I like Amtrak’s Siemens Cities Sprinters—the ACS-64s.
These are powerful, sharp looking and fast!
We had a moment, and I knew an Amtrak Keystone train 651 was less than five minutes away and closing quickly. So we paused along the old Main Line at Bird-in-Hand, Pa.
I don’t where ‘Bush,’ Pennsylvania is, but I wasn’t willing to risk trying to get there to find two ACS-64s on the move when I knew one was so close. (Sorry, it’s ‘bad-pun Thursday’!)
Using my Nikon Z7-II, I exposed a burst of photos as the train raced by trying to make up time as it approached its Lancaster station stop. ACS-64 number 668 was working in ‘push’-mode at the back of the consist.
Below are two of my favorites from this effort. These are scaled from the NEF-RAW capture without alterations to exposure, contrast or color.
In my arsenal of glass, I have a few secret weapons—lenses that when used properly can execute superior images.
Although I rarely use it, I have a Nikkor f2.0 135mm Defocus lens. This has an extra setting that allows for added control to adjust the out-of-focus effect of the background.
This is also an extremely sharp and very fast lens.
The other day it was cloudy and the light was flat. Kris and I drove over to Strasburg to catch the morning excursion on its run back from Leaman Place. This is a train I can (and have) photographed ‘any day of the week’.
To make something of the dull morning, I made this series of photos with my 135mm Defocus lens. Only with the photo of the observation car did I used the Defocus ring to alter the foreground focus. The effect is subtle but makes for a stronger image.
Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f4.0. No defocus effect.Enlarged portion of the above photo to demonstrate the exceptional sharpness of the 135mm f2.0 lens.Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f4.0. No defocus effect.Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f2.8. Defocus effect set for foreground. Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f4.0. No defocus effect.
Thirty-five years ago today, I exposed this Kodachrome 25 slide of nearly new New York, Susquehanna & Western DASH8-40Bs in Buffalo, New York.
On May 21, 1989, NYS&W 4038 was leading an eastward double-stack train that had paused at William Street for a crew change. This was during the period when NYS&W was the designated operator of the Delaware & Hudson and had acquired two orders of new GE DASH8-40Bs built to Conrail specs to alleviate a motive power shortage.
Engine 4038 was just a few weeks out of the factory at Erie.
As with many of my Kodachrome 25 slides from this period, the image suffers from a cyan bias. Cyan is a blue-green color that is the opposite of red in common photographic reproduction processes.
After making a hi-res TIF scan, I imported the slide into Lightroom and made a series of minor adjustments to minimize the effects of the cyan bias and high contrast. I added majenta and yellow, while resetting the black point, lightening shadows, and reducing the highlight density. I made these corrections with aid of the Lightroom histogram.
Below are both the scaled but unmodified scan, and my adjusted version.
Unmodified scan of K25 slide. Original exposed with a Leica M2 with 35mm Summicron.Modified scan.
A recent visit to Strasburg, found engine 89 working an extra passenger train.
The setting sun had briefly illuminated the clouds of what I call a ‘cotton candy sky’.
As 89 was uncoupled to begin its run-around, I made this silhouette.
Knowing that I’d make adjustments in post-processing, I exposed the photo manually in order to capture the detail in the sky. The enormous data capture afforded by the Z-series cameras allowed for a two-stop lightening of the shadow areas and considerable adjustments to sky while affording global changes to contrast.
Below I’ve included the NEF RAW file (scaled as a Jpg, but without adjustments to exposure, contrast, color etc) and the final adjusted file.
I’ve also included two screenshots of the Adobe Lightroom work windows to demonstrate how I accomplished some of the corrections.
RAW file without adjustment to exposure, contrast, color balance etc.Final adjusted file adapted from the RAW NEF file. Note the high level of detail recovered from the shadow areas. This is a single frame exposure and not an blend of images.
A cloudless bright morning; the perfect time to picture Norfolk Southern’s New Holland branch local by the old station in Leola, Pennsylvania.
I made three similar photographs using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens. In all three I had the lens set to 200mm at f5.6. The difference between them is in the framing with minor changes to the composition.
A month ago, Kris and I adopted at Labradoodle puppy. His name is Seamus. Over the last few weeks we’ve been gradually introducing him to railroading.
The other evening we brought him to Christiana, PA., where the old PRR freight house maintained by the Lancaster Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society offers a safe environment to watch passing trains.
