Iconic Railroad Photographs from Great Photographers.
Tomorrow, June 15, 2014, my latest book titled The Twilight of Steam officially goes on sale.
This was my big book project for 2013, and I spent much of last summer researching and writing it. Yet, the real stars of the book are the contributing photographers and their outstanding work.
PRR’s four-track Middle Division (Harrisburg to Altoona, Pennsylvania) was a favorite for photographers because of its accessibility, splendid scenery and a continuous parade of freight and passenger trains. PRR’s big boiler M1 Mountains were a standard mainline freight power from the mid-1920s until the diesels took over. The M1 shared the boiler used by the I1s 2-10-0 ‘Hippo’, where the I1s was intended for slow-speed drag freight work, the M1 was designed for relatively fast mainline running. These were good looking locomotives and made for great photos. Photo by John E. Pickett
Over the years, I’ve been privileged to interview and work with some of the most accomplished railway photographers in North America. Significantly, TheTwilight of Steam focuses on evocative images exposed toward the era of revenue steam operations.
These were exposed when steam locomotives were still active, and not of excursion services after the end of the era. In many instances, I’ve included photos with steam and first generation diesels working together or side by side.
For this book, I’ve adapted my Tracking the Light concepts. In addition to simply writing about the locomotives, where possible I’ve included stories about the photographer’s techniques and experiences. I included details about their cameras and films.
Many of the photographers were very young when they began making dramatic railway images, and that is a great part of the story.
It was a bright afternoon in Charlotte. I was curious to see this city’s innovative light rail system that uses Siemens built trams. Charlotte’s public transport goes by the initial’s ‘CATS’ while the Blue Line light rail is called the ‘Lynx.’
More tracks are being built, and a heritage style trolley is in the works.
Here’s a few views made with the Lumix LX-7.
Lynx outbound near Tremont with Charlotte skyline.Some of the light rail cars carry advertising.Light rail along Norfolk Southern in suburban Charlotte.
Proprietor of Palmer Hobbies, Bill Lanza, has opened his doors!
Come in and have a look around!
Palmer Hobbies’ Bill Lanza assists a customer.Fine Turf on sale at Palmer Hobbies.New products for viewing.Bill Lanza (left) and Rich Reed (right) discuss locomotive details.Palmer Hobbies is prominently located on Main Street. Come in and read their magazines!
Palmer Hobbies features a variety of model railway products, magazines, and, of course, railroad books!
Patrons of the old Tucker’s Hobbies (formerly Tucker’s Hardware) in nearby Warren, Massachusetts will find familiar faces.
The new store is easy to find. It’s located at 1428 Main Street in Palmer, Massachusetts. Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Palmer, turn right and drive toward Depot Village. The shop is located in the center at the lights near the Hess Station and across from the CVS drug store.
Palmer Hobbies is near the famous Palmer Diamond, where New England Central’s former Central Vermont crosses CSXT’s Boston & Albany route. It’s across the tracks from the popular Steaming Tender restaurant (near CP 83).
On June 11, 2014. A CSX tie gang works the old Boston & Albany route. In the distance is the popular Steaming Tender railroad themed-restuarant.
Phone: 413-436-5318. Open Tuesday to Saturday. (Closed on Sunday and Monday).
May 30, 2014, Salisbury’s Innes Street Overpass was a popular gathering point for photographers seeking mainline attraction during North Carolina Transportation Museum’s Streamliners at Spencer event.
At lunchtime, I was poised to photograph Amtrak number 75, one of North Carolina sponsored Piedmont services that runs with F59PHI diesels and heritage style equipment. This is one of the most distinctive long distance trains on the East Coast.
Amtrak number 75 makes its station stop at Salisbury, North Carolina. Exposed with a Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.Lumix LX-7 view of Amtrak 75 Piedmont at Salisbury, North Carolina. This is one of the only F59PHI’s in Amtrak service east of the Sierra.
I returned in the evening, to catch Juniata Terminal’s Pennsylvania E8A 5809 and three matching streamlined cars on its return run from Spencer to Charlotte. The sun made a surprise appearance just in the nick of time.
Lumix LX-7 photo at Innes Street, Salisbury, North Carolina.
It was a dull autumn day. My father and I were in New York City to visit a friend. We spent the afternoon wandering around on the subway system.
