Author of more than 50 books on railways, photography, and Ireland. Brian divides his time between the United States and Ireland, and frequently travels across Europe and North America.
Layers of haze, a bit of agricultural pollution, probably some high level smoke from distant fires plus some cotton candy clouds made for a colorful textured summer evening sky.
Kris and I drove to Esbenshade Road to roll by the Strasburg Rail Road’s Saturday evening late departure. For me the sky offered something different at a setting where I’ve made countless photos over the last couple of years.
Photos exposed using my Nikon Z6 and Z7-II mirrorless digital cameras. Files were processed using Adobe Lightroom to make the most of the highlights in the sky while retaining shadow detail.
I framed the on coming train in a way to make the most of the clouds, while trying to capture the reflection of the sky as the tail car passed by.
Over the last few months Amtrak has been performing heavy maintenance on its electrified Harrisburg Line west of Lancaster, Pa.
This has resulted in bus subsititutions for many of the Keystone trains Monday-Thursday to allow work crews to repair and replace tracks.
A few weeks ago I caught up with one of the work trains that was tied down on the main line. This was a good opportunity to make photographs of the sharp looking GP38-3 diesels that Amtrak assigns to work train service.
Photos were exposed with my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens. These are among the images in consideration for my latest book project that profiles Amtrak locomotives and Rolling Stock.
Kris and I had boarded Amtrak Keystone 665 at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. I wanted to sit on the northside of the train and check out some of our usual places as we zipped along at 100 plus.
As we approached Lancaster, a thunderstorm had darkened the horizon.
I made these views from the train using my Z7-II.
Old Conrail caboose on display at Christiana, Pa.Racing along at Jefferson Drive, Greenfield, Lancaster, Pa., I was disappointed! I’ve made so many photos here over the last few months, and it looks so bland from the train.And there’s the pond where I catch Norfolk Southern’s local coming round the bend. You’d never even guess there were tracks in this photo.We’ll need to check this out sometime. Lancaster on the approach to the station.A storm was brewing.
So, to make sure I had fresh material today, I’ve composed a short follow up.
Two of the images in my sequence of locomotive 89 at Paradise Lane suffered from a momentary auto-focus glitch caused by the combination of a low contrast scene, frosting of the front lens element because of a cool camera in high-humidity (see yesterday’s post), and locomotive effluence.
I won’t win awards for these photos, but Tracking the Light is about process, and not perfection.
We were on our way to the Fox Meadows Creamery for ice cream and coffee. I made a slight detour via Strasburg, thinking we might just catch the 5pm train returning.
As we approached Paradise Lane, we saw the train coming aross the cornfields. I pulled in and reached for my Nikon Z6.
Since the weather had been very warm and humid, we were running the air-conditioning in the car. When I stepped outside my lens immediately frosted over. So before I could make an exposure, I had to wipe the front element clean. Then I exposed this sequence of photos.
I’m pleased; these turned out well for hastily composed photos on a soft summer evening.
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Nikkor Z-series zoom set to 200mm, f4.5 1/640 second, ISO 200. Image adjusted during post-processing for exposure, contrast and saturation using Adobe Lightroom.Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Nikkor Z-series zoom set to 95mm, f4.5 1/800 second, ISO 200. Image adjusted during post-processing for exposure, contrast and saturation using Adobe Lightroom.Focus set on the tabacco leaves in the foreground. Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Nikkor Z-series zoom set to 140mm, f14 1/60 second, ISO 200. Image adjusted during post-processing for exposure, contrast and saturation using Adobe Lightroom.
On August 11, 2014, I made this photo of a classic bouncy ‘Pacer’ four-wheel railcar crossing the Leeds & Liverpool Canal near the main railway station in Leeds, UK.
I exposed it using my Canon EOS-7D with a prime 100mm lens; ISO 200, f6.3 1/800 second. File adjusted in Lightroom.
Over the last few months, I’ve been working on a book describing Amtrak’s locomotives and rolling stock. So, it seemed appropriate that on our visit to Philadelphia, we’d take a look at the variety of Amtrak equipment in the yard at 30th Street Station.
