Monthly Archives: April 2025

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Nikon Active D-Lighting

It’s been nearly five years since I bought my first Nikon Z-series mirrorless camera and I’m still exploring the camera’s features.

Normally when working with the Nikon Z, I exposed photos simulataneously in NEF Raw and JPG. Typically, I only use the JPGs as back up and to quickly review images (because it is easier and faster to open the JPG files). I work with the NEF files using Lightroom and other software to make the most of images in post processing.

One of the advantages of my FujiFilm X-Series cameras is that the photos come right out of the camera with excellent color. I can select from a variety of color profile presents that emulate Fuji’s popular film color palates. Not only are the JPGs typically ‘ready to go’, but I can easily apply the present color profiles to the Fuji RAW (RAF) files and use the Fuji color profiles as a starting point when refining RAW images in post processing.

My Nikon Z cameras offer a feature called ‘Active D-Lighting’ that can be applied in-camera to the JPG files as a tool to reduce contrast and make the most of high-contrast situations.

The other day, Seamus-the-Dog and I were driving around. I planned to intercept the 11am Strasburg Rail Road excursion to Leaman Place. It was intermittently raining and the sky was bright with laden clouds. I felt this would be a grand opportunity to try the Active D-Lighting feature. I selected one of the intermediate ADL settings.

Below are my scaled, but otherwise unaltered JPGs. This reflects the color and contrast as preserved in the original file.

More exploration of this feature is necessary. Stay tuned.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

On This Day 2016-Bordeaux

Nine years ago, my father and I visited Bordeaux, France where we traveled on the city’s trams.

I made this photo using my Lumix LX7, exposing the original image using the camera’s RAW mode.

Last night I revisited this nine-year old image and converted the Lumix RAW file to DNG format using DxO PureRaw, then make a series of adjustments using Adobe Lightroom to improve contrast and exposure.

These changes resulted in a much better image.

Original Lumix RAW file, scaled for internet without interpretation, lens- correction or alteration to color, contrast, or exposure.
First round of changes: High contrast image following PureRaw conversion to PNG format with lens correction and adjustments to contrast and exposure using Lightroom.
Second round of changes and refinement to the RAW file following PureRaw conversion to PNG format with lens correction and adjustments to contrast and exposure using Lightroom.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Amtrak 650 at Gap

In recent years, many of the lineside signals that once governed train movements on Amtrak’s Harrisburg line have been removed.

The old signal bridge at Gap is now devoid of the Position Light signaling hardware that had controlled train movements since the days of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Last week, I framed up Amtrak Keystone 650 as it passed beneath the old signal bridge. In the lead was a former Metroliner car, now one of Amtrak’s cab control cars. Like the signal bridge, this is a surviving vestige of the late, great Pennsylvania Railroad. And like the signal bridge, this car is a shadow of something greater.

I exposed this view using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm Fujinon lens. To achieve a low angle, I was working with the camera’s adjustible rear-display panel and held the camera near to the ground to make the most of foreground detail.

A former Metroliner car leads Amtrak Keystone 650 eastbound at Gap, Pa.,
Amtrak Cities Sprinter 639 was situated at the back of the consist.

Tracking the Light Posts Everyday!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Carpenters with a View

I went to catch No. 90 returning with the 12 noon train.

The ancient cemetery at Carpenters offers views of the line.

For these photos, I held my Fuji X-T1 at arms’ length and composed using the adjustible rear display.

My goal was to make photos here that were different than those I’ve made here previously.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Position Light Signals at Irishtown Road

The old PRR-style Position Light Signals survive at Irishtown Road in Bird-in-Hand, Pa.

Using my Nikon Z7-II, I made a cross-lit_Spring evening image of Amtrak Keystone 651 racing westward with ACS-64 No. 635 beneath the classic signals.

What was once common, now seems like a treat. Imagine that the photo below portrayed a GG1 electric leading a PRR-era 600-series train!