An L train Brooklyn, New York, November 1998. Exposed with a Nikon F3T with 24mm lens. (The route is L, not to be confused with the colloquial ‘El’ or Chicago’s ‘L’, just for clarification).
I made this photo at East New York Junction where the Canarsie Line crosses the Broadway Line.
The sky was dark and swollen and the street lights were just coming on. To make the most of the lighting, I exposed this photo on black & white film with my Nikon F3T with an AI 24mm Nikkor lens.
I’ve always felt there was an apocalyptic aesthetic to this image.
Ok, so this Alco PA was delivered new to the Santa Fe, and in later years worked for Delaware & Hudson, and then for Mexican railways. But now it wears a fresh coat of Nickel Plate Road paint.
Until Streamliners at Spencer, I’d never had the opportunity to photograph an Alco PA, a locomotive often cited as one of the most loved and most attractive (if not the most reliable) of the steam to diesel transition era.
The Nickel Plate Road merged into Norfolk & Western two years before I was born, so while I’ve photographed trains on the old Nickel Plate route, I never knew the railway either.
So there you go. It’s like meeting a ghost. Or, perhaps, seeing a James Joyce impersonator. Or, going to listen to a Led Zeppelin tribute-band.
When it comes to a Nickel Plate Road PA, I never experienced the real thing, and I never will. I never saw an Erie Triplex either.
Avalon is at the heart of Arthurian myth. And, as it happens, it’s also on Wisconsin & Southern’s former Milwaukee Road Line between Janesville and Chicago!
No knights in armor here, nor Merlin, nor Lady of the Lake; just a matched set of SD40-2s in clean paint leading a long freight and tall late season grasses blowing gently in the wind.
A few hours earlier I’d met up John Gruber at the Janesville Roundhouse and we spent a pleasant afternoon photographing this freight. We had a fair wait at Avalon before the train came into view.
Exposed with a Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens. ISO 200.
This photo is among my favorite from the day. I used a long lens to compress the locomotives while setting the grass in the foreground out of focus. I also made a closer view on Fujichrome film.
A few weeks ago, Ciarán Cooney asked me about photos I’d made of Irish Rail’s Athy Cement. This used to run weekdays from the cement factory near Limerick to a cement silo off a short branch that crossed the River Barrow in Athy, County Kildare. It was the only train to use this branch.
On several occasions, I’d made the effort to photograph this train, which tended to arrive laden in the very early morning, then depart empty after it had discharged. Most of the times I saw it, it ran with a single Bo-Bo General Motors diesel (class 141 or 181).
I caught it crossing the Barrow at Athy on a fine spring morning, May 3, 2002.
Exposed with a Nikon F3 with 85mm lens on Fujichrome Sensia 100 slide film.
That was more than 11 years ago, but it doesn’t seem so long.I think I last photographed this train about 2005, shortly before it was discontinued. While cement trains worked Irish Rail for a few more years, they are now extinct.
Exposed with a Nikon F3 with 85mm lens on Fujichrome Sensia 100 slide film.
To compensate for bad luck, and a series of bad timings, I made it a point to photograph Pan Am Railways executive F-unit at Spencer.
What?
Just about every time Pan Am Railway’s has run their glossy metallic blue F-units, I’ve either been in the air, out of the country, and/or at least a thousand miles away and traveling in the wrong direction.
Not this time. Not at Spencer. No, I knew I’d get a photo! Two or three, maybe, and in color!
I realize that PAR-1 may not have been the chief attraction of the Streamliners at Spencer event, but I was very happy to finally see this New England resident up close and in person!
PAR 1 and Southern Railway 6133 bask in the morning light at Spencer, North Carolina. Lumix LX-7 photo.Cab detail of F9A PAR-1 exposed with my Canon EOS 7D with 100mm lens.The logo that once graced globe-encircling Boeing 747s decorates PAR 1.
Great Railway Exhibits and Antiques in Addition to the Streamlined Superstars.
In an environment characterized by streamlined sensory overload, it takes a trained eye (pardon pun) to see past Norfolk & Western’s 611, Burlington’s stainless steel E5A, Union Pacific’s radiant executive E-unit and the rest of the colorful Es and Fs paraded on display around the Spencer roundhouse.
Yet, in addition to the vintage streamliners, there were other noteworthy exhibits and interesting equipment. Amtrak’s 40th Anniversary Display Train with locomotive 42 (painted to commemorate America’s Veterans) was featured prominently, as was one of North Carolina’s train sets used for Piedmont services.