Seamus sensed our anticipation of Amtrak’s westward Keystone (train 649) and watched with fascination as it raced by us.
After it had gone he kept staring at the line, hoping the stainless steel beast would come by again.
I am in the process of preparing a book about Amtrak’s rolling stock.
Over the last few weeks I’ve poured over hundreds of color slides exposed from the 1970s until the mid 2010s.
Among them was this view of Amtrak GE-built E60 number 603 leading a New York City bound long distance train on the North East Corridor at Linden, New Jersey on August 1, 1986. I exposed this on Kodachrome using a Leica 3A attached to a Visoflex with Leitz 200mm Telyt telephoto lens.
This locomotive is significant because it was preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, just a few miles from where Kris and I live. We drive by it all the time.
The other evening we paused outside the museum, and I exposed a few digital photos of the old electric using my Nikon Z6.
Amtrak E60 number 603 at Linden, New Jersey on August 1, 1986.Amtrak 603 catches the evening light at Strasburg, Pa.
May 16, 1987 was brilliant sunny day and a great time to photograph Conrail in action.
I was working with a borrowed Canon A-1 with 50mm lens loaded with professional Kodachrome 25 (PKM) and I’d spent the morning photographing Conrail freight on the Southern Tier —what Conrail called the former Erie Route between Binghamton and Buffalo, New York.
At Hunt, New York, I caught up with a westward OIBU (Oak Island to Buffalo) and followed it west. Between Linden and Dixons on the east slope of Attica Hill this freight took the siding and stopped to wait for its eastward counterpart, Conrail’s BUOI.
While the train was stopped, I took the opportunity to make locomotive portraits.
General Electric B23-7 1966 caught my eye because its road number coincides with my birth year.
I scanned this slide using a Nikon LS-5000 scanner. After scanning I imported the TIF file into Lightroom and made a few small changes to exposure, color temperature, color balance and contrast. Below are both the unaltered file (scaled as a JPG) and the adjusted file.
The end of this month will mark 25 years since the end of Conrail as a Class-1 railroad, when its operations were divided between CSX and Norfolk Southern.
This is the un-adjusted file; although scaled for internet, threre were no changes to exposure, color or contrast in post processing.With this version, I made a few very minor changes to exposure, color and contrast to improve the overall appearance of the image.
The reverse curves on the old Main Line at Gap, Pennsylvania offer endless photo opportunities.
Amtrak Keystone train 649 is a regular subject for me in the afternoon.
A couple of weeks back, I suspected that train 649 would be worked by ACS-64 no. 642, which specially painted for American Veterans.
I surmised this correctly, however, the locomotive was working the back of the train rather than in the lead (as I would have preferred for photography).
That said, Amtrak doesn’t operate its trains for my amusement, so I made due with the configuration as I found it.
Images exposed using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm zoom.
3:36pm, May 14, 1988; milepost 309 (as measured west from Jersey City) near Cameron Mills, N.Y., Conrail intermodal train TV-301.
I exposed this photo in the reverse curves along Conrail’s former Erie Railroad mainline in New York’s scenic Canisteo River Valley east of Cameron Mills.
In the late 1980s, this valley was a favorite place of mine for photographing trains, and I made dozens of trips along the old Erie Railroad during those years.
This image was exposed on Professional Kodachrome 25 using my Leica M2 rangefinder fitted with a Leitz Wetzlar Elmarit 135mm lens.
My exposure was f4.5 1.250th second. While this was my standard ‘full sun’ daylight setting, the resulting slide was about 1/2 stop too dark. This was in part because of the reduced reflective light within the confines of the valley combined with slight backlighting of the train.
After scanning using a Nikon LS-5000 (Supe Coolscan5000) slide scanner, I made a variety of small adjustments to TIF file in regards to color balance/color temperature, exposure and constrast using Lightroom to produce a more pleasing photograph.
One element of this image that’s always annoyed me is the automobile peaking out on the left side of the leading locomotive. It would be a better photo if the automobile was further ahead of the train or totally conceiled by it.
This is a small defect, considering that Conrail (as a class 1 railroad) has been gone nearly 25 years.
This is the un-modified TIF file that reflects the overall appearance of the original PKM color slide. Below is the adjusted scan.This is the same scan following adjustments to color, exposure and contrast.
It was a misty evening when I rolled by Strasburg Rail Road No. 89 at Blackhorse Road.
Working with my Z6, I used the Japanese zoom-pan technique to capture the steam locomotive in motion.
