On our visit to Philadelphia earlier this month, I made this view looking down on Amtrak’s former Pennsylvania Railroad from the Cira Green urban park.
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Category Archives: Rail transit marathon
Under and Over in Newark, NJ.
I’ve been searching my archives for Amtrak photos to include in my latest book project. This is among interesting photos in my selection of out-takes.
Former Amtrak E60CH 973—still wearing Amtrak colors—leads NJ Transit North Jersey Coast train on the morning of July 11, 1986. At right; an eastward Conrail freight on the former Lehigh Valley waits to enter Oak Island yard.
Exposed on Kodak 120 Tri-x using my father’s Rolleiflex Model T with a ‘Super Slide’ 645-formet insert. Film processed in Kodak D76.
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iPhone test—Switcher in Primer
Nice evening light at Strasburg gave me an opportunity to test the camera on my new iPhone 13.
I needed a new phone for a variety of reasons. I think there were about four technology museum’s bidding on my old phone!
Anyway, I made a pair similar photos of a favorite EMD switcher at the Strasburg Rail Road that has been undergoing a restoration for a number of years.
The first photo (and enlarged headlight) were made with the iPhone. The second photo (and enlarged headlight) were exposed using my Lumix LX7 in RAW format.
In both instances I attempted to capture the most amount of data as possible with each imaging system.
Both photos display a variety of artifacts. Neither is perfect.
More comparison is necessary before I draw any firm conclusions, however I’ll keep my Lumix, but I won’t heistate to make grab photos with the iPhone either. In practice, my Nikon Z cameras will continue to be the busiest picture making machines that I own.
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A Dozen Years Ago: Tall Ships on the Liffey
On August 26, 2012, I spent the day photographing the Tall Ships exiting Dublin from the south quays of the River Liffey. In my enthusiasm for the event, I walked from the city centre all the way to the Poolbeg Lighthouse, which is about five miles.
That seemed like a good idea in the spirit of the moment. Except, after the ships were out to sea, I then had to walk back!
I made this selection of photos using my Canon EOS-7D with 200mm Canon prime telephoto. All the photos are the in-camera Jpgs exposed at ISO 200 without post processing modification.
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602 at Bird-in-Hand
It’s hard for me to resist a clear evening!
On our way to the creamery, we paused trackside at Bird-in-Hand to roll by Amtrak Keystone 649 on its way west to Harrisburg.
I made this rapid-fire sequence using my Nikon Z7-II with Nikkor 24-70mm zoom lens.
I think these will age well.
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Strasburg Rail Road in the Details.
It was a beautiful evening between trains at Strasburg Rail Road’s East Strasburg Station. I used this opportunity to make some detailed views of the equipment and the environment around the station.
Rich low sun offers many opportunities for photos that simply cannot exist on dull days.
No matter how often we visit Strasburg, I always find a new angle.
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Sunset Pan of Amtrak 618
We arrived at Jefferson Drive in Lancaster, Pa., a few minutes ahead of Amtrak 618.
Curiously, a film crew was in postion to make a motion picture about someone running. I got into a brief discussion about equipment with one of the tech guys, who approved of my Nikon Z6.
When Keystone 618 came into view, I exposed the burst of images at ISO 1600. There was a hint of sunset in the clouds.
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14 Years Ago on the Former Erie Railroad
On August 22, 2010, I’d spent the day photographing trains on Norfolk Southern’s former Erie Railroad mainline in western New York state.
This had been familiar territory for me back in the 1980s, when I was studying photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.
One of the trains that caught my attention this day was Norfolk Southern 048, a special for the James E. Strates Show that ran with spotless ‘simonized’ former Conrail SD60M 6777.
In this view, I aimed to recreate a photo that I made in 1988 of an eastward Conrail freight at the same location immediately east of milepost 314 in Cameron, NY. I was standing on a vestige of the old westward main track, which was converted to a set-out spur when Conrail single tracked this portion of the railroad back in 1994.
Exposed using my (then new) Canon EOS7D with a prime 24mm Canon lens. Below are two versions; one is made directly from the RAW file without modification; the other involved a series of adjustments aimed at improving highlight and shadow detail and overall color balance.
In reviewing this photo, I’ve decided to add it to my screen savers. It brings back some fond memories of my days photographing the former Erie Railroad. I wonder what this location is like in 2024?
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Aiming for a Meet at Gap.
Previously on Tracking the Light, I used an image from this sequence of eastward Keystone 672 to articulate why I expose using the RAW format. For this article, my intent is to demonstrate how I tried to anticipate a rolling meet.
Saturday evening, a glance at the ASM.transitdocs app revealed that Gap, Pa., would be a good place to try for a Main Line rolling meet.
I often use this passenger train application to reduce waiting time and help plan my locations.