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Far and Near—Coal Empties on the Move

With relatively little warning a westward Norfolk Southern freight came into view. Dappled sun illuminated Tuscarora Mountain in the distance.

Poised at our location at Underpass Road near Mexico, Pa., I worked with my pair of Nikon Z-series cameras to expose this series of photos of the passing westward empty coal train.

As the train drew closer, the clouds parted and bright afternoon sun illuminated the scene, which made for a more satisfying photographic adventure.

Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens set at 200mm f4.0 1/1250 sec, ISO 200
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens set at 92mm f4.0 1/2000 sec, ISO 200
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set at 28mm f4.0 1/2000 sec, ISO 100.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set at 68mm f4.0 1/640 sec, ISO 100.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at Milepost 50.

Yesterday (Tuesday, April 22, 2025), I was a guest at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s 50th Anniversary celebrations.

I paid my first visit to the museum almost 45 years ago. At the time I was dismayed that the DD1 electric was stored at the back of the museum where it was inhabited by pigeons. Today, it is positioned out in front.

Yesteday’s event was attended by various dignitaries, Friends of the Museum, members of the public, and guests. Museum Director Pat Morrison presided over the event. To mark 50 years, the bell on Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-2 7002 was rung, speeches were made, a ribbon was cut, and a band played (although not all at the same moment.)

I wonder what the museum will be like in 2075?

I made these photos using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm Fujinon lens.

Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Eight Years Ago: MONTREUX-OBERLAND-BERNOIS RAILWAY’s Golden Pass.

April 22, 2017, I made this photo of MOB’s Golden Pass Panoramic streamlined train rolling through lush fields near Gruben, Switzerland.

A photo from this sequence appeared in my Railway Guide to Europe, published in 2018 by Kalmbach Books (now Firecrown Media).

To make this image, I used a FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm lens set to 70mm. By working with a small aperture (f13) and low angle, I’ve captured a perspective that make the scene appear like a model railway. (The scrubbed clean ballast helps too!)

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

photography

Ordinary Photos of Old Engines

Saturday, Kris and I went shopping for garden plants in Lancaster, Pa.

We were just a short walk from Norfolk Southern’s Dillerville Yard, so after loading our car, I went over to see if I could get a view of where the locomotives are stored between runs.

Most local freights are out on weekdays. By contrast Saturday is relatively quite. From the Dillerville Roadbridge, I made these very ordinary photos of GP38-2s, SD40Es and SD60Es resting between assignments using my Lumix LX7.

These are not calendar photos, nor were they intended to be anything other than a record of the scene.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Lausanne on this Day-2017

I made this view of the M1 tram in Lausanne, Switzerland on the morning of April 20, 2017. Seven years later, Kris & I adopted Seamus-the-Dog.

Happy homecoming anniversary Seamus!

I exposed the photo with my first FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm lens.

Recently, I digitally reprocessed the RAF Raw file using DxO PureRaw, software that has put old photos in a new light.

Kris & Seamus-the-Dog last Sunday (April 13, 2025) at the River Overlook Park near Duncannon, PA.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Eight Years Ago at New Place

I made this image of a tram approaching its stop on April 19, 2017, in the evening light at Place de Nueve, Geneva, Switzerland .

At the time I was working with a Fujifilm XT1 with an 18-135mm Fujinon ‘Kit lens’. This was a versatile arrangement that provided great color right out of the camera. However in some situations, I found that the lens wasn’t as sharp as I expected.

Last night, I reprocessed the RAF RAW file using DxO PureRaw which corrected several of the inherant problems with the 18-135mm lens. Then, I imported the resulting DNG file into Lightroom for final adjustment. Overall, I’m please with the improved results!

FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm Fujinon zoom lens set to 31mm, f5.6 at 1.500th of a sec.; ISO 640,

Tracking the Light Posts Daily

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Double Stacks on the Middle Division

Last weekend, Kris, Seamus & I, paid a visit to the old Pennsylvania Railroad Middle Division—now Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line.

