All posts by brian solomon

Author of more than 70 books on railways, photography, and Ireland, Brian lives with his wife, Kris, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Brian holds a BFA in Photographic Illustration from the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2022, he was presented with the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society’s prestigious Fred A.& Jane R. Stindt Photography Award for his lifetime achievements in railroad photography.
photography

Lost, Recovered and Altered

As a result of some inept file naming and flawed file sorting 15 years ago, I misplaced a whole batch of photos exposed in January 2011.

At the time, I was unable to work effectively with the CR2 RAW files from my Canon EOS 7D, so I named some key JPGs and left the CR2s alone.

I subsequently moved the named JPGs, separating them from the RAW files. The result was that I had only a few of the photos I’d exposed. Among the missing images was a selection I’d made on a frigid morning along the Connecticut River at East Deerfield, Mass.

Luckily, I’d preserved the original download on a hard drive and made a copy that I stored in Dublin. On a trip to Ireland in 2024, I recovered the missing files and reintegrated them into my master files.

Last night, I used DxO PureRAW 5 to convert and correct the CR2 files before importing them into PhotoLab 9 for adjustment.

I also imported a selected image into Lightroom and made a JPG directly from the CR2 without cosmetic alteration.

Below are both images. These appear substantially sharper than the JPGs I produced 15 years ago on my old Mac, using an antique version of GraphicConverter. I was delighted with the modern results.

Maine Central SD45-2 618 crosses the Connecticut River at East Deerfield in January 2011. Image made from a CR2 RAW file, converted and corrected using PureRaw5 with nominal adjustments with PhotoLab to improve contrast.
The same file as above without corrections or adjustments, converted to JPG with Lightroom. These images could make wall-sized prints. I was astounded by the level of detail in the original CR2 RAW files.

“Tracking the Light: Reinterpreting 15-Year-Old Digital Files.”

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TOME Interlocking JPGs.

TOME Interlocking in Port Deposit, Maryland offered a photographic opportunity.

The moon was rising in the southeastern sky—two days short of being full—and there was ample ambient light from streetlights and local businesses.

I set up my Nikon Z6-III on a tripod and made a series of exposures.

Normally, for my night photos, I work from the camera’s NEF files and make a variety of cosmetic post-processing adjustments to extract as much detail as possible from my exposures. With these images, however, I worked from the in-camera JPGs, simply scaling them for the internet without any visual adjustments. What you see is what you get.

TOME may seem like an unusual name for a railroad control point; however, it is aptly applied to this remote-control switch. Jacob Tome was the big man around Port Deposit in the latter 19th century. Among his many important roles in local business, he served as a director of the Columbia & Port Deposit Railroad—later a component of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Although we waited for about half an hour for the train to pass, we gave up before it arrived at Port Deposit. On the way home, however, we caught a glimpse of it from Maryland 222. Some other night, we may return to photograph a train, by night or by day, passing the Tome memorial interlocking.

The moon was rising in the southeastern sky—two days short of being full—and there was ample ambient light from streetlights and local businesses.

Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!

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NECR 611 Revisited; DxO Clear View Plus.

Aiming to improve upon a photo I made with my Fuji X-T1, I imported the eight-year-old Fuji RAF Raw file into DxO PureRAW 5, applied DeepPRIME 3 corrections, exported it to PhotoLab 9, and applied the software’s contrast adjustment/color enhancement preset, called DxO ClearView Plus.

Below are two versions of the converted RAF file. The first shows only the DeepPRIME 3 corrections; the second shows the effect of the DxO ClearView Plus enhancements.

New England Central 611 crosses the Connecticut River at East Northfield, Mass., on May 7, 2018. Fuji RAF file processed with DxO PureRaw5 with DeepPRIME3 corrections. No changes to color, contrast or exposure.
Same Fuji RAF file as above, processed with DxO PureRaw5 with DeepPRIME3 corrections followed by application of DxO ClearView Plus enhancements. Notice the changes to color, contrast etc.

This is one of my first experiments with DxO ClearView Plus. Normally, I make adjustments manually.

Tracking the Light Explores Image Processing!

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Coal Train, Viaduct and the Moon.

Here’s another set of photos of the bridges at Safe Harbor; this time with a sunset glow and the moon.

Norfolk Southern’s unit coal train 594 was on the roll with 200 plus loaded coal cars and a two-unit DPU.

These were exposed using my Nikon Z7-2 with 70-200mm lens. Files processed using Dx) PureRaw5 and adjusted for contrast using DxO PhotoLab9.

