodged the proverbial bullet.
Tracking the Light Braves the Storm!
On December 28, 1986, I exposed this 120-size black-and-white photograph of common freight cars at Boston & Maine’s East Deerfield Yard. The relatively clean Norfolk & Western 50-foot plug-door boxcar caught my attention.
I framed the scene with foreground tracks, an antique wooden grain elevator at left, and a switch stand on the right.
In those days, I routinely exposed my black-and-white photos using my father’s Rolleiflex Model T with a ‘Superslide’ insert that created a broad rectangle from the Rollei’s normal 2 1/4 in square frame.
The Rollei was a twin-lens reflex, which meant it had a separate optical system for framing photographs.I’d look down into the camera to view an image projected onto a simulated ground glass (actually plastic). The challenge was that this image was a mirror image of the actual scene, which could make it difficult to frame a moving train precisely, since this had to be done ‘backwards.’
However, I’m sufficiently dyslexic that I was rarely bothered by this handicap. I’ve noticed, though, when reviewing my old Rollei negatives, that the necessity of composing scenes in reverse seems to have aided my compositions. I often made better images with the Rollei than with the Leica rangefinder, which was also my constant companion.
Today, I still carry a Leica occasionally, while a Rollei Model T sits on the shelf, idle and taunting me.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!
The leaves along Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna Valley have begun to turn.
Last night, Kris, Seamus, and I went on the latest of our Port Road forays. We drove first to Washington Boro to inspect the signals, that hinted of eastbound traffic (downriver). Then we continued west to River Front Park in Marietta, where we often wait for trains.
After a little while, the roar of an eastbound began to swell in the valley. For more than ten minutes, we listened to the approaching sounds of freight cars and the chug of a GE diesel. This was Norfolk Southern’s 36A, bound for Edgemoor, Delaware, a train we’ve often seen at night.
By the time it reached Vinegar Ferry Road, it had a good roll-on, so we followed along. Passing Columbia, we were still about 30 cars ahead of the head end. We were even with 36A by the time we passed Washington Boro eastbound. Kris suggested that we try to catch the train somewhere different down the valley. So we navigated our way to Holtwood, an interlocking near a dam along the river, located toward the end of a dead-end road.
We’d visited there previously in daylight and found it uninspiring. The tracks are largely surrounded by chain-link fences, and high-voltage wires fill the sky. However, Holtwood takes on another character in the gloom of night.
NS 36A was going to be held at the Holtwood crossovers, providing a photographic opportunity.
I made a view of the crossovers to my east and waited for the train to crawl into view. Finally, it peaked around the bend, and lights brightly illuminated the mid-October foliage while darkness obscured most of the fencing.
The train stopped well short of the signals and dimmed its headlights. It was going to be a long wait, so we headed for home.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Night Photography!
In my digital photographic workflow, I treat the camera’s RAW file much as I would treat a black-and-white negative in the printmaking process. It is the raw material from which I interpret the image. The RAW file is not intended to be the final result; it is simply the most effective means of capturing the data.
Here’s a trailing view of Cape Cod Central’s Luncheon Train as it rolled through West Barnstable station. The top version is scaled but otherwise unprocessed from the Nikon NEF RAW file.
The bottom version reflects my adjustments to color, contrast, shadow and highlight detail, plus a minor crop.
Tracking the Light examines railroad photography!
And, no, I’m not writing about high-voltage catenary.
Kris and I were set up at West Barnstable, Massachusetts, to photograph Cape Cod Central’s Luncheon Train, powered by classic New Haven Railroad FL9 diesel-electric/electric locomotives.
I’ve been photographing these relics since I was a child. They have at least nine lives. But it’s still neat to catch them on the move in retro paint.
Anyway, I’d set up my photograph from the elevated platform at the old passenger station. Upon examining the image, I found that the electrical power cables along the highway made for an objectionable distraction. To correct this problem, I created a version of the file cropped to eliminate the wires from the scene.
An alternative, perhaps more complicated and morally controversial, solution would be to use AI tools to artificially excise the wires from the scene.
I opted against that. For now.
Tracking the Light explores railroad photography daily!
My posts about Attleboro generated discussion about the Boston & Providence route, including mention of a location east of Providence known as “Boston Switch,” where the Providence & Worcester’s namesake line diverged from the old New Haven “Shore Line” route.
More than 40 years ago (June 30, 1986, to be specific), Bob Krambeles gave Bob Buck and me a tour of the Providence area, which included a brief visit to an overbridge looking toward Boston Switch in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
We timed our visit to photograph the passage of Amtrak 175, The Minuteman, which blasted by at 1:14 p.m.