I’m fond of the view from Underpass Road, near the village of Mexico. We caught several trains here, including this westward double stacked container freight.

I made this wideangle photograph with my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens. During post-processing, I nominally cropped the foreground to give the image a slightly panoramic appearance.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Crosslit at Rockville Bridge

We paused at the famous Rockville Bridge just long enough to roll by Amtrak 42 The Pennsylvanian on its daily run east from Pittsburgh.

I made this crosslit view from the Marysville side of the Susquehanna as the train crossed the magnificent row of arches over the water.

Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Milk, Honey & Easter Bunny

The Middletown & Hummelstown advertises itself as The Milk & Honey Line. Last sunday, Kris, Seamus & I, called in to Middletown, Pa., to see the railroad’s annual Easter Bunny Express.

This consisted of center-cab GE 65-ton diesel number 2 hauling a pair of former Lackawanna multiple unit trailers. This certainly made for a colorful consist.

It had been an overcast morning, but at about 1145 the sun peaked through the clouds. I made this view using my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens. This was set to 36mm, f8.0 at 1/640th of a second at 100 ISO.

The Middletown & Hummelstown has Easter Bunny Expresses scheduled for next weekend too, with trains on Friday April 18th and Saturday April 19th. https://www.mhrailroad.com/special-event-schedule/

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Gotthard Pendolino Revisited

On this day in 2016, I photographed an SBB Pendolino descending the Gotthard Pass near Erstfeld using my first FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm Fujinon zoom.

At the time, I wasn’t 100 percent satisfied with the photographic quality of the image. Recently, I returned to my original Fuji RAF files from this trip and re-processed some of the images using DxO Pure Raw software. Significantly, this corrects for lens defects and other problems. The results are much better than my earlier un-corrected RAW files.

This was further adjusted using Adobe Lighttoom to make the most out highlight and shadow detail. I had an 8×10 print made from the improved file and it looks outstanding.

There’s lesson in this exercise. Improved image processing software can make a big difference with older digital files. Try it, you might be surprised!

SBB near Erstfeld, Switzerland on 15 April 2016.
Greatly enlarged portion of the Fuji RAF Raw file without DxO conversion.
A portion of the same Fuji RAF Raw file following conversion to DNG with corrections with DxO PureRaw. Notice the improved contrast and sharpness, with minimal chromatic aberration when compared with the unconverted file.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

When the Grass is Greener . . .

Catching a freshly shopped steam locomotive crossing a lush field isn’t hard to take.

Strasburg Rail Road’s number 90 is back working excursions to Leaman Place after its recent overhaul.

Friday was cool and cloudy. Would these photos be better if had been warm and bright?

Photos exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Nikkor Z-series-zoom. Files exposed as NEF RAW and converted to DNG format using DxO Pure Raw before adjustment in Lightroom

Tracking the Light Posts Questions!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Galesburg Ghost Spooks Silver Splendor?

Is there a ghost haunting Tracking the Light?

Last week, reader Wayne Duffett asked about the ghost in my photograph of Budd Vista dome Silver Splendor that had appeared in my post titled Spring Classic Trains Silver Issue.

Ghost?

Indeed, a spectral face appeared in one of the windows of the car as it paused at Galesburg, Illinois at the headend of Amtrak No. 4.

Upon closer inspection, I recognized the ghost as poet and author Carl Sandburg.

The ghost of Carl Sandburg?

Not really, no.

I recalled that when Amtrak No. 4 paused for its extended station stop at Galesburg in November 2018, I briefly disembarked to make photos of Silver Splendor on which I was traveling. Across the tracks from the train was a huge mural that featured icons of Galesburg, including an image of Burlington’s Budd-built Zephyr, and a portrait of the famous writer.

Perhaps the ghost of the Zephyr reflected in the Silver Splendor would have been more appropriate? Boo!