A parking garage located a short walk from the station offers a panaramic view of the yards, where we saw everthing from a former GO Transit GP40TC (now an Amtrak GP38H-3) and retired HHP8 electrics to the latest Siemens ALC-42 Charger diesels (first time we had seen these!) a group of stored Alstom Avelia Liberty/Next Generation Acela trainsets, as well as a selection of ballast cars and a few baggage cars from Amtrak’s Exhibit Train.
I made this selection of photos using my Nikon Z7-II.
In August 1984, I made a big solo trip on Amtrak. This began with an overnight journey on the Montrealer to its namesake. I spent several hours visiting with the signalman at the east end of the station, while photographing trains coming and going.
I made these views on Kodak Tri-X with a 1930s-era Leica 3A fitted with a truly antique collapsible 50mm Leitz Elmarite. I scanned the negatives in 2016 using an Epson Perfection V600 flatbed scanner.
Montreal was only the first of several destinations on my big adventure. Back then you didn’t need a passport to travel to Canada and I thought nothing of wandering far and wide at the age of 17.
It has been a few years since I last traveled to Philadelphia by train.
Kris and I arrived at 30th Street Station (officially William H. Gray 30th St. Station) on Amtrak Keystone 664 from Elizabethtown, Pa. It was a very pleasant journey aboard Amfleet I cars refurbished to the latest interior standards. Our train glided into platform nine on time.
The main concourse of the station was undergoing some renovation, but the space remains awe inspiring.
I made this series of photos using my Nikon Z7-II, my first Nikon digital photos at this citadel of the late, great Pennsylvania Railroad.
Outside the station it was sunny, warm and humid. Unfortunately, after leaving 30th Street, I found to my dismay that my notebook was missing! This was one of those dreadful OH NO! moments. I believe I left it on the train . . . .
I always carry a notebook, as I have for more than 30 years, and I had this one since Kris and I were in Ireland. My first entry was on March 7th and my last was at Downingtown about a half and hour before I lost it.
Kris helped me fill out Amtrak’s online lost property form including a detailed description of the book. Not only is my name and contact details written on the inside cover, but a printed copy of my Amtrak reservation was tucked into the notebook. Fingers crossed—perhaps it will find its way back to me.
Although this notebook contains my chronological notes, luckily I’ve been maintaining separate notebooks for my on-going Amtrak research, so at least I can continue my day to day writing without handicap.
It was a sun-drenched day in the California Tehachapis on this day eight years ago, when I focused on BNSF Railway’s X-FRSRUF9-05G ascending Union Pacific’s former Southern Pacific line at Walong.
Better known as the ‘Tehachapi Loop,’ this place is world-famous for its sinuous trackage, where the railroad’s compete helix is just part of a series of reverse curves necessary to maintain a steady uphill gradient.
What isn’t always evident in photos is the raw verticality of the mountains. This is tough rugged territory interspersed with rolling hills covered by golden grass.
Another element of the place that isn’t conveyed in photos is that the golden grass bears sharp pointy seeds that find their way into your socks and annoy your ankles. But, it’s a small price to pay for enjoying freight trains hard at work.
August 6, 2016.August 6, 2016.August 6, 2016.
Exposed using my FujiFilm XT-1 with 18-135mm lens.
The other day Kris and I bought Amtrak tickets on-line and traveled from Elizabethtown to 30th Street Station, Philadelphia on Keystone 664.
I made photos using my Nikon Z7-II, while Kris made photos with her iPhone.
It was a hot and humid day, which made for some challenges with the lens frosting up when going in and out of the air conditioning.
Approaching 30th Street, we got our first look at the new Alstom Acela train sets which are stored at the east-end of the station.
I’ll post more photos from Philadelphia soon.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens—Coatesville, PA.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens. 30th Street Station yards, Philadelphia.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.
Today, Conway Scenic Railroad marks 50 years in the railroad excursion business. The railroad began operations on August 4, 1974.