I exposed this Kodachrome of what was then a standard consist on the Northeast Corridor. When the slide came back from Kodak, I labeled it and filed it away in my “New Haven Railroad” box. (At the time, I identified all railroad routes by their historic owners.)
When I went to locate this image, I found, to my surprise, that it was exactly where I thought it should be! Not bad after four decades in the dark. Upon researching Boston Switch using Google Maps, I see that the shell of the old tower is still there!
Tracking the Light steps back in time!
I’m presently researching and writing a book on interlocking towers. One reason for my visit to Attleboro, Massachusetts, was to make a visual inspection of the surviving structure that once served as New Haven Railroad interlocking tower SS165.
Until the early 1990s, this interlocking controlled the trackage at Attleboro, including the junction with the former New Haven route toward Taunton and Middleboro, Massachusetts.
I made this view with my Nikon Z7-II. Attleboro is among several locations along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Boston and New York City where former New Haven Railroad interlocking towers survive, although their switch and signal control functions have long since been transferred to modern control centers.
Visiting old tower structures is part of my ongoing research, although my book will focus on towers when they served their intended purpose, rather than emphasizing images of relics from an earlier age.
Tracking the Light Examines Railroad Relics!
The largely tangent former Boston & Providence line that connects its namesakes is among America’s oldest main railroad routes. It was surveyed in the early 1830s by William Gibbs McNeill, the line’s chief engineer. Later it was key component of the New Haven Railroad system. Today it is a key portion of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and remains busy with Amtrak and MBTA passenger trains and the occasional CSX local freight.
On dull September morning, I made these views of an MBTA F40PH-2 working the tail-end of a push-pull set bound for South Station, Boston as train 5824, seen crossing Park Street in Attleboro, Massachusetts. I thought this was a neat scene despite the chainlink fence.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad History Through Image Making!
Sometimes soft, overcast light contributes to a pleasing setting.
I made this view of outbound MBTA train 763 as it arrived at its Norfolk, Mass., station stop on the Franklin Line.
To add texture, I took a position beneath a tree near the west end of the platform.
MBTA’s distinctive HSP-46 diesels are unlikely to be mistaken for anything else.
Tracking the Light explores railroad photography daily!
In my earlier days, I sometimes adopted a systematic approach to photographing a railroad.
Let me rephrase that: sometimes I’d take a station-by-station look at a line, visiting every major point on a route and trying to make interesting images. I suppose you could describe that as a “system map approach.”
I’ve been photographing the Philadelphia-area SEPTA rail network since the early 1980s. I’ve traveled on most of its routes and visited most of its stations. Yet, until September this year, I’d never photographed a SEPTA train at Downingtown on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line. This is a significant place, and yes, I’ve made photos there before, but not of SEPTA trains.
The September 28, 2026 Tracking the Light featured some night photos of an Amtrak Keystone making its station stop at Downingtown. [See: Downingtown on Saturday Evening.] A few minutes after that train continued west, an inbound SEPTA local paused at the platforms, and I made these photos.
It was only this morning that I realized that I’d ticked the box for Downingtown! Now I’ll need to figure out how to make Thorndale station look interesting. I’ve been there. It’s no Horseshoe Curve.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography Daily!
Some evenings are busier than others. Following a loaded train toward Perryville, Maryland, we learned of an empty train coming from Baltimore and followed that west to Port Deposit, where it met another loaded train.
This sequence was exposed as the empty train passed the TOME interlocking in Port Deposit. The photos combine several of the techniques I’ve highlighted in recent Tracking the Light posts. I am especially pleased with the handheld panned photo showing the locomotives beneath the lit signal bridge.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Night Photography!
My next Railroad Photography class, held at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is scheduled for Tuesday October 13, 2026. The class starts at 9 a.m. sharp.
For registration details/tickets, see:
Railroad Photography: Making the Most of Autumn Foliage and Lighthttps://www.eventbrite.com/checkout-external?eid=2000262573202&parent=https%3A%2F%2Fbriansolomon.com%2Ftrackingthelight%2Famtrak-915-again%2F
We arrived at the Pequea Boat Launch in the gloom of night.
The scanner squawked, “Clear signal, West Harbor.”
Gazing upriver, we saw the headlights of a Norfolk Southern coal train crawling across the Safe Harbor Bridge, about two and a half miles compass north (and timetable west) of Pequea, Pennsylvania.
With time to spare, I took position on the bridge over Pequea Creek and listened.
The roar of the long, heavy train swelled as it approached. Finally, the lights swept over me and burst forth from the trees to the west.
The sensation was surreal. I wondered if I’d been sent back in time.
Tracking the Light Posts About Railroad Night Photography!