This unusual way of making photos, involves working with a comparatively slow shutter speed and simultaneously zooming out while panning the subject and keeping a central point constant and continuing both motions while releasing the shutter. If you stop to release the shutter the effect is lost.
If you look at this image, the sliver of sharp focus centered on the crewman leaning from the engine, while everything to the sides is muted in a sea of motion blur.
24-70mm zoom lens at 53mm, f4.0, at 1/80th of a second, ISO 400. Zoom-range began at 26mm and ended at 69mm.
What really makes this work for me is the combination of blurred drivers-rods down, the glow of the firebox and exhaust from the engine.
A few days ago I posted an evening glint photograph made with a 35mm lens of an eastward Amtrak Keystone passing Jefferson Drive, near Greenfield in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
These images were made at sunrise few days later from almost the same vantage point, but using a telephoto zoom (Nikkor Z-series 70-200mm) of eastward Keystone service train 642 (led by Amtrak ACS-64 608).
I thought it would make for an interesting comparison to show how differently a location appears at different times of day and with different focal length lenses.
It was a fine evening at Carpenters (the little cemetery situated near the Strasburg Rail Road crossing of Blackhorse Road).
Kris and our puppy Seamus waited in the car as I set up for Strasburg’s return run from Leaman Place.
Cows populated the fields on both sides of the line. My challenge was that as the laboring locomotive approached, the cows in the field to the left of the line became wary of the noise and began to migrate away from the tracks.
Working with my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm zoom, I composed this series of images as engine 475 worked its way west. Leading is engine 475, a former Norfolk & Western 4-8-0—a type sometimes described as a ‘Mastodon.’ It is among the locomotives featured in my new book ‘Steam by the Numbers’.
In honor of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869, I present this photo I made of a westward SP freight ascending Donner Pass in May 1994.
The train is near the Nevada-California state line rolling approaching a narrow cleft of the Truckee River Canyon that is shared with Interstate-80.
I made the photo using Kodachrome 25 slide film with my Nikon F3T. The train was led by an unusual combination of locomotives, an SP SD45, followed by Conrail SD40-2 6354, another SP SD45, and Cotton Belt DASH8-40B 8047.
Having made dozens of trips over Donner Pass, I’d long eyed this vantage point from the eastward lanes of I-80.
On this day, once I knew the train was on its way up ‘The Hill’ from Reno, I drove west on I-80 from Verdi, then reversed direction at Floriston, California, and carefully timing my arrival at this location, so I could set up from the eastward breakdown lane and catch the train running along the river. (I seem to have neglected this level detail in my notes!)
I spied a pair of Norfolk Southern’s SD40E working west with the Steelton Local near the old Harris Tower. In the distance were the train sheds of Amtrak’s Harrisburg Station. I saw relics everywhere! And yet, the pending surprise was something new.
In this short freight’s consist were several nearly new Norfolk Southern gondolas. These days, seeing new Class-1 carload freight cars is a real rarity. I wonder . . . when was the last time I photographed a new gon?
Working with my Z6 with AF Nikkor 35mm f2.0/D attached via a Nikon FTZ adaptor, I made this imag sequence of Amtrak Keystone 618 racing eastward at Jefferson Drive in Lancaster, PA.
I timed my arrival just a minute ahead of the train.
My objective was to see how the traditional 35mm lens would handle the glinting sunset on my Z-series digital camera. I adjusted my exposure manually (aiming for overall underexposure to better capture the effects of the bright sun), then made changes to the camera’s NEF RAW files in post processing to make for overall appealing photographs.
On many occasions over the last year as I drove toward Leola, Pennsylvania, on the Horseshoe Road, I’ve looked across this field toward the New Holland Branch.
In some instances, I was pacing Norfolk Southern’s morning local on its way east on the branch.
A few weeks ago, I had a near perfect morning; clear and bright with cows in the field. On this day, I was ahead of the local freight by a minute or two. So, I pulled over with enough time to walk across the road to my preselected location and expose these telephoto views looking toward Hartman Station Road using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens.
My AF Nikkor 35mm f2.0/D had resided in Ireland since 2018. After years without this amazing piece of glass, it has rejoined my roster.
Using an FTZ adaptor, I am able to use this lens on my Z-series mirrorless digital cameras. Until now I had only used this lens for traditional, analog photography. This had been among my favorite lenses for black & white.