On August 4, 2019, I made this photograph of Conway Scenic personalities gathered on the platform at North Conway, New Hampshire for the dedication of locomotive 7470.
Since the railroad is as much about people as equipment, I thought it is appropriate to mark the occasion with this image of the people that have helped keep the railroad running over the years.
August 3, 2016—eight years ago-I made this photo of Los Angeles bound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train 768 making its station stop at Simi Valley, California.
The swoopy looking F59PHI diesels with Pacific ocean inspired blue and silver livery designed to match the bi-level cars made for some the most attractive Amtrak trains of the modern era.
This is one of many photos that I’m considering for my book on Amtrak equipment. I’ve taken a short break from writing text and captions to compose this post for Tracking the Light.
In my text, I delve into considerable technical detail regarding the equipment pictured as well as telling the story of Amtrak through its machinery.
Amtrak F59PHI 454 working the back of Los Angeles bound Pacific Surfliner 768 at Simi Valley, California. Exposed with a FujiFilm XT1.
Regular Tracking-the-Light readers are aware that over the last year I’ve made a project of photographing Norfolk Southern’s New Holland Branch in Lancaster, Co., Pa. This TTL post is more about ‘being there’ than about strategic photographic technique.
There are times when I’ve waited hours for a train that never shows. And there are times, when despite everything, I just happen to be in exactly the right place at the right time.
Toward the end of July, I was on my way over to clean our old Greenfield apartment before turning the keys back. I had late start and I got caught behind a waddling truck that further delayed me. But this delay opened opportunity! As I crossed over the former PRR Main Line at Pitney Road, near the junction with the New Holland Branch, there—Ta Da!—was the eastward NS local freight. Perfect timing, and completely by accident.
On a normal day the local would be at Pitney between about 8:45 and 8:55am, and I’d hear it sound for the Greenfield Road crossing about 9 o’clock sharp. I spotted the freight on this day nearly two hours late. Also, it had a pair of SD40Es and 26 cars, making it one of the largest freights I’d seen on the branch since moving to Lancaster.
I made a short detour to Jefferson Drive, where I caught the train curving below Hwy 30 and running near my favorite little pond, then zipped post-haste up to Willow Road to make a series of pastoral views. In no time I was back at the apartment to complete the task at hand
Sometimes that little delay in traffic is the fortuity needed to get the shot. Here’s the lesson: take advantage of the gift when it comes to you.
A couple of weeks ago, Kris and I brought Seamus for a walk at the Fort Hunter Mansion State Park on the east bank of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pa.
This offers some stunning views of the magnificent Rockville Bridge.
After a little bit of wait, I heard a Norfolk Southern train call the signal at Rockville heading west. This was an empty unit coal train. I’d preselected a view across the river where I could frame up the bridge with a tree in the park. I made these views using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm zoom.
Soft evening mid-summer light nicely illuminates the northside of the bridge.
In the 1990s, I’d mastered a technique for capturing trains in the ‘glint’ light usng Kodachrome slide film. Golden glint was my favorite. I was especially fond of glinting Southern Pacific freights in the western mountains and Amtrak trains on the Northeast Corridor.
These days, I apply a similar technique using my modern mirrorless digital cameras.
Low summer sun can offer great glint light opportunities. The mix of agricultural detritus, smog pollutants, and humidity in the atmosphere help to tint evening sunlight toward the red-end of spectrum.
Amtrak’s stainless steel trains make for excellent glint reflectors, and I have a few choice locations to catch the glint, including my often-photographed tangent on Amtrak’s former Pennsylvania Railroad electrified line to Harrisburg.
In late July, the setting sun is about 30 degrees off axis from the railroad where it runs along Jefferson Drive. And this is the perfect angle to catch a train reflecting the light.
Last week on successive days, I made these glint light views of Amtrak’s westward Keystone train 653 on its approach to the Lancaster, Pa., station.
Trailing view of Amtrak Keystone 653 at Greenfield in Lancaster, PA. July 25, 2024. Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.Trailing view of Amtrak Keystone 653 at Greenfield in Lancaster, PA, July 26, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70 Z-series zoom.