Tracking the Light Explores Railway Photography!

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When in Rome . . . .

On a visit to Rome in 2017, I made this image of a 7000-series tram working the number 19 route.

This was in the evening, and the light was fading. I exposed the photo using my Fujifilm X-T1 fitted with a f/2.0 Fujinon 90mm prime lens.

My camera was set for 1/60th of a second, and the short telephoto lens was wide open. Combined with the warm evening light, this makes for a somewhat surreal image.

Yesterday, I processed the Fuji RAF raw file using DxO PureRAW 5 with DeepPRIME lens corrections, then exported the converted DNG file directly to DxO PhotoLab 9 to make some nominal exposure and contrast corrections.

Below are two versions. The top photo is from the DNG file immediately after the PureRAW 5 conversion. The bottom image is following adjustment with PhotoLab 9.

RAF file converted to DNG format and adjusted cosmetically using DxO Photolab9.

The bottom line is that, with this modern software, I can better process my nine-year-old Fujifilm files, which yield significantly better results than were possible back in 2017.

Tracking the Light Explores Railway Photography!

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Blue Rock Sunset

On this run following a loaded NS coal train, we had just enough time to turn off River Road in Washington Boro and pull into the lot at Blue Rock Heritage Park.

Seamus-the-dog was riding in the back seat, and he’s used to the routine: the car comes to a stop, I leap out, open the back door, fish out one of those black gizmos that I fiddle with, and then a great, loud mass of rolling metal and fumes roars by. It’s all very exciting. Seamus helps by counting the cars.

Kris made an iPhone photo of Seamus watching the train.

Seamus counts the cars. iPhone photo by Kris Solomon.

Photo exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with a 70-200mm f/2.8 Nikkor Z-series zoom set at 79mm, f/2.8, 1/640th second, ISO 2000. NEF RAW file processed using DxO PureRAW 5 with DeepPRIME 3 corrections and cosmetic adjustments with PhotoLab 9.

Nikon photo. Two variations with slight differences to color saturation and shadow density.

Soon we were on the roll again!

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Strasburg 475 on the Move!

Yesterday evening, Kris and I paused on Esbenshade Road in Strasburg, Pa., to roll by the 6 p.m. excursion train. Engine 475 was leading the train tender-first.

This was the first time we’d seen 475 on the move in more than a year. This American classic, a former Norfolk & Western 4-8-0 “Twelve Wheeler,” had been undergoing its periodic overhaul.

It was nice to see this engine working again.

I made these images using my Nikon Z6 with a 24–70mm lens. I set the aperture at f/22 to get maximum depth of field and to give the “starburst” effect on the setting sun.

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography!

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Improving My Angle on Milepost 37

Yesterday, a tornado hit Columbia, Pa., tearing the roof off a building and causing other damage.

Just two days earlier, Kris, Seamus, and I waited trackside in town, listening not for a warning siren, but for the scanner’s crackle: “Clear Cola eastbound.”

When we heard that, I drove into position near my pre-selected location near milepost 37 on the Port Road Branch. I’d posted a photo from this location a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to try the location again, this time with a telephoto lens and from a slightly different vantage point.

My goal was to better feature the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries Route 462 over the Susquehanna River and can be seen to the left of the locomotive in the latter images of this sequence.

Not long after parking, we could hear Norfolk Southern unit coal train 594 rolling along.

I made these photos with my Nikon Z7-II fitted with an f/2.8 Nikkor 70-200mm lens.

To make the most of the evening light, I processed the NEF RAW files using DxO PureRaw 5 with DeepPRIME 3 corrections, followed by adjustments in PhotoLab 9.

Norfolk Southern 4371 leads unit coal train symbol 594 destined for Baltimore.
It was just after 8pm on Tuesday when I made this sequence of Norfolk Southern 594.
Of the five frame sequence, this is my favorite. I’ve altered the image using PhotoLab9 to improve contrast, exposure and color palate.
My goal was to better feature the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries Route 462 over the Susquehanna River

Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography and wishes Columbia a speedy recovery!

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Improving My Angle on Milepost 37

Yesterday, a tornado hit Columbia, Pa., tearing the roof off a building and causing other damage.

Just two days earlier, Kris, Seamus, and I waited trackside in town, listening not for a warning siren, but for the scanner’s crackle: “Clear Cola eastbound.”

When we heard that, I drove into position near my pre-selected location near milepost 37 on the Port Road Branch. I’d posted a photo from this location a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to try the location again, this time with a telephoto lens and from a slightly different vantage point.