The curves at Gap have several advantages; they allow for dramatic angles, while slower train speeds make it a little easier to frame moving trains. Slower trains in curves allow for more options to make images of a rolling meet.
Nice thought. Except, I got it wrong by about 60 seconds!
While I made satisfactory photos of both trains, Amtrak 672 had complete cleared my location before the westward 667 came into view.
I’ll keep trying.
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Enola Low Grade Trail from Turkey Hill.
Sunday, Kris and I brought Seamus for a walk along the Enola Low Grade Rail Trail, starting at the far west end at Turkey Hill, which is several miles west of Safe Harbor, Pa.
A former New Haven Railroad caboose is preserved along the trail. This is painted to represent a Pennsylvania Railroad cabin car.
Although there are a few places where I could get photos of Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Branch running along the Susquehanna River, a tall chain link fence makes it difficult to a get a decent angle. Next time, I may bring a step stool to look over the fence.
Seamus enjoyed his walk and I found it interesting to inspect this historic section of the former Pennsylvania Railroad where E44, GG1 and P5A electrics once hauled freight.
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Glint at Paradise Lane
Summer weekend evenings are a wonderful time to take in the cosmic thrill offered by the Strasburg Rail Road.
Low sun tinted with a golden glow can make for a romantic scene of the iron horse racing across a pastoral landscape.
I made these photos of the last train of the day returning to Strasburg from Leaman Place.
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Why I Expose in RAW
I come from a black & white background.
In my days of exposing photos using black & white film, I’d try to capture as much information as possible in my original negatives, then print to taste.
What does that mean? The negative was the means to the end. My final interpretation was in the print. In later years, I’d scan the negative and make adjustments digitally. The point is that to get my result I needed to record as much information in one exposure as possible.
Today, I largely work in the digital realm. In order to record as much data as possible, I expose using the RAW format and then adjust the files to produce a presentable image. Without interpretation, the RAW images often seem dark and somewhat dull. The important thing to understand is that RAW files have captured more information than is immediately evident in a casual glance.
Yesterday, Kris and I waited in the curve at Gap, Pa., for east and west Amtrak Keystones. Below is my first frame of the eastward train taking the curve. I’ve displayed the unaltered RAW, plus two interpretations of the file using Adobe Lightroom, as well as screen shots of the work windows. As a magician, I’m revealing most (but not all) of my tricks.
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Great Balloon Chase
On our way back through Strasburg, we spotted a hot-air balloon over the cornfields.
It was drifting toward the Strasburg Rail Road’s parking lot, so we pulled in to get a better view. As the balloon approached it was getting lower and lower. I made few photos of it sailing over the railroad’s antique wood passenger cars. Then as the sunset in the western sky, we continued to follow the balloon across the farm fields.
Working with both my Nikon Z-series digital cameras, I made these photos of the balloon. That was different! We don’t get to chase balloons everyday!
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Amtrak 651 at Christiana
The other day, Kris and I went for a drive. The light was nice, so we paused at Christiana, Pa., to roll by Amtrak Keystone 651 at the old Pennsylvania Railroad station.
I made these photos using my Z7-II fitted with a 24-70mm Nikkor Z-series zoom lens.
Compare the view that includes the Conrail caboose with the view of the same caboose from the train in: http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/views-from-the-keystone/
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Summer Evening Sky
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.
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Amtrak Work Train
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.
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Views from the Keystone
It was fun gliding west on the old Main Line.
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.
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Double Ooops!
A review of my outtakes and a posting error.
Last night, I accidentally posted the Tracking the Light episode, I’d intended for this morning. See: http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/subtlety-of-steam-on-soft-evening/
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.
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Subtlety of Steam on Soft Evening
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.
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Ten Years Ago—Pacer Crossing the Canal
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.
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Empty Timber West of Dunamon
On this day in 2013; Irish Rail’s 072 led an empty timber on the Mayo Road west of Dunamon.
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Amtrak Locomotives Past, Present & Future
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.
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Montreal Central Station—40 years Ago.
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.
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Philadelphia 30th Street Station
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.
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Unit Grain Train at the Loop—Eight Years Ago
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.
Exposed using my FujiFilm XT-1 with 18-135mm lens.
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Taking Amtrak to Philadelphia.
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.
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Great Gathering of Faces
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.
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Pacific Surfliner at Simi Valley
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.
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Dumb Luck—Again.
More fortuity.
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.
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Rockville from the Park
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.
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Late July Sun at Jefferson Drive
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.
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East Deerfield— Dozen Years Ago
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.
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Heritage Surprise on the Middle Division
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.
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Oulu Roundhouse—9 Years Ago.
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.
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Eight Years Ago at Burbank, California
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.
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.
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Tramlink on this Day in 2013
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.
Exposed using my Canon EOS-7D fitted with a 28-135mm lens set at 135mm; f7.1, 1/500 sec, ISO 200.
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