Monthly Archives: April 2019

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Irish Rail Mark-4 Approaching Kildare.

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On 6 April 2019, I was working with a 1980s-vintage Nikon F3HP fitted with an even older Nikkor 24mm lens to expose this view of Irish Rail 219 in ‘push-mode’ at the back of Dublin-bound Mark4 set at Kildare

This slide was among the photographs I exposed on Fujichrome Provia 100F on an excursion to Kildare with Paul Maguire and Jay Monaghan to photograph the Waterford-Portlaoise Saturday steel train (seen in the distance at Kildare station).

I digitized the slide using an Epson Perfection V750 flatbed scanner and imported the TIF file into Lightroom for final adjustment and outputted a scaled JPG for presentation here.

Several weeks ago on Tracking the Light I published a digital view of this same train, exposed moments after I made this slide.


Exposed at 1/1000th of a second at f4.0 on Fujichrome Provia 100F

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New England Central—Power Shot!

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After photographing New England Central’s southward 611 at Three Rivers, Massachusetts, photographer Mike Gardner and I worked northward scoping photo locations, while the 611 crew swapped its southward train at Palmer for its northward consist.

(New England Central 611 is the weekday turn that runs from Brattleboro, Vermont to Palmer and back.)

We inspected angles at Cushman north of Amherst and at other locations, but settled on the open area off Depot Road in Leverett, Massachusetts near the site of the old Central Vermont station.

I opted for a low angle to feature some fresh green grass in the foreground, using my 12mm Zeiss Touit fitted to my FujiFilm XT1 using the adjustable rear panel display to hold the camera close to the ground. (No, I’m not lying on the ground).

The combination of the very wide angle lens and low viewpoint helps accentuate the size and shape of New England Central’s locomotives.

The lead locomotive began its career as an EMD SD45 with classic angled (or ‘flared’) air-intakes at the back. 

Although during the course of re-building, the locomotive had its 20-cylinder 645 engine swapped for a less powerful 16-cylinder 645 diesel, the machine still has its an impressive profile.

Soon we were hot in pursuit of 611, racing northward on Route 63 to our next location.

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New England Central 611 at Three Rivers, Massachusetts.

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Thursday, April 25, 2019, photographer Mike Gardner and I convened at Palmer’s Steaming Tender for lunch. Afterwards we drove northward in search of New England Central’s road freight, 611.

New England Central’s clean locomotives in parent company Genesee & Wyoming’s orange, yellow and black paint, make for handsome subjects, and a welcome change to the days when patched faded liveries of the locomotive’s various former owners predominated.

Anticipating catching 611’s northward run from Palmer, we paused at Three Rivers to check some photo locations and were surprised to hear a southward train approaching.

Lo and behold! It was 611 on its southward run.

Lucky bonus.

After photographing the southward move, we continued our drive north to inspect locations . . . Stay tuned for more!

Photos exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens.

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    Lessons of Time: Orange Railcars on the Causeway—Donabate, March 2000.

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    It was a cool, clear morning at Donabate on the old Great Northern Railway of Ireland north of Dublin, when I set up with a telephoto lens fitted to my Nikon N90S ( loaded with Fujichrome Sensia II slide film).

    Irish Rail’s 2700-series diesel railcars were relatively new at the time, but weren’t the main feature of the morning. I was hoping to catch some NI Railways 80-Class that were on their way down from Belfast.

    In retrospect, I’m glad I made use of the clear morning light. The 2700-series railcars were relatively short-lived in traffic, and they only operated in that attractive orange livery for a scant few years.

    Some advice: take advantage of new trains in great light and make the best photos that you can, even when those trains don’t seem special to you. Over time your photos will age well.

    Irish Rail at Donabate, 4 March 2000.

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    Conrail Local at Dunkirk: Kodachrome and Color-Correction.

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    Working with Kodachrome 25, I exposed this view of a Conrail local freight on the Water Level Route at Dunkirk, New York on March 10, 1989.

    Although Kodachrome was among my favorite films, it was by no means perfect. The film tended to be unusually sensitive to aging and temperature which could affect its color balance and overall color bias.

    When it was too fresh from the manufacturer the film tended toward a cyan (blue-green) bias; as it aged and/or endured storage in hot environments the film shifted toward a red/magenta bias.