This is the photo where Wayne noticed a ghostly visage in the window of Silver Splendor. (Look beneath the letter ‘N’ in Burlington.
A much enlarged version of the photo in question.
This is another image that I made in Galesburg during the No. 4’s station stop in November 2018.
Here is an enlarged version of the mural. Notice the portrait of Carl Sandburg at center left. This was the source of the visage reflected in the window.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Union Pacific Dome at Pinole

On May 22, 2008, I photographed a Union Pacific office car special working the former Southern Pacific at Pinole, California.

Working with a Canon EOS-3 with a wide angle lens, I made this broadside view of Union Pacific dome Walter Dean along the shore of San Pablo Bay.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Cover of Spring 2025 Milepost

The cover of the April 2025 Milepost—a magazine published by and for the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania—features my photograph of Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-0 class D16sb 1223.

I made this image using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens during my Railroad Photography 101 class in February. The museum will be hosting more of my classes, with one scheduled for May and another in June.

The museum is promoting the classes:

“Session two will be held on Tuesday, May 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and will emphasize technique and the approach to indoor light. Session three will take place on Tuesday, June 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and will focus on composition and the approach to outdoor light, weather permitting. ” See:  RRMuseumPA.org 

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Steam Freight!

Tuesday, I was on my way to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and decided to make a short detour to Blackhorse Road to roll by Strasburg’s 1pm passenger excursion. Old 89 had paused short of the road crossing for its standard ‘ghost whistle’ routine. While this was going on, I heard another engine chuffing up the grade (technical term) between Cherry Hill and Esbenshade Road.

In a heartbeat, I made a u-turn and drove post-haste back toward Strasburg. While racing along PA Route 741, I overtook 2-10-0 number 90 hauling four covered hoppers.

As mentioned on TTL the other day, engine number 90 recently completed its overhaul, and I’ve been hoping to catch it in service. This fortuitous encounter was just another instance of dumb luck.

At Strasburg, number 90 ran around its train and proceeded back toward Cherry Hill where it met 89 on its return run from Leaman Place on the siding at Grofts. But that’s a story for another post!

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

One Short of Ninety

I’d heard that Strasburg Rail Road’s 2-10-0 number 90 might be out and running after its most recent overhaul. So last Saturday, I waited at Esbenshade Road for the return run of the 11am train.

It was one short. In other words, instead of 90, I caught 2-6-0 number 89.

It was still pretty neat to listen to the engine laboring up the grade from Cherry Hill Road.

I made these 200mm telephoto views with my Z7-II and 70-200mm lens.

Stay tuned for more. . . .

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Spring Classic Trains—Silver Issue

The Spring 2025 Issue of Classic Trains is the magazine’s 25th Anniversary. To mark this publishing milepost, Editor Brian M. Schmidt created a Silver theme and asked me to write two features.

My article, ‘Philadelphia’s Ground Breaking Budd Silverliners’ starts on page 30, and features several of my father’s vintage Kodachrome images. On page 68, ‘Classics Today’, offers my personal story ‘Saving Silver Splendor’ that describes a cross-country journey with a former Burlington Budd-built Vista Dome on its way to becoming Conway Scenic Railroad’s Rhonda Lee, an event that ultimately led to my marketing position with the railroad.

Silver Splendor at Galesburg, Illinois on Amtrak train No.4 Southwest Chief in November 2018. This classic Budd dome was on its way east to the Conway Scenic Railroad where it would be renamed Rhonda Lee. I exposed this photo during a station stop using my first FujiFilm XT1. This is one of several photos of the car that appears in Spring 2025 Classic Trains.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

M-Train near Coney Island

In April 1984, I traveled with my brother Sean on a whirlwind trip through Queens and Brooklyn on the New York City Subway. This was during the graffiti era when most of the trains were covered inside and out with tags and ad-hoc murals.