I was curious to see how it would perform in the digital realm.
Poised at the Esbenshade Road crossing, I exposed this photo of Strasburg Rail Road 475 on its return run from Leaman Place.
Below are two versions. The top is a scaled version of the NEF RAW file without modification or adjustments.
The center is my interpretation of the NEF file with local and global adjustments to contrast, exposure, color temperature and saturation.
The last photo is an extreme enlargement of the unmodified file showing the headlight to demonstrate the resolution of the lens.
Nikon Z6 with Aan F Nikkor 35mm f2.0/D attached with an FTZ adaptor. Exposure: f3.5 1/500, ISO 200. No adjustments.Adjusted NEF RAW file.
So, what worked with black & white film, also works with digital!
On May 5, 1990, I spent the morning following Southern Pacific’s timetable westward MERV-M (Medford, Oregon to Roseville-Manifest) on the sinuous and steeply graded Siskiyou Line. This was led by SP SD45E 7504, which retained its 3,600 hp 20-645E3 diesel engine.
I made this photo at Ager (railroad timetable west of Hornbrook, California) on the run toward Black Butte. At the time SP was operating 7,500 ton trains on this amazing stretch of railroad.
Exposed on Kodachrome 25 using a Leica M2 with 50mm Summicron about 9:25am.
I made dozens of photos on that beautiful May morning. Most remain unlabled, although I have all my notes from that day. I was delighted to have an SP unit with its oscillating lights in the lead. Since at that time SP was actively removing the oscillating lights from its locomotives.
This year will mark twenty years of LUAS tram operations in Dublin.
Construction began several years previously, and the first trams arrived in 2002 and were stored at the Red Cow tram depot prior to service.
I was away from Dublin for most of 2004, but returned briefly in April, where my friend Hassard Stacpoole invited me on a pre-service tour of the new Green Line, and then again in November that year, just a couple months after services began on the east-west Red line.
I made the photos in this selection of the Red Line extension to the Point Depot using my Lumix LX3 at the end of March this year. This route opened in 2009.
Over the coming weeks and months, I plan to present some of my many photos of the LUAS expose during its early months of operation. These are among the 1000’s of slide I brought back from Dublin on our recent trip.
The LUAS at Mayor Square as view from inside a coffee shop.
The LUAS at Mayor Square as view from inside a coffee shop.
The LUAS at Mayor Square as view from inside a coffee shop.
I barely recognized the LUAS stop at Spencer Dock. The urban landscape has been completely transformed in just a few years.
I barely recognized the LUAS stop at Spencer Dock. The urban landscape has been completely transformed in just a few years.
I barely recognized the LUAS stop at Spencer Dock. The urban landscape has been completely transformed in just a few years.
It is difficult for me to comprehend, but this space was once occupied by an Irish Rail freight yard. Although made from a different perspective, I have photos of the yard—topic for another post on another day.
It is difficult for me to comprehend, but this space was once occupied by an Irish Rail freight yard. Although made from a different perspective, I have photos of the yard—topic for another post on another day.
It is difficult for me to comprehend, but this space was once occupied by an Irish Rail freight yard. Although made from a different perspective, I have photos of the yard—topic for another post on another day.
An outbound tram approaches The Point. The old row houses to the right of the tram are all that’s left of the old urban scape.
An outbound tram approaches The Point. The old row houses to the right of the tram are all that’s left of the old urban scape.
An outbound tram approaches The Point. The old row houses to the right of the tram are all that’s left of the old urban scape.
At 22 years old, the 3001/4001-series trams may be reaching the end of their useful lives.
Kris and I made another exploratory trip along Norfolk Southern’s Harrisburg Line. We brought our new puppy, Seamus along for the ride.
We inspected the route between Richland and the interlocking at Prescott in Lebanon, PA.
We found some locations offering views of the tracks. But this section of the Harrisburg Line is scenically bereft compared with the pastoral rolling scenery around Lancaster, the riverside views along the Juniata and Susquehanna, and myriad locations with magnificent line-side scenery that we’ve found elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
So, why explore this railroad? Because its there! And, it remains one of the busiest freight routes in the neighborhood. I still have hopes that I’ll find some iconic location that I’ll make my own.
On this trip we arrived at the Prescott interlocking to find the signals lit for an westward move. We gave it a few minutes and I heard a train approach. A mean-looking GE Tier-4 was leading a double-stack train. I made this series of images using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens.
