Sometimes I try to play by the rules.
It was rare glorious sunny day back in September 2015. Irish Rail had a full complement of trains on the move. Catching clean 071 class diesel 077 with the second IWT Liner was a bonus.
I exposed these photos along the Dublin-Cork line at Hazelhatch (about ten miles southwest of Dublin). Special thanks to John Cleary, who advised me on the day’s program, provided road-based transport and suggested some angles.
Photos by the rules:
- Sunny day; tick!
- Sun at least 30 degrees above the horizon and over right shoulder and positioned for evenly-lit three-quarter view; tick!
- Rolling stock nearly free from shadows; tick!
- Polls and wires minimized; tick!
- View of railway wheels; tick!
- shutter speed fast enough to stop the action; tick!
- Trees and fences safely in the distance; tick!
Bonus qualifications: nominal elevation, clearly identifiable location and clean equipment.
Points subtracted: zoom lens used instead a prime ‘standard lens’. Digital used instead of film. Colour used instead of black & white. Evidence of people in some of the photos (minus two points, Tsk!)
Everyday Tracking the Light presents new material (qualified and otherwise).
The tracks beyond the old station building in the photos are the ‘up mains’ (lines signaled for traffic toward Dublin. The tracks in the immediate foreground (used by trains pictured) are the down roads (for traffic heading away from Dublin). Irish Rail quad-tracked its line from Hazelhatch to Cherry Orchard in the late 2000s, converting the traditional directional double-track line into a four track main line with both ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ up and down roads (running tracks).
At some point I might run some ‘then and now comparison views’ at this location to show how the setting has evolved.
Brian Solomon
What is the purpose of the track BEHIND the station on the 071.077 engine shot? Jim Egan