My goal was to better feature the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries Route 462 over the Susquehanna River and can be seen to the left of the locomotive in the latter images of this sequence.

Not long after parking, we could hear Norfolk Southern unit coal train 594 rolling along.

I made these photos with my Nikon Z7-II fitted with an f/2.8 Nikkor 70-200mm lens.

To make the most of the evening light, I processed the NEF RAW files using DxO PureRaw 5 with DeepPRIME 3 corrections, followed by adjustments in PhotoLab 9.

Norfolk Southern 4371 leads unit coal train symbol 594 destined for Baltimore.
It was just after 8pm on Tuesday when I made this sequence of Norfolk Southern 594.
Of the five frame sequence, this is my favorite. I’ve altered the image using PhotoLab9 to improve contrast, exposure and color palate.

Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography and wishes Columbia a speedy recovery!

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The other ‘NS’—Utrecht, NL , May 1996

In May 1996, my father and I flew to Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Early during this trip, I spent a few minutes at the main railway station in Utrecht.

Dutch railways were a novelty for me. I exposed this Velvia 50 35mm color slide of an Nederlandse Spoorwegen VIRM electric multiple unit using my Nikon F3T. This distinctive-appearing passenger train was relatively new to the railway at the time.

I’ve always been impressed by the vivid colors rendered by this film on a dull day. It is no wonder that Velvia is favored by nature photographers.

Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!

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Seamus Reads About the B&O

Last weekend, I put the finishing touches on an article about the dawn of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail Road.

I write old school, searching sources for details, facts, historical continuity, and understanding. For every word I write, I easily read a thousand. In addition to my various previous writings on the B&O, for this effort I filled three notebooks with source material.

Seamus-the-dog took great interest in my notes and is seen here studying the finer points of Baltimore & Ohio’s early days.

Thirty years ago, I followed the advice of Baltimore & Ohio scholar John P. Hankey and traveled to Ellicott City for the title transfer of the old B&O Station—believed to be the oldest extant railroad station building in the United States—from CSX to the B&O Museum at Ellicott City, which was occupying the structure.

For the event, the 1927-built replica of Peter Cooper’s engine was brought to Ellicott City and hoisted onto the Old Main Line. They fired it up, and I made a variety of photos of the curious vertical-boiler engine as it chuffed back and forth on the historic B&O right-of-way.

Tracking the Light Looks Back on the B&O!

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Through the Girders

After photographing the head end of Norfolk Southern 36A at Washington Boro, Pa., we drove to Safe Harbor, where I made a speedy walk into the darkness. The massive girders of the trestle, built for Pennsylvania Railroad’s Atglen & Susquehanna Branch, loomed above me.

Although night had fallen, a hint of sunset remained in the western sky. I had an angle in mind that I hoped would capture the scale of the enormous viaduct.

Using my iPhone as a flashlight, I set up my 3Pod tripod just as the headlights of the eastward freight began to illuminate the tracks below.

I made several photos of the passing train, of which these two are my favorites.

Although these were exposed using a 50mm lens, next time I’d like to try a telephoto view.

Brian Solomon’s Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography!

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Action Photos at Dusk

The long days of summer are fading fast. With each rotation of the Earth, there’s less light in the evening sky.

Kris and I had just passed Columbia, Pa., when we heard the Norfolk Southern River Line dispatcher talking to the approaching Enola–Edgemoor, Delaware, freight (train symbol 36A).

We turned around, and I started scouting for a suitable place to make action photos in the last light.

I settled on a grade crossing near Washington Boro, where I’ve photographed previously.

Working with my Nikon Z6 III, I made this sequence of images of the approaching train. Here, the concept of the sequence is important, as the group of photos tells the story. 

I picked a spot where the line curves at the end of a long tangent, a location that makes the most of the train. Although night was closing in, I hoped to demonstrate that one locomotive led a very long freight, but the angle was a little bit off. The old PRR electrification masts hint at the heritage of the line.

Photos processed using DxO PureRaw5 and PhotoLab9 to make the most of NEF raw data.

Brian Solomon’s Tracking the Light has explored railroad photography since 2012!

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I Wish I’d Done More of This!

In May 1988, I stood on a hill near Bullards Road in Hinsdale, Massachusetts, just west of Washington Summit, to photograph an eastward Conrail freight on the Boston Line.

This group of four loaded coal hoppers caught my attention: one each from B&O, C&O, Western Maryland, and Seaboard System. At the time, it represented the short history of CSX Transportation!