I doubt these will win any contests, but they captured the passing train for posterity. I like the trailing views with the signals.
To make the photos slightly more appealing, working with the NEF RAW files in Lightroom, I made a few subtle adjustments to color balance, saturation, contrast and exposure .
Looking east at South Ramona Road near Myerstown, PA.View looking west at Prescott from East Street.Norfolk Southern Tier4 3640 works west at Prescott.
By the time you read this, the pink blossoming trees along Jefferson Drive in Lancaster will have leafed out in their Spring greenery.
Toward the the end of the blossoming season, Kris & I took a morning drive with our new puppy, Seamus. We paused briefly along Jefferson east of the westward signal.
Soft lighting made for a good time to catch an eastward Amtrak Keystone as it raced toward Philadelphia along the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line.
I exposed a sequence of images to frame the train in the blossoms of one of the trees along the road. This was my fourth attempt in this sequence of pink tree photos.
I’ve included both a full frame and tightly cropped version of my favorite from the rapid-fire sequence of digital photos.
Exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with Nikkor Z-series 24-70mm lens set to 44mm; f4, 1/2000th second, ISO800.. Full frame without cropping.
Exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with Nikkor Z-series 24-70mm lens set to 44mm; f4, 1/2000th second, ISO800.. Full frame without cropping.
Exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with Nikkor Z-series 24-70mm lens set to 44mm; f4, 1/2000th second, ISO800.. Full frame without cropping.
This is a tightly cropped version of the above photo.
This is a tightly cropped version of the above photo.
This is a tightly cropped version of the above photo.
Part of the reason for our recent trip to Ireland was to retrieve my belongings that have been stored there since the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was our third trip across to Ireland since April 2022. This time around we filled several more suitcases with my things. This included an estimated 8,000 of my color slides, 1,000 hand made black & white prints, a tripod, a Nikon F3 camera and my prized Nikkor f2.0 35mm lens, plus some books, notes and memorabilia.
Since returning to Pennsylvania, I’ve made a project of scanning many of the slides that I brought back. Among the gems I collected is this view I’d exposed of the Ballina Branch train at Manulla Junction on 1 May 2006 with GM 071 class diesel number 075.
1 May 2006; Manualla Junction the way it used to look before the mini-CTC project of 2007 altered the track and signaling. Exposed on Fujichrome using a Nikon F3 with 105mm lens.
Among the attractions of the historic former Pennsylvania Railroad Harris Tower in Harrisburg is the continual parade of Norfolk Southern freights.
While this is a good venue for watching trains, it is a visually challenging place to picture them because of the array of urban clutter around the Harrisburg, Pa station,
The combination of wires and cables with an urban background results in some difficult photo choices. I’ve found one of the best ways to picture trains in this type of setting is to pan from a broad-side angle using a slow shutter speed .
I made these images using my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70 and 70-200mm Nikkor Z-series zoom lenses.
Nikon Z7-II with Nikkon 24-70mm zoom set at ; 70mm, f16, 1/40th second, ISO 80
Nikon Z7-II with Nikkon 24-70mm zoom set at ; 70mm, f16, 1/40th second, ISO 80
Nikon Z7-II with Nikkon 24-70mm zoom set at ; 70mm, f16, 1/40th second, ISO 80
Nikon Z7-II with Nikkon 70-200mm set; 90mm, f13, 1/50th second, ISO 100
Nikon Z7-II with Nikkon70-200mm zoom set at; 70mm, f18, 1/50th second, ISO 100
Nikon Z7-II with Nikkon70-200mm zoom set at; 70mm, f18, 1/50th second, ISO 100
Nikon Z7-II with Nikkon70-200mm zoom set at; 70mm, f18, 1/50th second, ISO 100
On an afternoon drive, Kris and I traversed Peace Road in Leola, Pennsylvania, where I spotted this iconic scene.
The next evening was bright and clear and so we returned, and this time I brought my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm telephoto to frame up this photo.
I was inspired by a similar black & white image that photographer David Plowden made decades ago, so I composed several of the angles using the camera’s ‘Carbon’ profile.
The Carbon profile created an in-camera high-contrast, full-tonality monochrome Jpg, which I then imported into Adobe Lightroom for final adjustment.
I posted a version of this image to my Facebook page a few days ago and it received considerable interest, so I thought it warranted attention on Tracking the Light.
For this third effort, I reduced the size of my autofocus point and relocated it so it would not be affected by road traffic.