    This slide suffers from a cyan bias, so I made some nominal corrections using Lightroom to better balance the color for a daylight setting.

    I’m not using a perfectly calibrated computer screen, so my adjustments are still less than perfect, but I feel these restore the scene to more or less how it looked to my eye on the day.

    Since everyone viewing this image will see it on different screens and with different eyes, and because it is impossible to know how each screen is biased, I cannot know if my corrections will improve the image for the individual viewer or not. Such are the challenges with color photography! There is no one correct answer.

    Slide scanned with a Nikon Super Coolscan5000 using VueScan software; color output settings set to Kodachrome K14, with color balance set for ‘White Balance’ which appear to offer the best overall balance at the time of the scan. No adjustments in post processing.


    Working from the same slide scan, I made color adjustments in Lightroom aiming to achieve a more neutral overall balance, while retaining a rich blue sky. Additional adjustments were implemented to lower contrast and slight boost shadow areas while retaining a rich black in the deepest shadow areas..


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    Double Deck on a Viaduct: Luxembourg Railways on Chrome.

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    This image was the first frame in my second to last box of slides exposed in April 2019.

    Standing on an ancient wall in Luxembourg City, I focused on a locomotive-hauled double-deck passenger train as it rolled northward on a hazy Monday afternoon.

    I scanned this slide using a Nikon Super Coolscan5000 scanner then worked in Lightroom to make nominal adjustments to correct the color balance.

    Exposed on Fujichrome Provia 100F using a Nikon F3 with an f1.8 105mm lens. Exposure calculated with a Minolta Mark4 lightmeter.

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    Color Slide at Lisbon Oriente—April 2019.

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    Yesterday, I received back a big box of processed color slides.

    Among them was this view on Fuji Provia100F exposed earlier this month at Lisbon Oriente using a Nikon F3 with 24mm Nikkor lens.

    For this batch of film I used Richard’s Photo Lab in California. I’m still poring over my results and plan to post more slide scans soon.

    Scanned using a Nikon Super Coolscan5000 at 4050 dpi, scan scaled and adjusted for internet presentation using Lightroom.

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    Telephoto on the Beet: 400mm at Kilsheelan, Co. Tipperary.

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    It was a damp day back in 2005, when I made this 400mm view using my recently acquired Canon EOS-3 with a rented 100-400mm Canon image stabilizer zoom l.ens

    In the lead was Irish Rail 185 (known in some circles as ‘Super Bo-Bo’ which delighted observers because it was missing the cowling around the exhaust and produced more sound than others of its class).

    Sugar beet was loaded at Wellingtonbridge, County Wexford and transported by rail via Waterford and Limerick Junction to a processing plant in Mallow, County Cork.

    In this view, exposed west of Kilsheelan, County Tipperary, by using a long telephoto lens, I compressed the train of very short four-wheel beet wagons into a virtual snake of rolling beet.

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    Meet the man behind the maps!

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    Conversations with Brian Solomon—Episode 20.

    In Trains Magazine’s latest Conversations with Brian Solomon, I interview Rick Johnson, the magazine’s long-time map creator.

    Check out this latest podcast on Sound Cloud via the link below.


    I worked with Rick Johnson to create this New England railroad map to illustrate my feature article in November 2018 Trains.

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    Low Angle Telephoto View: Ovar, Portugal.

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    To make for a more dramatic photograph, I used my FujiFilm XT1 with the rear-display tilted skyward, which allowed me place the camera at platform level.

    The display’s heads-up detail includes exposure and a leveling information that makes it easier to set the camera and expose at arm’s length.

    Standing on the platform of Portuguese Railway’s passenger station at Ovar (south of Porto on the Porto-Lisbon mainline), I made this view using a fixed focal-length (not a variable focal length zoom) 90mm telephoto. This lens and angle compresses the scene, lowers the depth of field, and owing to the relative proximity to the ground and focus on the trains minimizes the foreground.


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    Steamy Night at Mallow: Cravens for the Kerry Road.

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    On the evening of 26 Nov 2005, I exposed this Fujichrome slide on the platform at Mallow, County Cork.