Various heritage locomotives attached to the Spencer shops added period interest. Back in the day (1980s), I was quite pleased to find a Southern high-hood GP30 working at Alexandria, Virginia. And lo and behold, here at Spencer was preserved locomotive just like the one I saw those many years ago!
For those interested in automobiles, Spencer has quite a collection of vintage cars on display. Lots to see and do! I’m glad I invested almost four days in the event.
Exposed with a Lumix LX-7. The diffused light made for wonderful reflections.
Among the stars of the Streamliner’s at Spencer event was Norfolk & Western 611, one of only a handful of preserved American streamlined steam locomotives. Here’s a sampling of the many images I made, and an excerpt of the text from my book Super Steam published by MBI (out of print), where I detailed the J class. Today the locomotive catches attention for its streamlined shrouds, but there’s a lot more to the N&W J than just good looks:
“Among the most impressive products of N&W’s Roanoke Shops were its 14 Class J 4-8-4s. These spectacular machines defied convention while settting record for performance and reliability. The first five J’s were built during 1941 and 1942, with N&W’s distinctive streamlined shrouds, and featured 27×32 inch cylinders, 70-inch drivers, 107.7 square foot firebox grate, and a huge boiler set for 275 lb. psi operation. As built these locomotives delivered 73,300 lbs. tractive effort. (N&W later increased the boiler pressure to 300 psi, and as result tractive effort was increased to 80,000 lbs.) The J class exhibited all of the trappings of modern locomotive, featuring roller bearings on all axles and reciprocating parts, one-piece cast steel frame, mechanical lubrication and light weight alloy-steel rods . . .”
611 Noir. Exposed with a Canon EOS 7D.N&W 611 surrounded by the enemy.611 in stereo. Lumix LX-7 photo. There’s nothing like a good puddle to make a great photo!Nose view of one of America’s most famous locomotives. Exposed with a Lumix LX-7.
I’ve been reviewing the hundreds of digital color photos I exposed at Spencer and I’ve added six of my favorites to my special page dedicated to the event.
Part of the attraction of North Carolina Transportation Museum’s Streamliners at Spencer event was the pre-arranged night photograph sessions. Large industrial scale flood lamps were arranged to provide roughly even lighting on locomotives that had been arranged and spotted specifically for photography.
A look at the darker side of night photography! A view of Spencer shops exposed with a Lumix LX-7.
I’ve often worked on the darker side of photography, and this was no exception. While I took advantage of the ‘arranged’ lighting to make standard views of the equipment. I made a special effort to go beyond the obvious.
Here I worked in the shadows, using the lights in a more interpretive way. I sought out scenes of the shops and facilities that were part of the background.
Crime scene or photoline? The local constabulary provided security at the event. Exposed with a Canon EOS 7D.This view of Norfolk & Western 611 caught my eye. At the time there must have been 75 people with tripods set up for the 3/4 angle. Exposed with a Lumix LX-7.Rain made for a nice shiny gloss but made the difficult process of making photos in the dark even more complicated. Keeping water off lenses in the dark isn’t easy. At least with digital photography, instantaneous feed back allowed me to know when droplets had spoiled a clean view (or added an extra effect). Exposed with a Canon EOS 7D.Silhouettes with Lackawanna painted F3s. Lumix LX-7 photo.
The challenge was trying to stay out of the way of the photo lines to avoid the ire of those with a front-lit view.
On one of the evenings there was a thunderstorm, which made matters extra challenging!
After I made this image, I relaxed on the bench. Fortunately there weren’t many people set up on my side of the light. Lumix LX-7 photo.This angle reminded me of a Jim Shaughnessy photo exposed in the 1950s. Lumix LX-7 photo.Here I was mostly working with the ordinary sodium vapor lights, with the lights for the night photo event only providing secondary illumination by coloring the sky. Lumix LX-7 photo.Hard glint on the Norfolk Southern business train. Keeping the lights out of the frame is part of my technique. Lumix LX-7 photo.Spencer round house.Ghostly view of the old shops.Spencer, North Carolina—the village across the street from the old Southern Railway shops.
The locomotives were largely static and thus relatively easy to photograph. However, people move about constantly, and getting your friends to hold still long enough for a portrait in an environment characterized by sensory-overload, can be tough.