The McClelland Farm Bridge over the yard at East Deerfield, Massachusetts was known as the ‘Railfan’s Bridge’, although in my circles we called it the ‘Waste too much Film Bridge.’
This was a great place to catch the action.
On July 30, 2012, I made this view of Pan Am Railway’s road freight EDMO (East Deerfield to Mohawk Yard, Schectady, NY) beginning its westward journey over the Boston & Maine Fitchburg Route.
Much has changed in the last dozen years. The bridge was replaced; the railroad changed hands, and most of the classic EMD locomotives have been supplanted with more modern machines.
In 2012, I was working with a Canon EOS-7D ditial camera. I used this as my primary camera from June 2010 until I bought my first Fuji XT-1 in winter 2015. I still have the Canon. It’s a good camera and there’s nothing wrong with it, but my more modern cameras have a variety of operating advantages largely related to advances in autofocus systems, improved sensors, and improvements with lenses.
I still like the Canon color profile which made for beautiful images right out of the camera.
Among the trains we photographed on Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line (the old PRR Middle Division) at Cove, Pennsylvania was this eastward double-stack train.
A few minutes earlier I’d switched on my venerable scanner and heard the train calling signals, which had alerted us to its relative proximity.
Kris and I had just caught a westward train (featured a few days ago on Tracking the Light) and as its last empty container flats were gliding by, the headlights of the eastward train came into view.
The third unit on the train was Norfolk Southern’s SD70ACe 1072 painted for the Illinois Terminal—one of many consituent railroads represented in the NS fleet by ‘heritage’ paint schemes.
It was neat to see it roll by, although after week/months of hard service it seemed that it could benefit a trip through the washer.
Photos exposed using Nikon Z-series mirrorless digital cameras.
On this day in 2015, my friend Markku and I had a tour of the roundhouse at Oulu, Finland. This is home to a variety of antiques and a wonderful place to photograph railroad equipment!
VR Group’s Dv12 diesels are some of my favorite locomotives in Finland. These are classics and the GP9s of Finland (go anywhere, do anything locomotives) Many are older than me!
I made this selection of photos using my Lumix LX7.
The images were adjusted in post processing using Adobe Lightroom.
Preserved Dm7 diesel railcar.VR Group Dv 12 2533 at Oulu.VR Group Dv 12 2533 at Oulu.
I arrived at LAX just a couple of hours earlier via American Airlines.
I traveled via the LA Metro rail to reach Union Station, then I bought a ticket on the Metrolink commuter rail to Burbank, where I spent several hours photographing trains under the scorching California sun.
This is an imperfect composition, but it ages well. Exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm lens set to 20mm, f8 1/500th of a second, ISO200. July 27, 2016.
Not that Los Angeles, or F59PH diesels have much to do with it, but for years I’ve introduced a subtlety with many Tracking the Light posts that changes thematically depending upon the subject matter; yet no one has ever mentioned it, questioned me about, or anything. I find that strange for blog that often focuses on trivia, detail and obscure observations.
It was a bright July afternoon when I exposed this view of a brightly decorated purple, red and green tram on the Croydon Tramlink in London. By this time the modern rapid transit system had been rebranded as ‘Tramlink’, which is a fancy name for the electric streetcar system serving the Croydon area of London.
July 26, 2015, London, UK.
Exposed using my Canon EOS-7D fitted with a 28-135mm lens set at 135mm; f7.1, 1/500 sec, ISO 200.
Yesterday evening at Christiana, I photographed westward Amtrak Keystone train 653 running on the Main Line from Philadelphia to Harrisburg.
Amtrak’s Keystone Service trains are assigned operating numbers in the 600-block; even East/odd West.
Amtrak’s Siemens-built ACS-64 electrics were numbered in the 600-block, a series previously occuped by the E60CH electrics and some secondhand GP40-2s
I’ve been watching the Keystones glide along over the former PRR Main Line for many years. But yesterday, I was the first time I’d witnessed a Keystone Service train number coincide with the leading locomotive number! It might seem silly, but this a rare event, and pretty neat for the astute observer.