    A relatively long exposure was needed, so I mounted the camera on a Manfrotto tripod. The swirling steam leaking from Irish Rail’s Cravens carriages added to the mystique of the image.

    This was a regularly scheduled train for Tralee, and toward the end of locomotive-hauled Cravens service on the Cork-Kerry runs. Not too long after this photo was made Irish Rail replaced the old steam-heated Cravens on this run with diesel railcars.

    Slide scanned using a Nikon Super Coolscan5000 scanner; TIF file imported into Lightroom for color correction and contrast control then exported as a scaled JPG for internet display.

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    Lisbon Oriente at Night.

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    Lisbon Oriente was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and opened in the early 2000s.

    I made these nocturnal photos handheld with my FujiFilm XT1 with 90mm prime lens set at 1/15 at f2 ISO 6400.

    The combination of high ISO made possible by modern digital cameras and a fast telephoto lens enabled me to make photos that had been virtually impossible with old Kodachrome slide film.

    Not only was Kodachrome slow, but it had very poor reciprocity failure which made it difficult to calculate night exposure, and it didn’t respond well to artificial light.

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    Tracking the Light EXTRA: Lake Shore Limited with P42 number 156 heritage paint.

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    It’s the elusive ‘bloody nose’, again.

    In late 2017, I got lucky and caught this heritage locomotive on several occasions, after years of it eluding me entirely.

    This afternoon (April 24, 2019), thanks to a tip from my friend Paul Goewey, I caught old 156 again, albeit second unit out, on today’s westward Amtrak Lake Shore Limited (Boston section), train 449.

    The view is from the bridge over the railroad and Quaboag River at West Warren, Massachusetts.

    Photos exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens set to the Velvia color profile. Files exported from the camera as JPGs and scaled using Lightroom for internet presentation. No adjustments to contrast, color or exposure.

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    Blue Locomotive and Semaphores: Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary.

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    Just a light engine running toward Waterford to collect a laden sugarbeet train. 

    Except the light engine was NI Railways 112, a northern engine that had wandered far and wide on Irish Rail in the mid-2000s.

    And the setting was Carrick-on-Suir where mechanical signaling and an antique track arrangement had survived. The date was 11 December 2004. It all seems so incongruous now.

    I made this photo on Fujichrome Sensia-II using a Nikon F3 with 180mm telephoto lens. 

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    Old Station at Santa Fe, Mexico.

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    Lots of people of have made photos at the station in Santa Fe, NewMexico.

    I made this one from the window of the train at Santa Fe, Mexico, 200 km south of Mexico City.

    Forty years ago, my uncle Mark and I were on an adventure. My old Leica 3A was loaded with Kodachrome and with it I made a scant few interesting images of the Mexican railways, of which this is one.

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    Beautiful Station at Santarem, Portugal.

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    Many Portuguese railway stations are decorated with elaborate blue tile murals. These are considered national treasures.

    Santarem station is a wonderful example and features more than a dozen unique murals. This is a busy station on the Lisbon-Porto mainline and makes for a great place to watch and photograph trains.

    On the day we visited it was overcast, which aided exposing photos of the murals under the canopy of the station that may have been shadowed on a sunny day.

    Photos exposed in March using FujiFilm and Lumix digital cameras.

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    RPSI’s The West Awake—Eight Views from the Train.

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    One of the pleasures of traveling on an historic train is the ability to make photos of the line and passing scenery.

    Modern cameras with rear-displays make this much easier since it isn’t necessary to have your eye to the camera to compose photos, while built-in line levels aid in composition.

    Adjustable ISO ratings allow selection of more appropriate shutter speeds for action images.

    This is a selection of photos I made from Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s The West Awake excursion on 13 April 2019.

    Photos were exposed using my Lumix LX7 and FujiFilm XT1. The Fuji benefits from an extendible and adjustable rear display that is especially useful on these trips.

      • Geashill
      • Athlone
      • Athlone
      • Claremorris
      • Claremorris
      Roscommon.

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      Classic Chrome: New New York City R-62A Subway Cars on Conrail—May 1986.

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      I like the apparent redundancy of today’s title.

      Back in May 1986, I made this Kodachrome view of brand-new Bombardier-built New York City R-62A subway cars at Conrail’s West Springfield Yard (Massachusetts).