What a concept: freight cars owned by railroads and not covered in third-party paint.

Exposed on PKM—Professional Kodachrome 25—using my Leica M2 with 50mm Summicron lens.

Tracking the Light Looks Back!

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Hot Train on a Hot Day—Conrail’s Friday Only TV80W

I liked to seek out unusual trains: Second Sections, Extras, unit trains, and moves that operated once a week—or less.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Conrail’s Friday-only TV80W was a short, hot intermodal train that ran to Worcester, Massachusetts, over the Boston Line (former Boston & Albany).

August 12, 1988 was a steamer: hot, humid, and polluted.

I drove over to CP79, east of Palmer, Massachusetts, to catch the once-a-week intermodal train. On this day, it was powered by a pair of GE B23-7s, locomotives atypical for Conrail’s intermodal service.

Conditions were less than ideal for photography—flat light and hazy—but I made this 120-size black-and-white view with my father’s Rollei Model T. TV80W was waiting for a “limited clear” signal to exit the controlled siding after meeting a westward carload freight.

Two versions of the photo appear below: the unmodified scan and an adjusted version using Lightroom to eliminate spots and vignetting and improve contrast and highlight detail.

Scan from B&W negative without cosmetic adjustment. (Scan size scaled for internet presentation only)
Adjusted scan to improve contrast and overall appearance without eliminating the effects of the hot hazy afternoon. It was unpleasant to be outside that day.

Someone may ask, “What is a ‘hot’ freight?” To run “hot” means to operate quickly, often in excess of normal speed. A “hot freight” is a high-priority train. So, it was unusual to find TV80W sitting in a siding.

Tracking the Light has explored railroad photography for 14 years!

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Susquehanna 4008-Pace in 1989.

Leica M2 in hand, I made this pacing view while racing along with a westward Delaware & Hudson freight in New York’s Canisteo Valley on April 16, 1989.

New York, Susquehanna & Western—Susquehanna for short—had been appointed the designated operator of the D&H after Guilford ceased operating the line in June 1988.

For a couple of years, NYS&W locomotives were common on D&H freights such as this ABBU (Albany to Buffalo), which was running via trackage rights over Conrail’s former Erie Railroad main line.

Tributary Fun Fact: Although I was many miles from the Susquehanna River, the Canisteo River is a tributary of the Chemung, which flows into the Susquehanna.

Exposed on Ilford FP4 black-and-white negative film using a Leica M2 with a 50mm Leitz Summicron lens.

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Seeing in the Dark.

There was only the faintest hint of blue in the evening sky.

I could hear Norfolk Southern’s 36A approaching as I walked back along the road to the Safe Harbor Bridge— itself an old railroad alignment.

For these images, I preset and locked my focus on the tall trestle and dialed in a +1/3 exposure compensation to boost the amount of light reaching the sensor. Working in aperture-priority (A) mode with the lens set to its widest opening (f/1.4), my Nikon Z6-III automatically set the shutter speed: 1/8 second for the first image and 1/10 second for the second.

I panned the head end of the freight as it rolled across the lower bridge.

What you see here has considerably more detail and appears much brighter than what I saw with my naked eye at the time of exposure.

NEF RAW file, processed with PureRaw5 with DeepPrime3 lens corrections and demosiacing, converted to DNG format and cosmetically adjusted using DxOPhotolab9.
NEF RAW file, processed with PureRaw5 with DeepPrime3 lens corrections and demosiacing, converted to DNG format and cosmetically adjusted using DxOPhotolab9.

Tracking the Light has explored railroad photography for 14 years!

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Evening Angle on Cola

Columbia, Pa., has a fascinating railroad history, but is difficult to portray.

I’ve been seeking an angle that makes the most of Cola Tower.

The other evening, Norfolk Southern’s 38V (Enola to Baltimore) was held at the west home signal for Cola interlocking. The old Cola Tower stands as a relic of an earlier era. As we waited for the train to get a clear signal through the interlocking, I examined a few locations.

This view looking railroad west seems cluttered and distracting during daylight. However, in the glow of evening, it conveys the spirit of the place.

Photos exposed using my Nikon Z6-III with an f/1.4 50mm lens mounted on a 3Pod tripod. NEF RAW files processed using DxO PureRaw 5 with DeepPRIME 3 corrections. 

Top photo; ISO 32000, f1.4, 1/80th second, auto white balance.

Bottom photo: ; ISO 32000, f1.4, 1/160thth second, auto white balance. The shorter shutter speed was necessary to better freeze the action and minimize overexposure of the headlights.

