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.
Nikon Z6-III with NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens, set at 27mm, f/4, 4 seconds, ISO 1250.Enlarged portion of the same file that shows the stars in the sky. I can see more than 30 distant points of light in this excerpt. I’m curious to see how this translates after compression by Word Press etc.
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.
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.
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.
Blue Rock Park, Washington Boro, Pa.
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.
Great light, but within seconds a deluge changed the scene.
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.
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.
East Deerfield Yard, Massachusetts, December 28, 1986.
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.
Although scaled for internet presentation (the original NEF file is about 20MB), this represents the appearance of the RAW file without digital processing. The exposure and white balance were set for optimal digital capture.This is my initial interpretation of the RAW file, using Adobe Lightroom to adjust highlights, shadows, overall exposure, contrast, color temperature and color balance, plus a very minor crop at the left. Post-processing also included slight sharpening, necessary to make the image appear sharp on a computer screen.
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.
Full frame, showing the electrical cables crossing the line at the grade crossing.This is the same file as shown at the top, but with the wires cropped out. Nothing fancy, just a simple crop using Lightroom.
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.)
Boston Switch as it appeared before electrification. K64 with Leica 3A. Scanned with a Nikon L5000 scanner usng VueScan software version 9.8.54.02, with final adjustment in Lightroom.This is a slight variation on the top scan. I altered the color temp/balance in Lightroom in an attempt to get a more neutral color balance. Kodachrome 64 is a difficult film to balance.
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!
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.
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.
Nikon N7-II with Nikkor 24-70mm Z-series lens; set at f5.0 1/640 second, ISO 800Nikon N7-II with Nikkor 24-70mm Z-series lens; set at f5.0 1/500 second, ISO 800
Tracking the Light Explores Railroad History Through Image Making!
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.
Nikon Z6-III with Nikkor f1.4 50mm; 1/250 second, f1.4, ISO 12800. Downingtown, PA.
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.
Nikon Z6-III with Nikkor f1.4 50mm set at; ISO 16,000 1/60th second f1.6.
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.
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!
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.
[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.
50mm f/1.4 with Nikon Z6-III, set at ISO 16,000, f/1.6 at 1/160 second.50mm f/1.4 with Nikon Z6-III, set at ISO 16,000, f/1.6 at 1/160 second. Note that in this frame the signal head below the signal showing yellow is dark. Compare this with the previous image and the next image for the effect of a ‘yellow over flashing green’.
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.
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.The second of four images in this sequence.
50mm f/1.4 with Nikon Z6-III, set at ISO 16,000, f/1.6 at 1/160 second.
50mm f/1.4 with Nikon Z6-III, set at ISO 16,000, f/1.6 at 1/50 second.50mm f/1.4 with Nikon Z6-III, set at ISO 16,000, f/1.6 at 1/25 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.
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.