On the plus side, most everyone was smiling.
I used both a Canon EOS 7D and Lumix LX-7 to make digital portraits, while a few photos were captured on slide film using my EOS 3.
Chicago & North Western 411 and friends. Canon EOS 7D photo.
For me, the Streamliners at Spencer event was a great opportunity to meet friends, old and new. In addition photographing the equipment, I photographed the photographers.
Below is a small selection. I’ll post more tomorrow!
Photographers at night. Lumix LX-7 photo.LX-7 photo at Salisbury station.In glow of Saturday evening. Lumix LX-7 photo (before my second battery went flat).Media man in Salisbury. Lumix LX-7 photo.Norfolk Southern’s Wick Moorman addresses Spencer. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.LX-7 photo.Master of three-D photography. Lumix LX-7 photo.Norfolk Southern Museum. LX-7 photo.Waiting on the Piedmont at Salisbury. Lumix LX-7 photo.LX-7 photo.Waiting for the turntable to spin. Lumix LX-7 photo.
I’d been making photos on Boston’s Green Line for 40 years. Albeit I was a bit shorter for my first efforts using my Dad’s M3 in the early 1970s.
Subway photos on Kodachrome were a real challenge. I never knew if I’d gotten anything at all until the film came back weeks later. But that didn’t stop me from trying.
Boston’s Green Line Subway at North Station on June 2, 2012. Exposed with a Canon 7D with 28-135mm lens.
Digital photography technique is a real boon for subway images. For these photos I’d racked up the ISO setting to 2000 and worked with a telelphoto zoom. That was inconceivable in my film days.
Boston’s Green Line Subway at North Station on June 2, 2012. Exposed with a Canon 7D with 28-135mm image stabilization zoom lens.
Boston’s subways have changed quite a bit since my early photos; modern cameras for modern images.
At crew changes and other convenient points, Amtrak schedule’s ‘smoke breaks’ where passengers can get off the train, stretch their legs, enjoy the fresh air, and, in my case, make photos of the train.
I had about ten minutes at Raleigh, North Carolina this morning to make photos train 80, Carolinian during this momentary pause. By that time, I’d been on the train for more than 3 hours, with nearly another nine hours to go.
Rather than tow the whole camera kit, I just carried the Panasonic Lumix LX 7, which is light, easy to use, and is capable of making extremely sharp images.
Playing with the external Lumix Live View Finder, I adjusted this vertically, which allowed me to place the camera very close to the ground without the need for lying belly first on platform.
Exposed with a Lumix LX-7 using the Live View external finder. Camera set in ‘A’ (Aperture Priority) mode with a minus 1/3 exposure over ride to compensate for the bright platform, bleached station sign and bright sky. This forces the camera to make a slight darker image
The low angle with a slightly telephoto view provides a clean dramatic perspective that minimizes unnecessary and visually distracting foreground.
Number 80’s conductor. Amtrak’s crew was very friendly.
Check my Streamliners at Spencer page for photos of North Carolina Transportation Museum’s special event.
Following three and half successful days of photography at Spencer, North Carolina, Pat Yough and I boarded Amtrak 80, Carolinian at Charlotte this morning before 7am.
Charlotte, North Carolina at 6:35am June 1, 2014. Lumix LX-7 photo.Charlotte, North Carolina at 6:35am June 1, 2014. Lumix LX-7 photo.
We departed on time at 7am. In the lead is Amtrak P42 number 168. It was a strange sensation pausing a Salisbury and passing the Spencer Shops having just spent so much time there. The view from the train always offers a different perspective than being on the ground, or seeing a place from the road.
Salisbury Station, North Carolina. June 1, 2014. Lumix LX-7 photo.Salisbury, North Carolina. June 1, 2014. Lumix LX-7 photo.
As I write this we are heading toward Raleigh. I’m destined for Philadelphia. Presently, I’m reviewing, analyzing, and scaling hundreds of images I made at the event, plus side trips. I’ll be posting more images and commentary over the next few days.
Back then, Irish Rail operated three daily ammonia trains between Marino Point, County Cork and Shelton Abbey near Arklow, County Wicklow. These were tightly scheduled and normally operated with the common 201-class General Motors diesels.
I was tuned into these trains, and made an effort to catch them in interesting locations. The traffic ended with little warning in 2002, so the photos I made are now prized images!