Cove and Cobh are spelled differently, but pronounced the same. In February, Kris and I visited Cobh, County Cork in Ireland; on Sunday we photographed near Cove, Pennsylvania along the old Pennsylvania Railroad Middle Division, now Norfolk Southern’s busy Pittsburgh Line.
The following photos offer contrasts in subject matter, camera equipment, and photographic techique. About the only commonality is railway heritage, steel wheels and our recent visits!
Lumix LX7 photo at Cobh, County Cork on February 29, 2024.Lumix LX7 photo at the former railway terminal in Cobh, County Cork, now the Cobh Heritage Centre.Irish Rail 2600 railcars arriving at the Cobh station on February 29, 2024. Lumix LX7 photo.Norfolk Southern double stack container train works west at SIP 166.8 in Cove, Pennsylvania. Nikon Z6 with Nikkor Z-series70-200mm lens.Norfolk Southern double stack container train works west at SIP 166.8 in Cove, Pennsylvania. Nikon Z6 with Nikkor Z-series70-200mm. This image was made just a few seconds after the first and has a subtly different focus point and composition.Cove, Pennsylvania. Nikon Z7-II with Nikkor Z-series 24-70mm lens. That pole shadow irks me.Cove, Pennsylvania. Nikon Z7-II with Nikkor Z-series 24-70mm lens.
July 23, 2015 was a whirlwind day of railway photography in central Finland
My host Markku Pulkinnen arranged for local photographers Petri and Pietu Tuovinen to guide us, while exploring lines between Kontiomäki and the Russian frontier zone.
Kontiomäki is a minor regional hub in north central Finland surrounded by lakes and forests.
At Purnu, we set up near an automated defect detector to catch an eastward train carrying Russian iron ore. This was a heavy train by European standards and led by a pair of Swiss-designed Sr2 electrics.
It was one of many trains we caught that day, which sticks in my mind as one of my greatest railway adventures in northern Europe. In summer the long days and textured skies permit many hours of productive photography!
Photos exposed using my FujiFilm XT-1 with an 18-135mm Fujinon X-series-zoom, adjusted in post processing using Adobe Lightroom.
Tracking the Light is about my process of making photos. Not every adventure results in photographic masterpieces, nor is every excursion an all day adventure.
Since relocating to Pennsylvania last year, Kris and I have enjoyed making drives near where we live. These often include explorations of railroad lines past and present. I’m always looking for an angle and the posibilities for future photographs, while enjoying seeking out where the tracks go. For me its about putting together the pieces of a big puzzle.
Among the lines we have explored recently are vestiges of the old Reading Company’s Reading & Columbia routes. On a warm bright evening last week, we drove to Manheim, where Kris enjoyed an iced treat, while we explored. Norfolk Southern maintains a section of the old Reading that runs between Lancaster and Lititz. At Manheim there is a wye where a short section of the old branch to Mount Hope connects to the main stem of the former P&C route.
The East Penn Railroad keeps a venerable SW900 switcher on the branch near a fuel facility that is surrounded by fencing. Earlier in the week, I was chatting with my friend Dan Howard about this locomotive and he suggested a safe location to make photos. While less than ideal for classic locomotive portraits, at least I was to document the old locomotive in its environment.
Perhaps someday, we’ll catch this antique on the move. If not, at least I made an effort to seek it out. These recent efforts reminded me of trips with Dan 40 years ago to locate a Bay Colony Railroad Alco switcher stored near Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts, and exploration of Bay Colony operated trackage to Medfield Junction.
Photos below were exposed using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens.
Crossbucks mark the former Reading Co., trackage on the north leg of the wye at Manheim, PA. Although I have yet to see a train here, the trackage appears to be used on a regular basis.East Penn Railroad 52 is stored near the north end of the Manheim wye on a short vestige of the old branch to Mount Hope. This is among the curiosities we’ve expored in Pennsylvania Dutch country near Lancaster, Pa.