      The cars would come down the Central Vermont Railway to Palmer where they were interchanged to Conrail for delivery to New York City.

      Check out the vintage Trailer-Train flatcars carrying the subway cars.

      Below is the scaled unmodified scan; and an adjusted scan correcting contrast, color temperature and level.

      Exposed on K64 using a Leica; scanned this morning using a Nikon Super Coolscan5000 slide scanner and processed in Lightroom. Scaled, but otherwise unmodified scan.


      This is an adjusted scan that corrects for contrast, color temperature and level.

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      Westport, County Mayo: Contrasts of Modern train in a Traditional Station—Three photos.

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      13 April 2019: during RPSI’s The West Awakerail tour, I made these views from the platform at Westport station of an Irish Rail ICR.

      I like the contrast between the modern Rotem-built diesel railcar and the traditional station setting.

      Would these photos have been better if the sun was shinning brightly? (Keep in mind, I was on the northeast side of the line in the late afternoon).

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      Classic Chrome: Amtrak F40s at New London, Connecticut.

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      On March 24, 1997, Mike Gardner and I spent the afternoon photographing around New London, Connecticut. This was shortly before Amtrak began electrification.

      I made this view of a pair of F40PHs leading train 175 west of the New London station.

      Who would have thought the omnipresent Amtrak F40 would be the subject of a classic photo?

      Exposed on Kodachrome using a Nikon N90S with 80-200mm AF zoom lens.


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      Crazy places to put tracks!

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      Lisbon trams—Part 2.

      Old four wheel cars and ancient buildings are part of the attraction to Lisbon’s antique tram network, but for me the best part are the crazy track arrangements.

      This network has some of the most extreme trackage of any railway in the world relying on adhesion principles for traction. In other words: no racks, cogs or cables.

      I exposed these black & white views with my Nikon F3 on 1 April 2019 while exploring Lisbon with fellow photographer Denis McCabe.

      What better way to spend April Fool’s Day?

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      Classic Chrome: Cal-Train 7thStreet San Francisco.

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      Working with my old Nikon F3T and an f1.8 105mm lens, I exposed this Kodachrome 25 slide of a Cal-Train ‘Commute’ departing San Francisco, seen taking the bend at 7thStreet in February 1992.

      Interestingly, lately I’ve been making good use of this same camera and lens combination for exposing black & white negatives and Fuji Provia 100F color slides.

      If this image seems familiar, its because back in the 1990s it appeared in various publications.

      I scanned the slide this morning using a Nikon Coolscan5000 digital scanner and processed the hi-res TIF file in Lightroom to adjust color and produced a scaled file for internet presentation.

      Typically, I scan Kodachrome slides at 4000 dots per inch (or higher) to maintain the high resolution of the original photographs. Since these files are in the 120-170MB range they require scaling to upload them to WordPress for presentation here.

      The San Francisco street-scene and skyline have changed considerably since this February 1992 view.

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      Lisbon: narrow streets and trams—Part 1.

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      This could be a book, or at least part of one.

      Lisbon is visually intense and everywhere I looked I saw photos to be made.

      This is the first is multi-part series of photos that I made on Lisbon streets on 1 April 2019.

      Exposed on Fuji Acros 100 with a Nikon F3, processed in Rodinal.

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      Porto Campanha at Night—four photos.

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      Monochrome; black & white; noir—what ever you like.

      I made these views on an evening in late March at Porto’s Campanha Station using a Nikon F3 loaded with Fomapan 100 Classic film.

      Negatives were processed using an dilute HC110 presoak (1-300 with water plus wetting agent) followed by  ID11 1-1 69 F for 7 min 30 sec then following stop, fix and extended rinse, a final bath of selenium toner 1-0 for 7 min 30 sec and re-wash and final rinse in distilled water.

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      Mystical Railway Viaduct—Luxembourg.

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      Not many people travel to Luxembourg to photograph railway bridges.

      I made this view on Fuji Acros 100 black & white film using a Nikon F3 fitted with a f1.8 105mm Nikkor prime telephoto.

      To enhance the mystique of the viaduct, I opened the lens to nearly its widest aperture and focused on the tree branches.

      Later, with a digital camera I photographed trains crossing the bridge in color.