Tracking the Light has explored railroad photography since 2012.

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BNSF Sunrise—Sais, New Mexico.

In September 1998, photographer Mel Patrick and I made an inspection of BNSF’s (former Santa Fe) Belen Cutoff route in central New Mexico.

At sunrise, we found this eastward freight holding for an approach signal west of Abo Canyon at Sais. My headend three-quarter view of this same train appeared as the cover photo of my book Modern Locomotives—High Horsepower Diesels 1966-2000 published by MBI.

Fujichrome Velvia 50 exposed with a Nikon F3T and f2.8 Nikkor 24mm lens.

Tracking the Light has explored railway photography since 2012.

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Under the Light at Peachbottom-second post attempt

Based on past timings (where you gauge the progress of a train by the relative times between locations), I was confident we could beat the loaded coal train that we’d rolled by on the Port Road Secondary at Washington Boro to the boat launch at Peach Bottom.

In the old days, I’d have been trying to navigate the back roads using a DeLorme atlas. These days, we cheat and let Google Maps do the work for us.

We arrived at the grade crossing for the boat launch with plenty of time to spare.

Previously, I’d identified the light near the grade crossing as an aid to existing-light night photography.

Before the chug of GE diesels announced the heavy train’s approach, I positioned the car, set up my tripod, and made a few test shots with my Nikon Z6-III and 50mm f/1.4 lens.

The head-end views were exposed at f/1.4, 1/100th of a second, at ISO 32,000. The laser-beam effect of the headlights gained me about a half stop. In comparison, I used 1/60th of a second for the views of the mid-train DPU (distributed power units), as these photos didn’t benefit from the bright headlights.

Tracking the Light Explores the Darkness!

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Across the Field at Washington Boro, Pennsylvania.

On a number of occasions, I’ve eyed this view of Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Secondary as a potential angle for photographing a westward train in the morning, but I’m still waiting for the stars to align.

Recently, however, while following a slow-moving unit coal train along the Susquehanna River in the evening, I decided this would make a nice grab shot.

With regard to my recent post about “elephants,” the zoo keepers had tagged a hopper about four cars behind the head end. Since I’d already covered that subject, I saw no reason to spoil this pastoral view of black diamonds rolling through the countryside by including the defaced car.

Nikon Z6 III with NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4 lens. Exposure: 1/250 second at f/2.5, ISO 1000. NEF RAW file processed using DxO PureRAW 5 with DeepPRIME 3 noise reduction and lens corrections. Cosmetic adjustment using Lightroom.

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography!

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Another 252.

Tracking the Light has occasionally featured Conway Scenic Railroad’s former Maine Central GP38 No. 252. As Conway Scenic’s manager for marketing, I’ll admit that—yes, I like that locomotive. As I’ve often said, it was delivered just one week after I was.

Among my tens of thousands of color slides is a Logan slide box (a metal storage box) labeled “Colorado and Utah.” It is filled primarily with images exposed between the summer of 1995 and the autumn of 1998, when I was making regular trips to the Rockies.

While searching for another photograph, I came across these Fujichrome Provia slides exposed on September 1, 1996, depicting a Southern Pacific empty coal train in the yard at Minturn, Colorado, on the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s west slope of its Tennessee Pass crossing. Leading the train is a relatively new GE AC4400CW, No. 252.

I exposed these just a few weeks before the Southern Pacific system—including the D&RGW—was formally absorbed into Union Pacific. The brief wink of sunlight was fortuitous, while the foreboding sky seemed prophetic. 

Nearly thirty years later, is Norfolk Southern approaching a similarly pivotal moment? I wonder what things will be like in 2056?

Tracking the Light posts thoughts on railroad photographs.

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Another 252

Tracking the Light has occasionally featured Conway Scenic Railroad’s former Maine Central GP38 No. 252. As Conway Scenic’s manager for marketing, I’ll admit that—yes, I like that locomotive. As I’ve often said, it was delivered just one week after I was.

Among my tens of thousands of color slides is a Logan slide box (a metal storage box) labeled “Colorado and Utah.” It is filled primarily with images exposed between the summer of 1995 and the autumn of 1998, when I was making regular trips to the Rockies.

While searching for another photograph, I came across these Fujichrome Provia slides exposed on September 1, 1996, depicting a Southern Pacific empty coal train in the yard at Minturn, Colorado, on the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s west slope of its Tennessee Pass crossing. Leading the train is a relatively new GE AC4400CW, No. 252.