Mastering the Night Pan
As a follow-up to yesterday’s Tracking the Light post, “Perfecting the Art of the Pan,” I am continuing the theme by detailing my night-panning technique as a means of making effective railroad action photos at night.
Many modern digital cameras, with their exceptionally sensitive image-capturing capabilities, now make it possible to expose photos of moving trains in extremely low-light situations. However, even with these tools, I’m still faced with using slower shutter speeds than would be needed to “freeze” a moving train.
My solution has been to combine a very high ISO with an extremely fast lens, using a very wide aperture in the f/1.4 range, and employ my panning technique. After exposure, I process my RAW files using sophisticated software, specifically DxO PureRAW, to minimize the effects of high-ISO pixelization, correct lens imperfections, and boost contrast.
Consider this sequence of Norfolk Southern symbol freight 36A rolling through Washington Boro, Pennsylvania, at about 35 mph.
I worked with my Nikon Z6-III in “A” (aperture-priority) mode, which allows me to set the lens to a wide setting, f/1.6, while letting the camera select the appropriate corresponding shutter speed for the lighting conditions.
This is beneficial because I don’t need to try to adjust the lens setting as I’m panning or anticipate the most effective exposure combination in advance. Instead, I can concentrate on making a smooth and uninterrupted pan and releasing the shutter at key moments.
A couple of other tips:
Pan practice helps.
See:
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!
[NOTE: This is a repost of Tracking the Light from Friday October 2, 2026. The original post suffered from a variety of unexplained presentation glitches. Hopefully these have been resolved and you will see a sequence of four photos to demonstrate the signal sequence at TOME interlocking.]
TOME is the interlocking on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Branch at Port Deposit, Maryland. As discussed in Wednesday’s Tracking the Light post, we had been anticipating the progress of Norfolk Southern’s 596-unit coal train, which had been delayed as a result of a false reading by the high-and-wide detector near Port Deposit.
Once the train was under way again, we drove to the signal bridge at TOME, which displayed a yellow-over-flashing-green aspect—“Approach Limited.” This means proceed, approaching the next signal at Limited speed—defined as 40 mph for freight trains and 45 mph for passenger trains.
My goal was to capture the train with this signal aspect. This is a nearly impossible challenge in a single still photograph. So, I made this series of images, in which one of the images shows yellow-over-dark. It’s not perfect, but it conveys the spirit of the scene.
In the final image, the leading locomotive has shunted the circuit, and the signal has dropped to red-over-red, its most restrictive aspect.
Tracking the Light examines railroad night photography!
I’ve often featured panned photos on Tracking the Light. This is a technique my father taught me when I was relatively young, and I’ve been refining my approach ever since.
Panning is when the photographer moves the camera in parallel with a moving subject. If executed effectively, this can allow for a sharp subject against a motion-blurred background. It is an excellent way to show motion, while also minimizing a visually distracting background.
One of the tricks to executing a successful pan is to smoothly turn with your whole body, rather than just turning your head. It helps to begin panning long before your subject reaches exactly where you want it, and to continue the unbroken panning motion after you release the shutter.
A common mistake is stopping the panning action as you release the shutter. This will result in an unpleasant blur that doesn’t produce the desired effect. A similar problem will occur when using a comparatively slow shutter speed and pressing the shutter release with sufficient force to cause unplanned vertical motion. This, too, will negate the desired effect.
Practice helps. Pan various subjects in motion. I often pan birds, automobiles, freight cars, etc.
Below are a few views from the passage of Amtrak Keystone 658, where I panned the ACS-64 electric at the rear of the train. Shutter speed was 1/200th second.
Tracking the Light pans trains on the Move!
TOME is the interlocking on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Branch at Port Deposit, Maryland. As discussed in Wednesday’s Tracking the Light post, we had been anticipating the progress of Norfolk Southern’s 596-unit coal train, which had been delayed as a result of a false reading by the high-and-wide detector near Port Deposit.
Once the train was under way again, we drove to the signal bridge at TOME, which displayed a yellow-over-flashing-green aspect—“Approach Limited.” This means proceed, approaching the next signal at Limited speed—defined as 40 mph for freight trains and 45 mph for passenger trains.
My goal was to capture the train with this signal aspect. This is a nearly impossible challenge in a single still photograph. So, I made this series of images, in which one of the images shows yellow-over-dark. It’s not perfect, but it conveys the spirit of the scene.
50mm f/1.4 with Nikon Z6-III, set at ISO 16,000, f/1.6 at 1/160 second.
In the final image, the leading locomotive has shunted the circuit, and the signal has dropped to red-over-red, its most restrictive aspect.