Irish Rail class 201 number 204 leads a laden Ammonia train above the Irish Sea at Killiney. Is that U2’s Bono waving off in the distance? Exposed on Kodak Tri-X with a Rolleiflex Model T f3.5 Tessar lens, processed in Ilford ID11 (special mix and time, 1:1 with water.)
In addition to color slides, I exposed thousands of black & white images of Irish railways on 120 size film between 1999 and 2005 (and a few here and there since).
Most of these photos have never seen the light of day. This rare photo of the Ammonia train was just one of several exposures I made on that bright May afternoon in 2001.
Why didn’t I make a color photo? And who said I didn’t? Must color and black & white be mutual exclusive? Why not make a color photo and convert it later? Why color anyway?
I’ve often worked with multiple formats at the same time. Black & white has a number of advantages and I’ve long prided myself on mastering this archaic image-making process.
Streamliners at Spencer: The Real Star of the Show?
Although streamlined steam locomotive 611 was getting most of the attention, historically the most important exhibit was General Motors FT demonstrator 103.
Last night FT 103 was lit up for all to see.
General Motors model FT lit up at Spencer Shops on May 30, 2014. Exposed with a Canon EOS 7D with 100mm lens on a Gitzo carbon-fiber tripod.
I’ve written about this locomotive in many of my books. It is the most influential American locomotive of the twentieth century because it demonstrated to the railroad industry that diesels offered a cost effective replacement for steam.
Electro-Motive’s most significant innovation was its development of the first commercially viable road freight diesel. From a technical perspective this was an advancement of the E-unit — the application of this long anticipated new road diesel proved revolutionary for American railroads. Once on a roll, it not only turned locomotive building on its ear, but forever changed the way railroads bought locomotives and operated trains EMD’s F-unit was the most important player in the rapid dieselization American lines.
NS CEO, Wick Moorman pointed out in yesterday’s address at Spencer, that FT 103 was ‘even older than 611,’ while sincerely thanking the St. Louis Museum of Transportation for sending the locomotive for display.
Pan Am at North Bennington? Who could have imagined this 20 years ago?
Pan Am Railways RJ1 at at North Bennington; Victorian-era railway station with a sky blue 1970s-era diesel-electric. Exposed with a Canon EOS 7D.
I spent that morning following Vermont Rail System’s ‘B&R Job’ south from Rutland. Yet the photographic highlight was catching its connection, Pan Am’s RJ-1 local, at North Bennington.
Back in the day, Pan Am was an airline with round the world schedules. The name conjures up images of handsome blue Boeing 747s, or pre-World War II ‘Clippers’ (see planes).
Pan Am Railways is a re-branding of the Guilford system which operates former Boston & Maine and Maine Central lines. In 2007, two former Canadian National GP40-2L (sometimes identified as ‘GP40-2W’) locomotives were painted in a livery reminiscent of the old Pan Am Airlines’ scheme.
Yet, this scenario seems just a bit weird to me, like some alternate version of the future. Anyway you look at it, the combination of the restored historic station and a sky blue engine is both fascinating and strange.
North Bennington station.Southward Pan Am RJ-1 passes the Bennington Battlefield site. For a number of years the tracks here were largely dormant.
This beautifully restored locomotive is a vision from an earlier era. Passenger trains just don’t look like this anymore.
Exposed on May 30, 2014 using a Panasonic Lumix LX-7. Exposure f8 at 1/40th of a second. Except for scaling for internet presentation, this file is unmodified. There were no corrections to exposure, color or contrast.
I made a spot decision to pan in order to visually separate the green on the locomotive from the densely foliated background.
Since I had only a few seconds to adjust my exposure, I left the camera in ‘A’ mode (aperture priority), added +1/3 of a stop (to lighten the scene), and turned the external aperture ring to f8, the smallest setting. This forced the camera to select a slower shutter speed, which is what I needed for a successful pan.
I moved the camera with the front of the locomotive as it passed.
One other trick: this engine was trailing, not leading.
When I was studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Kodak would annually supply photo students with a gift package of examples of their latest products.
Although I was a confirmed Kodachrome customer, as a poor student, I always make use of the other films supplied. In January 1989, I had a role of ‘Ektachrome of the year’. This was the latest 100 speed slide film.
I loaded up the Leica M2, and drove my Dodge Dart around the Rochester area looking for suitable subjects with which to sample this new emulsion.
