Many classic steam photographers aimed to photograph steam locomotive ‘rods down’ as to best portray the equipment.

Part of this visual approach stemmed from the classic builders photos where locomotives were posed for their official portrait.

Catching a moving engine with its rods down is easier said than done. In addition to checking focus, watching foreground and background elements, you need to be thoroughly in-tune with the motion of the reciprocating parts, or simply get lucky.

While working on my latest book on steam locomotives, I’ve been looking at a lot of classic locomotive pictures.

The other day, I made this sequence of photos showing Strasburg Rail Road’s 4-8-0 475 working toward the Esbenshade Road crossing.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!