I exposed these just a few weeks before the Southern Pacific system—including the D&RGW—was formally absorbed into Union Pacific. The brief wink of sunlight was fortuitous, while the foreboding sky seemed prophetic. 

Nearly thirty years later, is Norfolk Southern approaching a similarly pivotal moment? I wonder what things will be like in 2056?

Tracking the Light posts thoughts on railroad photographs.

photography

A Note About Intermittent Access to Tracking the Light

Some readers may have experienced difficulty accessing Tracking the Light over the past day or so, including an occasional “Access Forbidden” message.

I’m aware of the problem and am working to determine its cause. The site and its archive remain intact, and at present the site appears to be operating normally, although access may still be intermittent.

Thanks for your patience—and for continuing to visit Tracking the Light!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Wye at Perryville, Maryland

Arriving at Port Deposit, we heard that Norfolk Southern’s 38V (Enola to Baltimore) was at Perryville and preparing to enter Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. To intercept it, we made the short drive to the former Pennsylvania Railroad station in Perryville on the east side of the Susquehanna River.

Although the Baltimore leg of the wye runs adjacent to the station parking lot, it doesn’t offer a good view because of a fence and some unkempt trees. To get a better angle, I walked to where the line crosses the road on an overhead bridge.

Not every image is calendar photo. My goal was simply to document a train and its location with interesting photos, and these images do exactly that.

Norfolk Southern 8021 leads freight 38V as it is about to leave the Port Road Secondary at Perryville, Maryland. The passenger station is behind me.

Tracking the Light explores the night!

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Remembering Q Tower

In the early 1990s, I made a project of photographing CSX’s Mountain Subdivision—the former Baltimore & Ohio West End.

Lately, while searching for illustrations for my next book on railroad signal towers, I’ve been scouring my slides of this fascinating stretch of railroad, which connects Cumberland, Maryland, with Grafton, West Virginia.

Most of my visits were in autumn. On the morning of October 15, 1994, I stopped at Q Tower in Hardman, West Virginia. It was well off the beaten path—few people found it by accident. I made this view looking east toward the tower on Kodachrome 25.

As I recall, Q Tower controlled a set of crossovers, and this was one of the locations where helper locomotives were added to heavy eastbound freights.

Even at this late date, Q Tower was a relic from another era—and that’s what made it so cool. This wood-frame structure housed a classic “Armstrong” interlocking plant. Other surviving antiques included a hand-cranked magneto telephone that allowed the operator to communicate over the railroad’s company telephone line with adjacent towers and other locations along the line.

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ISO 100 Versus ISO 3200

Here’s a surprise: I made two versions of the same scene.

Using my Nikon Z6-III with a 50mm f/1.4 NIKKOR lens mounted securely on a tripod, I exposed two nearly identical photographs. The first was made at ISO 3200, f/2.5, with a shutter speed of 1/5 second. The second was made at ISO 100, f/2.5, with a shutter speed of 6 seconds.

Both images were exported directly from the original NEF RAW files using identical processing settings. Signficantly, neither image was processed with DxO PureRAW to reduce noise or the effects of lens defects. (So: What you see is what you get).

Can you tell the difference?

When viewed at full size, which one do you think appears sharper?

ISO 3200, f/2.5, with a shutter speed of 1/5 second. 
ISO 100, f/2.5, with a shutter speed of 6 seconds.

Tracking the Light examines the relationship between exposure and ISO.

Footnote: I asked the ChatGPT AI engine to analyse my post and my results; it came up with this answer: 

One technical observation: all else being equal, the 6-second exposure at ISO 100 is theoretically capable of slightly greater image quality because of its lower noise. However, if there is any vibration, wind, or subject movement during those six seconds, the ISO 3200, 1/5-second exposure may actually look sharper. That makes your comparison especially interesting because the answer isn’t always what people expect.

Greatly enlarged version of the top photo; ISO 3200, f/2.5, with a shutter speed of 1/5 second
Greatly enlarged version of the bottom photo; ISO 100, f/2.5, with a shutter speed of 6 seconds. Can you see the difference now?
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Why the Port Road?

Regular viewers will have noticed that I’ve been focusing heavily on Norfolk Southern’s former Pennsylvania Railroad Port Road Secondary lately. That’s true, and there are several reasons why.

More than 35 years ago, I identified Conrail’s Port Road as a railroad I wanted to photograph in depth. At the time, my brother was studying geology and geography at the University of Delaware in Newark, and I used his apartment as a base for photography throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

My primary objectives then were the Northeast Corridor and CSX’s former Baltimore & Ohio routes in western Maryland and West Virginia. Then, as now, the Port Road was largely a nocturnal railroad, however, and in those days I lacked the ability needed to make consistently successful night action photographs.