On this day in 2015, I’d just arrived in Helsinki, Finland. I’d flown SAS from Dublin via Copenhagen. It was raining lightly as I walked around in the blue glow of dusk.
I made this photo on a brightly lit street in the central part of the city, not far from the famous Helsinki Central Station.
The next morning, I traveled on VR Group Pendolino tilting train to Oulu to meet my friend Markku for a week of rail-photography.
Exposed using my Fujifilm XT1 with a 27mm Fujinon pancake lens at 1600 at f2.8 1/30 seconds. July 21, 2015.This is a greatly enlarged view of the same photo, which demonstrates the incredibly sharp 27mm lens, even when used at high ISO.
In July 1983, I was on an early solo adventure by automobile, and was driving my family’s gray 1978 Ford Grenada. On the advice of my friend Bob Buck, I called into Bangor & Aroostook’s yard and shop at Northern Maine Junction, where the railroad was happy to give me permission to wander around and make photos.
I had several cameras with me, including my venerable Leica IIIa with 50mm, that I’d loaded with Kodak 5063—Tri-X (ASA 400).
I made a variety of studies of the locomotives and equipment, including this unusual angle of an EMD BL2, F3A and GP38. Rarely have I seen images that clearly focus on the back-end of a BL2 and I’m glad I used the light that day to make this view.
Central Vermont 323 crosses the Connecticut River at Windsor, Vermont in 1993.
This image is a different scan and from one frame earlier in the same sequence the photo posted on TTL No. 1. The exposure was about 1/3 of a stop lighter from the fully saturated image of the original post. Both images were made with my first Nikon, a model F3T that I bought new directly from Nikon in 1990. I still have that camera, which is now on its 3rd shutter.
Tuesday night a line of intense electrical storms passed to the south of us.
Kris and I drove over to Strasburg as lightning flashed across the sky. It was 15 to 20 miles to the south, and far enough away that we couldn’t hear the thunder. To the north the sky had cleared and in the west was a colorful sunset.
We parked at Blackhorse Road by the Strasburg Rail Road to watch the light show.
Working with my Nikon Z7-II set at 4000 ISO, I made this sequence of photos hand held.
When I very young, I learned to photograph lightning working with my dad’s 120-size roll film Rollei Model T. My choice of equipment has changed, but the basic technique is still very effective.
On this day in 2010, I photographed a soutward CP Rail freight on the former Delaware & Hudson in Albany, New York, while using my (then new) Canon EOS 7D with a 100-400mm zoom lens.
These views were made at 250mm and 180mm respectively—however the 7D’s small sensor magnifies the telephoto’s compression effect.
When staying in Monson, Massachusetts, I’d often listen for New England Central 608 climbing State Line Hill.
I didn’t need a scanner, a call from a friend, or consultation with an ap on the phone. The sound of the train down in the valley would alert me.
On this day in 2013, I heard the train sounding for crossings in town. I jumped in my Volkswagen GTI and zipped down to Stafford Springs, Ct., where I waited for the southward train rolling slowly through the village.
Waiting for the train at one of my favorite locations, I made the following notation in my notebook: “… It is a sunny morning, but looks to be a baking hot day. Yesterday, I scanned John Pickett negs, plus various prints for Steam Twillight, and interviewed Fred Matthews over the phone. Tracking the Light was down most of the day owning to host server problem.” John and Fred, have both since passed across the great divide, their photos immortalized in my books, among other places.
Exposed with my Canon 7D with 28-135mm lens.
July 16, 2013, New England Central 608 at Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Exposed with my Canon 7D— I love the Canon color right out of the camera. I only made very minor adjustments to these images for presentation today. I had photographed train here many times before since Central Vermont days when I’d catch GP9s on the job to or from New London.
Late autumn and winter are my two favorite seasons to photograph steam locomotives. Cool air facilitates impressive displays of steam, smoke and condensation.