Exposed on Kodak Ektachrome with a Leica M2. Film processed by Kodak. The image was adjusted in post-processing to compensate for exposure, contrast, and color balance.
At Charlotte, where Conrail accessed a portion of the old Hojack route, I found this local working. Was this the local freight that served Kodak’s Rochester factories on the far side of the Genesee River? I can’t say for certain, but that really would be appropriate, wouldn’t it?
January 1989; Conrail had a full ten years left. At the end of May 1999, Conrail’s independent operations ended and CSX and NS took over.
Afternoon at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, May 29, 2014.
I was keeping the Lumix busy this afternoon. The sun was elusive at times. But the selection of locomotives proved colorful.
Lumix LX-7 view of diesels at Spencer, North Carolina.Nickel Plate Road painted Alco PA at Spencer. Lumix LX-7 photo.A virtual sea of photographers at Spencer, all waiting for that perfect moment.A magnificent collection of fallen flags (and NS).The Burlington E5A goes for a spin. Lumix LX-7 photo.The New Haven FL9’s spin on the table went virtually undocumented, as all eyes were on Union Pacific’s E9A.Wings.General Motor’s grand daddy of Fs with its kin.
Morning Views, May 28, 2014—North Carolina Transportation Museum.
With more than two dozen classic locomotives to photograph, and lots of other relics of interest, I exposed more than 300 image with the Lumix LX-7 in just three hours. In addition, I was also working with my Canons, one for film, one for pixels.
Here are just some of detailed views I exposed with the Lumix. These are macro images, as opposed to wide shots that take in the whole scene. (And, yes, I made plenty of those too.)
General Motors classic FT—’the diesel that did it’.Atlantic Coast Line E3A. Exposed with a Lumix LX-7Alco PA builder’s plate. Is this the real thing or a replica?It’s not all about the locomotives, this fine old passenger car caught my eye.A bit of work on a Reading FP7A. My dad caught these on the ‘Crusader’ back in the day.Southern Railway: visions of yesterday and today. Spencer Shops was a Southern facility.
The light was mixed. Nice soft early sun soon gave way to a hazy flat bright light. I’m glad I brought my old Minolta IV light meter, this proved very useful.
The ease of use of the Lumix LX-7 made it an especially valuable too. Today I was working with the electronic view finder, instead of the rear screen display. I wonder if this altered my compositions?
Wabash 1009. What’s in a number? (When 1,009 =10,000.)Drumhead on the Sandy Creek round-end observation car.Erie Railroad E8A 833—last of its kind.Nose view of General Motors FT 103. I’d argue that this was probably the most significant locomotive in the 20th Century. Read about it in my American Diesel Locomotive and EMD Locomotives. Books on the history of American diesels.Could this be 1956?
I was very impressed by the paint on the Lackawanna F3’s, even if they were built for the Bangor & Aroostook, What are your favorite locomotives on display at Spencer?
One of three DL&W painted F-units on display.Washing Pennsylvania Railroad E8A 5711 at Spencer. Perhaps someone else should fling some mud and grime to make things seem more authentic?
More Spencer Streamliner photos to come over the next few days!
Tracking the Light posts new material every day, with special ‘Extra’ posts on the Streamliners at Spencer event this week!
It’s been almost 20 years since John Gruber and I intercepted Norfolk & Western 611 working west on the former Nickel Plate Road near Valpalraiso, Indiana. That was back in August 1994!
I also visited 611 once in Roanoke about 10 years ago.
Here she is last night at Spencer Shops, North Carolina, whereI opted for a moody backlit view.
May 28, 2014; Norfolk & Western 611. Exposed with a Lumix LX-7.
I made this view on Kodachrome 64 with my Leica 3A and Summitar lens.
On May 29, 1985, I was visiting Montreal, having arrived that morning on the overnight VIA Rail train from Toronto. The signalman/tower operator was friendly, and allowed me to spend several hours photographing trains from the tower.
This was before VIA rationalized its schedules, and there was a constant parade of trains coming and going. Here, I’ve used the tower door to frame an inbound LRC train.
I didn’t think much of the modern LRC trains at the time. But I’m glad I preserved them on film.
Amtrak 79 Carolinian at Salisbury, North Carolina on the former Southern Railway. Lumix LX-7 photo.
We arrived on Amtrak 79 at Salisbury, North Carolina only 63 minutes behind the advertised.