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      Faces of Steam: Portraits of RPSI’s train crew.

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      Working with a Nikon F3 with f1.4 50mm lens loaded with Fomapan 100 Classic, I exposed these portraits of some of the men working Railway Preservation Society’s 18 March 2019 trips from Dublin Connolly Station to Maynooth.

       I processed the film in a non-standard way to obtain a period look while giving photos optimal tonality in a contrasty situations.

      First: I pre-soaked film it in a very dilute bath of Kodak HC110 (measured 3 parts per 1000 with water, plus wetting agent) for about 7 minutes at 72 F;

      Second: primary developer consisted of Ilford ID-11 1 to 1 with water at 69 F for 6 minutes;

      Third: following stop bath, two fixer baths, and a thorough 10 minute rinse, I toned the negatives in a 1-9 selenium solution (outdoors to avoid breathing toxic fumes) for 8 minutes. This was followed by several rinse cycles and a final rinse in distilled water.

      Negatives were scanned in colour to retain the selenium tint.

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      Busy Time on the Branch—Views from Dublin’s Conyngham Road.

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      On Monday afternoon, 15 April 2019, I made this sequence of photos from Dublin’s Conyngham Road.

      In just a few minutes I photographed four trains passing over the Branch that connects Islandbridge Junction with lines to Connolly Station/North Wall yards.

      Exposed using my Lumix LX7; files adjusted for colour balance and contrast using Lightroom.

      At 1452 (2:52pm a Hazelhatch-Grand Canal Docks ICR passed; note the signal with feather at left).
      • Less than a minute later this Grand Canal Docks-Hazelhatch train passed.
      • LWR at 1502 (3:02pm)
      • IWT Liner at 1507 (3:07pm)

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      TESCO Tram Prowls Dublin Streets.

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      Yesterday (Monday, 15 April 2019) I made these photographs of LUAS Tram 5003 working Green Line trackage in the Dublin City Centre using my Lumix LX7.

      This is one is decorated for the Tesco supermarket chain and is one of four trams presently wearing colorful full-body advertising liveries.

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      Narrow Gauge to Light Rail: Senhora da Hora.

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      A significant portion of Porto’s modern light rail Metro system is built on the right of way of an historic narrow gauge network.

      In March 2019, photographer Denis McCabe and I visited the old station at Senhora da Hora in suburban Porto. The station building an a water tower survive, providing visual clues of operations from former times.

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      Irish Rail Class 071 on Parade.

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      • Castlerea
      • Ballyhaunis
      • Claremorris
      • Connolly Station
      • Castlerea.

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      Saturday’s (13 April 2019) The West Awakerail tour put Irish Rail’s class 071 diesels in the limelight.

      Although once regularly used in prominent passenger services, in recent years Irish Rail’s 071 class General Motors diesels have largely been assigned to freight and per-way (maintenance) trains, which makes their prominent use in excursion work of great interest to observers

      I photographed 071 locomotives that participated in Saturday’s tour. Engine 074 delivered Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s Cravens carriages from Irish Rail’s Inchicore Works to Connolly Station in Dublin.

      Locomotives 082 and 075 had been specially prepared for the tour and set up of multiple unit working, a highly unusual arrangement for these agile six-motor diesels in Ireland.

      At Claremorris, the 071 class-leader (number 071 and dressed in retro orange and black paint) took over for the runs to Ballina and Westport.

      For 071 enthusiasts, 082 was a special treat because of its extra-loud base roar in the higher throttle positions. While 075 is a curiosity because it is painted in a slightly warmer shade of gray than most of the other members of its class.

      I made these photos of the well-maintained 1970s-era General Motors locomotive on parade during The West Awake tour.

      Special thanks to everyone at Irish Rail and the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland for making the tour a very enjoyable experience and productive photographic opportunity!

      • Westport.
      • Westport.
      • Westport.
      • Claremorris.
      • Connolly Station, Dublin.
      • Connolly Station, Dublin.
      • Claremorris.
      • Ballyhaunis.
      • Claremorris.
      • Ballina.

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      Portraits and Train Views from RPSI’s 13 April 2019 Tour.