But I photograph in all seasons. Thirty years ago, I may have sniffed at making steam locomotive photos in summer ‘high light’ (Midday summer sun), when high contrast, high humidity, and high temperatures made for an unappealing environment to photograph.
Today, these conditions offer a challenge. What can I do with a steam locomotive hauled train on very hot day?
Yesterday, while on errands, I timed my crossing of the Strasburg Rail Road at Esbenshade Road to allow for a few photos of the 12 noon return run from Leaman Place led by former Norfolk & Western 4-8-0 475.
I made these photos using a Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.
Files adjusted for color temperature, contrast, and exposure using Lightroom.
Shallow depth-of-field allowed for more environmental drama.
I consider this an excercise in composition. I had a few minutes last Thursday morning, so I went up to Leola, Pennsylvania to catch up with Norfolk Southern’s New Holland Branch local.
The sun was bright and the clouds were just rolling in from the west. I made this sequence of photographs of the GP38-3 and SD40E that had paused by the old PRR depot along Horseshoe Road.
Over the last year, I’ve made a variety of railroad photos at this location. I like the concept of variation on a theme. Years ago I learned to make the most of good photographic situation, because you never know precisely the situation and composition that will best suit a photograph for publication.
Of this selection do you have any favorites? All were exposed using my Nikon Z7-II mirror-less digital camera.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 30mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/320th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 24mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 33mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 31mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/320th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 54mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 45mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 24mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/640th second. No adjustments to exposure or contrast.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 49mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/320th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 24mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.
In August 1984, I was traveling overnight on Amtrak’s Montrealer—train 61—from its Canadian namesake to Washington D.C. Approaching Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, I made this view with a Leica 3A rangefinder. The camera was fitted with an antique uncoated 50mm Elmar, which resulted in images with broad tonality, but low contrast.
Exposing through Amtrak’s windows further reduced contrast and sharpness, but the effect is almost ethereal and dreamlike. Gliding along, I was witnessing mid-1980s railroading the way I like to remember it.
A Conrail freight was crossing the elevated High Line. While in the yard sat several sets of ‘Capitolliners’—the original Budd-built ‘Metroliner’ cars that had been rebuilt and were serving the Keystone corridor to Harrisburg.
I remember the Metroliner cars in the 1970s when they worked their namesake highspeed services between New York and Washington, but this is one of the few photos I made of the cars as ‘Capitolliners’, which today makes it special. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been re-reseaching the ground-breaking Metroliner for my new book on Amtrak equipment.
Almost daily, I see these old Metroliner cars which still work to Harrisburg, but now as neutered (unpowered) control cabs on the Keystone trains. Today, they are now among the oldest Amtrak cars in regular revenue service.
Central to this photo I made through the window of Train 61 are the sets of Capitoliner multiple units.
On our visit to Pittston Junction, Pa., in June, we witnessed the early evening arrival of the Reading & Northern’s Pittston-Jim Thorpe excursion. In the lead was R&N’s 40th Anniversary (1983-2023) locomotive number 2023, wearing immaculate fresh paint.
Clear skies and low sun made for dramatic light. While impressive, this high-contrast specular lighting result in very dark shadows.
Working with Adobe Lightroom, I made a series of easy corrections to the NEF RAW file to lighten the shadows, darken the highlight areas and lower overall contrast. These changes were aimed a producing a more pleasing and more accurate end photograph.
Take a note of the difference in the shadows around the locomotive trucks. The wide dynamic range offered by Nikon Z7-II digital camera captures a lot of detail in the shadow areas that may not be evident when viewing the unadjusted RAW file.
I’ve included the Lightroom work-window so you can see the relative postion of the slider controls and how these altered the RAW image.
Lightroom JPG created directly from the NEF RAW file without alteration to color, contrast or exposure.This JPG was created from the same NEF RAW file as the top image, but reflects changes to contrast and selective adjustment to shadow and highlight areas. See the screenshot of the Adobe Lightroom work- window below for the postion of the slider adjustments.Screenshot of the Adobe Lightroom work-window showing the position of slider controls at right.