I also adjusted the zoom outward to provide a wider angle of view.
Although a car snuck into the photo at the last moment, at least the camera remained focused on Amtrak. This was more successful than my first attempt, but not as pleasing as my second effort. Time was running out for the pink blossoms, but I wasn’t done with this project yet!
Part II of my Harrisburg tour included a visit to the former PRR Harris Tower that has been beautifully preserved by the NRHS.
Although this no longer serves to control train movements through the plant at the Harrisburg Station, the levers, interlocking bed and related equipment of the tower’s Model 14 Union Switch & Signal interlocking machine are maintained in working order.
A computer controlled simulation of trains, allows for a demonstration of how the tower worked, complete with illuminated indicator lights on the model board, and bells signaling ‘trains’ entering the plant.
Every so often a Norfolk Southern freight would roll by the tower for added interest.
I made this selection of images using Nikon Z7-II.
Special thanks to Dan Cupper for organizing my visit and to Jim Nowotarski and Brad of the NRHS for detailed explanations of the history and a working demonstration of the interlocking.
The seasons change quickly in eastern Pennsylvania. This is a serious contrast to our experiences in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where winter seems to last for half the year.
In early April lush greenery abounded at Cherry Hill Road in Strasburg, Pa. Kris and I, aimed to roll-by Strasburg Rail Road’s returned 11am train led by 4-8-0 475. I wanted to catch the flowering dandelions with the train.
I positioned my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens near to the ground, and composed my photos using the adjustible rear screen, which allowed me to look down.
A few days later the field was cut and the dandelion flowers turned to fluff.
24-70mm set at 32mm, f10, 1/320th of a second at ISO200.24-70mm set at 32mm, f10, 1/320th of a second at ISO200.
We had just a few minutes to wait for a Belfast-bound NI Railways train on the Bangor Line at Cultra.
I set my Z7-II to the ‘Carbon’ profile, which allows me to compose the photos in a high-constant, broad-tonality monochrome mode. This records the monochrome settings as a Jpeg, while saving the full color photo as an NEF RAW file.
I learned photography exposing black & white images, so it seems natural to look at black & white interpretations of color scenes. However, in this situation, I’m actually composing photos as black & white images.
For point of comparison, I’ve included both the in-camera JPG (scaled for internet presentation) and a scaled version of the NEF file (scaled as a Jpeg) but without adjustment to alter appearance though changes to exposure, color balance, saturation, contrast, sharpness etc.
I’ll run out of intriguing titles before I get to the end of this thread.
Last week, following my compositionally challenged, autofocus mishap with the flowering tree photos, I had a second opportunity to work the pink tree into some railroad photos.
This time, I used it as a prop for some morning images of Norfolk Southern’s New Holland local approaching Jefferson Drive in Lancaster. I’d featured the reflecting pond here in an earlier post.
Bright morning sun made for nice lighting. I was impressed by the leading locomotive, which was one of Norfolk Southern’s 6900 series SD60Es featuring the so-called ‘Crescent Cab’ (the railroad’s blunt-nose variation of the safety-cab).
I was delighted to catch the local freight here, but was still hoping to work one of these colorful trees into a photo of an Amtrak Keystone, so I knew I had to try again. Although it isn’t obvious in these photos, Amtrak’s former PRR electrified line to Harrisburg passes immediately to the left of the flowering tree.
Two weeks ago, I visited the preserved Power Directors Office (PDO) located within the Harrisburg, Pa., station.
This historic former Pennsylvania Railroad facility is a vestige of its grand late-1930s electrification to Harrisburg, that consisted of Mainlines and connecting routes
This office was used to control and balance the distribution of high-voltage alternating current electricity to the various lines. Today it presents a fascinating map of the western extent of PRR’s electrification.
To my eyes, it has the look and aroma of an enormous Lionel electric train set from the World War II era. The style of the control panels and wiring reminds of my dad’s train sets from the post war period.
Dan Cupper arranged the tour, and NRHS’s Jim Nowotarski provided an excellent and exceptionally detailed explaination of how the desk performed and the background behind its restoration. I’ll need to sit through this talk several more times before I can begin to absorb the detail of this amazing installation.
The desk was closed by Amtrak in 2013, and its remaining functions transfered to its Centralized Electrification and Traffic Control office in Wilmington, Delaware.