I made a series of photos on this adventure using my 1930s-era Leica 3A (with 50mm Summitar lens) loaded with Kodak Plus-X, which I’d bulk loaded into re-useable cassettes.

On the way to Coney Island, I made this view of an inbound M-train from the front of an outbound train near the ‘W. 8 Street’ station .

While some small prints of this trip that have populated my 1980s photo album for the last 40 years, the original negatives had been waylaid until relatively recently. Finally, I located the missing original photos and scanned them last weekend.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Topped and Tailed at Bird-in-Hand

On our way back from Gap, we pulled into the old PRR freight house location at Bird-in-Hand, Pa., to roll by Amtrak Keystone 656.

We didn’t have long to wait when the train raced by with ACS-64s on both ends of the short consist. Number 600-class leader named David Gunn was on the leading end; 655 on the trailing end.

I made these photos using my Lumix LX7 compact digital camera.

Leica Vario-Summilux f3.5 1/1600 sec, ISO200.
Leica Vario-Summilux f3.5 1/800 sec, ISO200.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Norfolk Southern at Lititz Station

Finally!

After more than two years of eying up the Lititz Station (itself a recreation) as location to photograph a train, I finally caught a locomotive here.

Last week, I was patient as NS local H23 switched a local industry. After a while, SD60E 6977 pulled a few cars down and began its run around.

This gave me ample time to get the locomotive crossing Pennsylvania Rt 501 (North Broad Street) by the old Wilbur Chocolate factory.

My timing was good. Not only did the sun come out, but as I was making my photos, a fellow photographer informed me of the plan to move the run around track further west and eliminate the need to cross North Broad Street and pass the station.

I also made a few Fujichrome slides to preserve the event for posterity.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

8618 Before and After Processing

On our recent excursion to Paradise and back, I made a few photos of Strasburg Railroad’s SW8 8618 using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm Fujinon zoom lens.

Below are two versions of the same file. The top is a scaled but otherwise unaltered Fuji RAF RAW. The bottom is the image after transformation into a DNG file with lens defect correction using DxO PureRaw followed by selective cosmetic adjustments using Adobe Lightroom to maximize shadow and highlight detail, plus level, color and exposure corrections.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Busman’s Holiday

Last weekend, Conway Scenic Railroad Trainmaster Mike Lacey and his wife Betty visited Kris and me in Pennsylvania. Although I work remotely, I speak with Mike daily in my work for Conway Scenic.

After a barbecue at our house, Kris and I brought Mike for a trip on the Strasburg Rail Road. We bought our tickets on the platform and traveled on the 4 pm train to Paradise.

Mike enjoyed his busman’s holiday taking in the sights and sounds of old 89 at work as we rolled across the fields in Amish country. I can never get enough of the Strasburg Rail Road, and this was a great joy for me as well.

I made these photos using my FujiFilm XT1. Mike snapped some photos with his Canon R mirrorless.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Big Engine—Short Train from Sumac Road

Last week, Norfolk Southern’s H23 local had setoff one of its three cars at Manheim, Pa., before continuing east toward Lititz. NS SD60E 6977 had ample horsepower to move its short train!

I made this view on Sumac Road from a hill overlooking the line using my Z7-II with 70-200mm Nikkor zoom.

I’d scoped out this location on my drives inspecting the line, and this was my first opportunity to catch a train traversing this former Reading Company route.

This is a much enlarged version of the same photo.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Conrail at 49 Years.

Conrail came into being 49 years ago—April 1, 1976.

In honor of this momentous event for Northeastern Railroading, I am posting this view I made of Conrail SD40-2 6364 passing Lilly, Pa., on its ascent of the Alleghenies working the former Pennsylvania Railroad main line.

This was exposed on a sunny morning in November 1998, Conrail’s last full year as a Class-1 carrier.

I spent more than 20 years photographing Conrail trains. Yet, it always amazes me how much of the Conrail network that I never saw in action.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!