Since moving to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I’ve finally had the opportunity to explore, study, and photograph the Port Road more thoroughly. As my familiarity with the line has grown, so has my understanding of its operations. That combination of familiarity, persistence, and patience has finally begun to yield the results that I expect from my efforts.

The photograph below shows the rear of the same unit coal train featured in yesterday’s post, “Coal Train Against an Evening Sky.” The truck racing north on Water Street (PA Route 441) was pure happenstance, but it creates a dramatic comparison between highway and rail freight transportation. 

More Port Road photographs are on the way. 

I wish that I’d at least made an effor to explore the line in Conrail days, which I could have easily accomplished.

Tracking the Light posts daily!

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Coal Train Against an Evening Sky

This is a story about focus, color, and contrast.

The setup: At Washington Boro, we noted a Clear signal for an eastward train. We continued to Columbia while I scouted potential locations near milepost 37. We waited near COLA Tower until I heard on the train radio, “Clear COLA.”—the eastward train calling the nearest signal at the far end of the interlocking. That gave me the 60 to 90 seconds I needed to get into position near Milepost 37.

There was just enough light remaining in the evening sky to compose what was essentially a daylight photograph. I framed the train between the former Pennsylvania Railroad catenary poles, using the colorful sunset sky and the Susquehanna River as the backdrop.

I placed my focus point toward the lower left of the frame and used a very wide aperture to maximize the available light while separating the background from the main subject—Norfolk Southern locomotive No. 4613.

Initially, I wasn’t pleased with the results, but Kris thought that I’d made a great photo. That prompted me to take another look and interpret what I’d captured.

I created two different interpretations from the RAW file, which I first converted to a DNG using DxO PureRAW 5 with DeepPRIME 3 processing and lens corrections.

The top image benefits from carefully adjusted local contrast, while the lower version features greater amont of brightening and sharpening to emphasize detail.

Which interpretation do you prefer?

Stay tuned for more!

Tracking the Light examines the details of railroad photography.

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Viaduct Against the Moon

One night shy of a full moon, I made this silhouette of the enormous curved viaduct at Safe Harbor that once carried the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Atglen & Susquehanna Low Grade Line.

I had visions of boxcab electrics gliding beneath the 11 kV catenary on this humid summer night.

Photographed using my Nikon Z6 III with a 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens. Exposure: 1/125 second at f/1.4, ISO 2500. The NEF RAW file was processed using DxO PureRAW 5 with DeepPRIME 3 for demosaicing, noise reduction, and lens corrections, then finished with cosmetic adjustments in Adobe Lightroom.

Tracking by the Moon Light!

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Parade of Machines by Moonlight

In recent weeks, a surfacing gang has been working along the Susquehanna River on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Secondary. On our drive the other evening, we overtook dozens of track machines waiting to get in the clear of the main track at Columbia, Pa.

We paused near the old Pennsylvania Railroad station to watch the whirring parade of mechanical wonder. I made photos under a nearly full moon accented by street light and the lights on the myriad track machines as these glided past.

Photos exposed hand-held using a Nikon Z6-III with f1.4 50mm lens. RAW files were converted using DxO PureRaw5, which applies Deep Prime 3 corrections to demosiac and denoise files along with a host corrections to address lens imperfections. 

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography!

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Shadows and Light at Routes 999 and 441.

Another evening at Washington Boro, Pa.

My aim was to capture the essence of the location on a July evening.

This sequence focuses on the scene.

The way it appears to the ordinary passer by.

Nikon Z6-III with f1.4 50mm lens; f.14 1/50th sec at ISO 32000, NEF RAW file converted to DNG format with lens corrections using DxO PureRaw5, cosmetic adjustments using Lightroom.
Nikon Z6-III with f1.4 50mm lens; f.14 1/60th sec at ISO 32000, NEF RAW file converted to DNG format with lens corrections using DxO PureRaw5, cosmetic adjustments using Lightroom.
Nikon Z6-III with f1.4 50mm lens; f.14 1/80th sec at ISO 40000, NEF RAW file converted to DNG format with lens corrections using DxO PureRaw5, cosmetic adjustments using Lightroom.
Nikon Z6-III with f1.4 50mm lens; f.14 1/60th sec at ISO 40000, NEF RAW file converted to DNG format with lens corrections using DxO PureRaw5, cosmetic adjustments using Lightroom.
Nikon Z6-III with f1.4 50mm lens; f.14 1/80th sec at ISO 40000, NEF RAW file converted to DNG format with lens corrections using DxO PureRaw5, cosmetic adjustments using Lightroom.