PLEASE NOTE: As of 744am on October 2, 2026, Tracking the Light was suffering from an unknown technical problem that may make it difficult to see/download some or all the photos attached to this post. I will aim to repost the entire content at a later time when the system is working better. I’m sorry about the inconvenience. The editing process has been made difficult, which also makes it hard for me to see how the post looks during editing.
Amtrak 915 Again!
Often we drive past the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in the evening, where old Amtrak AEM-7 915 basks in the sun. Although I’ve made a variety of photos of 915 in its preserved state, when I see nice light on it, I’m still tempted to stop for yet another photo.
Recently, while scouring my archives looking for photos of railroad interlocking towers, I found a vintage photo of Amtrak 915 hard at work on the former New Haven Railroad.
Back on March 5, 1987, I caught 915 working eastbound at Southport, Connecticut. For this image, I exposed black-and-white film with my father’s Rolleiflex Model T.
I never could have guessed that 915 would become one of the few surviving Amtrak AEM-7s.
If you’re interested in seeing 915 in person, consider coming to my next Railroad Photography class, held at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania on October 13, 2026. The class starts at 9 a.m. sharp.
For details, see:
Railroad Photography: Making the Most of Autumn Foliage and Light
Norfolk Southern 596, a unit coal train, tripped the high-and-wide detector west of Port Deposit, Maryland, on the Port Road Branch.
This resulted in a delay to the train and provided some night photography opportunities in the village of Port Deposit. When the train paused waiting for its conductor to return to the headend, I had the opportunity to set up my tripod and work with a lower ISO for better data capture.
I made these images using my Nikon Z6-III with a 50mm f/1.4 lens.
Tracking the Light Explores Photography!
If thirty-five years ago you had told me that I’d be able to photograph high-speed trains at night, I’d have thought you were talking about blurry streaks through the darkness.
However, in 2026 I have the tools in hand to freeze an Amtrak Acela traveling at more than 100 mph at night—and without flash.
Kris and I arrived at the Newark, Delaware, station with enough time for me to check the asmtransitdocs.com app on my phone.
“Acela 2128 is through Elkton. We should be seeing a headlight in about two minutes.”
I grabbed my Nikon Z7-II fitted with my Nikkor “Fast Fifty.” I saw the rapidly approaching headlight and quickly set the camera to ISO 25,800, with the shutter speed set to “Auto.” Bright lights illuminated the station platforms.
A new Acela set blitzed through the station traveling at 108 mph.
I was able to use a shutter speed of 1/1,600 of a second, which froze the motion of the train. The results astounded me.
Tracking the Light Pushes the Limits of Railroad Night Photography!
We timed our arrival at Downingtown, Pa., to catch the last westward Amtrak Keystone, Train 671, on its run from New York Penn Station to Harrisburg.
Located on curve, Downingtown station offers a suitable location for action night railroad photography because it has plenty of ambient illumination, both from platform lights and city streetlights.
I made this sequence as the train glided into the platform, paused for passengers, then continued its westward journey.
This common scene is repeated every night, day after day, yet on most nights it likely goes unrecorded.
Minutes after Amtrak, an eastward SEPTA local made its station stop. Stay tuned for those photos.
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!
For a while now, I’ve eyed the Church Street bridge over Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line in Landisville, Pa.,
We often use this road while running errands.
Last week, we paused in Landisville to order a pizza. While waiting to collect our pie, I checked the ASMTRANSITDOCS.com app on my phone and saw that Amtrak Keystone 670 was just a few minutes away.
I dropped the pizza with Kris, who was waiting in the car. “This will only take a couple of minutes.”
I walked briskly to the bridge, Nikon Z in hand. I arrived in just enough time to check the northside and southside angles before I heard the approaching train.
I opted for these down-on trailing views that show the curve in the line.
On reflection, I realized how few photos I have of the ACS-64 electrics from above.
Total elapsed time for this detour was less than five minutes. The pizza was still hot!
Tracking the Light Seeks Photographic Opportunities!
Yesterday on Tracking the Light, I posted high-ISO action photos of MARC train 544 rolling into the former Pennsylvania Railroad station at Perryville, Maryland. Those photos were made handheld at ISO 20,000.
After the train came to a full stop, I returned to our car to retrieve my 3Pod tripod and swapped lenses, exchanging my “fast 50” for the slower, but more versatile, 24–70mm Nikkor Z-series zoom.
With ample time to set up, I exposed a series of static, long-exposure, relatively low-ISO images with the camera solidly fixed on the tripod.
This is among my favorites. It was made from a low angle with the zoom set to 33mm. I processed the RAW file using PureRAW and made contrast adjustments in Lightroom. On the big screen, you can see stars in the sky.
Tracking the Light Examines Night Photography!