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.