The once important role of the PDO reveals the long-term failures of short-sighted decisions made during the Conrail-era, when freight traffic was routed away from former PRR routes east of Harrisburg, and freight-only lines stripped of their electrification, and in some cases abandoned altogether.
What may have made operational sense 45 years ago, represents a poor use of resources and infrastructure in the long term. Consider that in most of the industrialized world, railroad electrification has been gradually expanded, and not abandoned.
Photos exposed using my Nikon Z7-II.
Dan Cupper studies the detail diagrams in the PDO.
Dan Cupper studies the detail diagrams in the PDO.
Dan Cupper studies the detail diagrams in the PDO.
Dan Cupper points to the clock which stopped at the moment the Power Directors Desk was closed in February 2013.
Dan Cupper points to the clock which stopped at the moment the Power Directors Desk was closed in February 2013.
Dan Cupper points to the clock which stopped at the moment the Power Directors Desk was closed in February 2013.
Spring is a beautiful time of year in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Beautiful blossoming trees can be seen all along the roads and highways.
Finding trees near the tracks is more of a challenge, but not far from our apartment are some of the most rail-proximate photographable specimens .
Sometimes what seems so easy, proves difficult.
Last Monday, I planned to catch a westward Amtrak Keystone passing a beautifully blossoming tree along Jefferson Drive.
I set up a few minutes ahead of the train. However just as the westward train raced into view (cabcar first, ACS-64 electric at the rear), a pickup truck entered the scene. Not only did this truck present a distracting element in my composition, but as the truck passed it threw off the autofocus on my Nikon Z7-II. It changed the center of focus from the train to an indiscriminate point.
This all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time, I recognized there was a problem, it was too late to fix it.
The resulting images were something less than satisfactory. So I knew, I’ll have to try this again . . . .
The Harrisburg area is a maze of trackage, which is alive with freight and passenger movements. Among the of the busiest lines is Norfolk Southern’s former Reading Company route (operated as its Harrisburg Line), which joins the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line route (operated as NS’s Pittsburgh Line) near Amtrak’s former PRR passenger station in Harrisburg, PA.
This route carries the lion’s share of east-west freight moving through Harrisburg, specifically traffic moving to the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.
Prior to routing and infrastructure changes in the Conrail-era, the majority of freight coming east on the PRR route, continued east of Harrisburg on former PRR routes. Traditionally, the junction between PRR and Reading lines at this location was a relatively minor connection between the historic railroad systems.
It was a warm Tuesday in early April, when I made these photographs of a westward NS double stack container train from the Mulberry Street Bridge railroad-east of Amtrak’s former PRR Station. This freight is making the transition from the old Reading to the old PRR route.
Images exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens, files adjusted in Lightroom.
Irish Rail’s 071 class diesels are among the oldest railway vehicles in continuous service in Ireland.
When I made these images last month of Irish Rail 080 under the Victorian-era roof at Dublin’s Connolly Station, the other end of the train was getting all the attention. Dozens of curious on-lookers were anxiously awaiting the arrival of 4-4-0 131.
Old 080 had brought the carriages over from Inchicore and was idling away in comparative obscurity.
How many times have I crossed paths with this old diesel? Now almost a half century old, 080 is a relic among more modern rolling stock.
Where steam locomotive 131 will likely be around for generations to come, poor old 080 is nearing the end of its useful life.
The former Pennsylvania Railroad Station at Harrisburg, Pa., is the western terminus of Amtrak’s Keystone service, and also served by the Pennsylvanian that continues on to Pittsburgh.
This is a comparatively important Amtrak Station, which retains much of its classic charm. It is a clean, well used facility, however, I was surprised by the relative dearth of services and facilities in and around the station.
Last week, I made these photos of the historic structure with my Nikon Z7-II, and then adjusted the NEF RAW files with Adobe Lightroom.
My friend Dan Cupper had arranged for me visit several facilities in Harrisburg that were preserved by the Harrisburg Chapter of the NRHS, and those photos will appear in up-coming Tracking the Light posts. Stay tuned . . .
After dozens of visits to Ireland over a span of 26 years, I finally witnessed former Great Northern Railway 4-4-0 number 131 under steam on 24 March 2024.
This also was a reunion with many of my old friends at the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI), Irish Rail and Irish Railway Record Society. And, it was Kris’s first trip behind steam in Ireland!
Many memorable photos were exposed that day!
I made these images at Dublin’s Connolly Station using my Nikon Z7-II.