Tracking the Light Examines Railway Photography!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

The ‘Elephant’ on the Rails . . .

You’ve heard of the ‘elephant in the room’? There are enough of those to found our own zoo! But that’s not what I’m writing about today.

If you watch freight trains, you’ll see it pass by all the time. We may hate it; we may love it. It’s there in broad daylight and in the dark of night. It has been part of the railroad scene for a long time now, and like it or not, it’s here to stay.

I look back on the days when trains were free of it. I cringe when I see a classic car soiled by it. And yet, sometimes I’m fascinated by the elaborate effort involved, along with the messages and images sent rolling across the landscape.

So here are just a few photos from our travels in Pennsylvania. The ‘elephant’ on the rails.

Tracking the Light documents what’s there!

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Budapest Metro

During a visit to Hungary In July 2007, I used my Contax G2 rangefinder to expose this Fujichrome color slide of the Budapest Metro. 

I’ve adjusted the exposure, color balance and contrast using Lightroom to improve the presention here. 

Generally speaking, I’ve found that the versatility and sensativity of modern digital sensors do a better job of rendering the lighting conditions available in subways than was possible with film. But since, the few photos I have of Budapest transit were all exposed on film, I’ll need to make due with what I have!

Tracking the Light looks back on a visit to Budapest!

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Johnsonville Tower-March 1984

Lately, I’ve been scouring my archives for images of signal towers for my next book. Among the photographs that surfaced was this seriously underexposed image of a westbound Guilford freight on the Boston & Maine passing the disused signal tower at Johnsonville, New York.

I was a senior in high school when my father lent me his 1960-vintage Rolleiflex Model T, which I loaded with 120 Ektachrome. My exposures were less than ideal, and this image was among the dark transparencies that resulted.

Previously on Tracking the Light, I detailed my methodology for recovering some of the other photographs from this unfortunate roll of film. See: https://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/boston-working-with-some-underexposed-photos/.

I’ve applied a similar strategy to improving this photograph.

What I like about this image is the way I balanced the composition to show the abandoned right-of-way to the left of the tower. This was the old Troy & Boston route, dating from the 1850s, which later became part of the Fitchburg Railroad before ultimately being absorbed into the expanding Boston & Maine network. The line on the right served as the B&M’s main line to Mechanicville and Rotterdam Junction, New York.

Below are three versions of the same image. The top is the original, unmodified dark transparency. The two lower versions demonstrate different degrees of lightening, color correction, and contrast adjustment.

I don’t know if this view will make the book, but working on it brought back memories from long ago.

Tracking the Light looks back at old photographs!

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24 and 200mm—Lens Choices.

Sixteen years ago—on July 27, 2010—I made a series of photographs of Pan Am Southern’s eastward MOAY (Mohawk Yard, Schenectady, N.Y., to Ayer, Mass.) as it plied the old Boston & Maine Fitchburg Route. It was a pleasant, sunny afternoon—ideal for railroad photography.

Occasionally, I’m asked, “How do you know what lens to use?”

I have no easy answer, since each situation depends on the lighting, the scene, the background and foreground elements, the subject, and the capabilities of the lenses available.

In 2010, I was still relatively new to my Canon EOS 7D DSLR. I found that my older prime lenses tended to have wider maximum aperture settings, and the glass yield sharper results than either the kit-zoom that came with the camera, or my Canon 100-400mm lens, so I generally relied on my 20mm, 24mm, 50mm, 100mm, and 200mm focal lengths. 

Keep in mind that the 7D uses an APS-C CMOS sensor with a 1.6× crop factor. As a result, my 24mm lens provided a field of view equivalent to a 38mm lens on a full-frame camera, while my 200mm lens yielded a field of view equivalent to 320mm.

Below is a broadside view featuring SD70M No. 2622 framed by a tree near Shelburne Falls, Mass., followed by a view of the same locomotive a short while later from the highway bridge at Wisdom Way in Greenfield, Mass. Today, I probably would use either my Nikon Z6 or Z6 III mirrorless camera with a 24–70mm zoom for the first photo, and my 70–200mm zoom for the Wisdom Way image. The results would reflect slightly different focal lengths, along with differences in color rendition and contrast. 

So there’s my answer! What lenses might you have considered?

Tracking the Light explores compositional choices and the influence of lens focal length!