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      During the course of yesterday’s Railway Preservation Society of Ireland The West Awakerail tour to County Mayo I exposed dozens of portraits of the crew, passengers and observers, along with views of the train from many angles.

      This selection was exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 digital camera.

      Thanks to Irish Rail and the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland for a well-planned rail excursion!

      For more about the RPSI click the link below:

      https://www.steamtrainsireland.com

      Irish Rail 074 delivers the RPSI train to Connolly Station.
      Connolly Station.

      Photographers at Athlone.


      Castlerea.


      Ballyhaunis.

      Claremorris.

      Claremorris.

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      The West Awake Rail Tour—13 April 2019—Some Lumix views.

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      Yesterday, the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland operated its The West Awake rail-tour in conjunction with Irish Rail.

      A special feature of the tour was the unusual multiple-unit operation using a pair of General Motors-built 071 diesels that hauled RPSI’s Cravens to County Mayo.

      At  Claremorris the pair of 071s were replaced with locomotive number 071 (class leader) in retro orange for further excursions to Ballina and Westport.

      For more about the RPSI click the link below:

      https://www.steamtrainsireland.com

      During the trip I made numerous digital photos using my Lumix LX7.

      Below are a dozen of my finest Lumix LX7 views. I’ll post more photos soon! The best are yet to come!

      Special thanks to everyone at RPSI and Irish Rail for an excellent excursion to the west of Ireland!

      Irish Rail 074 delivers the excursion train to Connolly Station for boarding. The early start resulted in an opportunity for making photos in rosy morning light. Lumix LX7 photo.

      Connolly Station.


      Multiple working with 071 diesel is unusual.


      Friends at Connolly Station.

      The West Awake approaches Islandbridge Junction; a different view of my usual spot!
      Photo stop at Athlone.


      Athlone.


      Double header at Roscommon!


      Enjoying the trip!


      Discussing the finer points of railways.


      Westport through the glass.

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      Dusk at Dublin’s North Wall—April 2019.

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      Wednesday evening, 10 April 2019, I paid a visit to Dublin’s North Wall freight yard with fellow photographer Jay Monaghan.

      I made this view looking toward the old Granaries sidings and beyond to Dublin Port and the Poolbeg Power Plant.

      Exposed handheld using a FujiFilm XT1 with f2.0 90mm prime telephoto, ISO set at 6400.

      Brian Solomon is Traveling today and Tracking the Light is posting on ‘auto pilot’.

      Exposed handheld using a FujiFilm XT1 with f2.0 90mm prime telephoto, ISO set at 6400.

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      Conversations with Brian Solomon; Trains Magazine Podcast Episode 19—Discussions on railroad photography.

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      In this most recent podcast, I discuss railroad photography with Trains Associate Editor Brian Schmidt and Digital Editor Steve Sweeney. What do the editors see as overplayed in the genre? How can you get your photos in Trains Magazine? Listen in today and learn!

      Check out the podcast on Sound Cloud:

      Photo by Colm O’Callaghan.


      I made this photo of Amtrak’s westward Southwest Chief passing Style T-2 semaphores on the old Santa Fe near Levy, New Mexico on a trip with Mel Patrick in 1998. What do Trains’ editors think of Santa Fe semaphore photos? Listen to the podcast, and you may be surprised!

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      Porto’s Magnificent Sao Bento Station—Five Photos!

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      In my Railway Guide to Guide to Europe, I featured Porto’s Sao Bento Station.

      On my recent visit to Porto with fellow photographer Denis McCabe, I took the opportunity to re-photograph this stunning railway terminal. I’ve included a few of these views below.

      Here’s an excerpt from my text on Sao Bento Station:

      Sao Bento  . . . was designed by architect Marques da Silva and constructed in the early 20th century.  . . .Portuguese stations are known for their elaborate blue painted-tile decorations but none is more elaborate than Sao Bento. Inside the main hall allegorical tile murals by Jorge Colaço depict the history of transportation and events in Portuguese history.

      From Brian Solomon’s Railway Guide to Europe ©2018

      Brian Solomon’s Railway Guide to Europe is available from Kalmbach Hobby Store click below for the link:

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      Lumix LX7 photo.

      Lumix LX7 photo.

      Lumix LX7 photo.


      Lumix LX7 photo.

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