Within a few minutes of our arrival we were afforded a glimpse of the streamliners event. I had my first ever view of an Alco PA. I’m happy.
Former Santa Fe Alco PA diesel-electric dressed in the classic Nickel Plate Road livery. North Carolina Transportation Museum’s Spencer Shops, North Carolina. May 28, 2014. Lumix LX-7 photo.
Hmm, sounds like the chorus to a song. It was cool and damp when Amtrak’s Carolinian departed Trenton a little after 8am this morning (May 28, 2014). Now, its 94 degrees Fahrenheit outside!
We’ve been traveling at a reduced speed because of the heat. An customer (passenger?) announcement was made in this regard, shortly after we crossed the diamonds at Doswell (historically where the Chesapeake & Ohio crossed the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac).
There’s lots of CSX freight on the line, if not moving particularly fast.
Amtrak’s streamliner-era Budd-baggage car on train 79 at Richmond, Virginia at 1:31 pm May 28, 2014. Lumix LX-7 photo.
At Richmond, Staple Mills Station, we stopped for a crew change and a ‘smoke brake’. (If burning through the pixels with the LX-7 counts as ‘smoke,’ I’m in.)
A northward CSX trash train with an AC6000CW was parked near the head-end of Amtrak 79, Carolinian. It was a bit of shock to step out of the air-conditioned Amfleet car and into the heat.
Amtrak 79’s crew change at Richmond. Lumix LX-7 photo.CSX AC6000CW leads an empty trash train bound for The Bronx at Staples Mills Station, Richmond, Virginia. Lumix LX-7 photo.The AC6000CW features a pronounce radiator overhang that helps identify this locomotive. For a number of years these machines were common on the Boston & Albany route. Today, I saw no less than three in Richmond. Exposed on May 28, 2014 with a Lumix LX-7.Among the features of the Panasonic Lumix LX-7 is a ‘digital zoom’ which allows for the effect of a much longer lens than offered optically. While this is really simply cropping in on the sensor, it does make photos like this one possible on site. I used the digital zoom as a composition tool, but I made another image the limits of the optical zoom as well. What I like about this long-telephoto angle is the signals to the right and the picket-fence effect of the canopy supports on the left. LX-7 photo.
Our baggage car belongs to the streamlined era. Appropriate, since we are going to the North Carolina Transportation Museum’s Streamliners at Spencer event. Later this year I’ll be writing a book on American railroad’s streamlined era to be published by Voyageur Press!
TRACKING THE LIGHT SPECIAL POST—On the way to Spencer—Part 4
We had a few minutes to wander around and make photos while Amtrak crews changed ECS-64 number 602 for P42 117.
Carolinian on left; Cardinal on right. Lumix LX-7 exposed at ISO 80.Nearly new Siemens Cities Sprinter ECS-64 number 602 at Washington DC. This is a near cousin to the electrics I was photographing in Portugal last month. Lumix LX-7 photo.Amtrak 602. Lumix LX-7 photo.
Now rolling along the old RF&P!
I recall passing the sprawling Potomac yards back in 1984. Gone without a trace.
Trenton Makes the World Takes—That’s what the sign says!
May 28, 2014. Three passenger railways, lots of trains and not much time.
I’m traveling with Pat Yough. We arrived at Trenton about 20 minutes before the arrival of Amtrak 79 Carolinian. [Posted from the train via Amtrak’s WiFi.]
Trenton Transportation Center, Wednesday May 28, 2014. Exposed with a Lumix LX-7 at ISO 400. Unmodified camera JPG (except for scaling).Wednesday May 28, 2014. Exposed with a Lumix LX-7 at ISO 400. Unmodified camera JPG (except for scaling).
I put the Panasonic LX-7 through its paces. Changing the ISO proved to be a bit different than I was used to with my old LX-3. One of the great advantages of digital photography is the ability to adjust the ISO (camera sensitivity) and color profile from frame to frame. Back when I was just shooting film, I’d routinely carry several camera bodies loaded with different film types.
It took me a while to figure out how to change the ISO, but it turns out that Panasonic had anticipated my need. Where the LX-3 required multi-tier menu navigation, the LX-7 has a special button labeled ‘ISO.’ This allows an easy change.
While at Trenton, I experimented with 400 and 80 ISO settings. The sensor on the LX-7 is much improved over the LX-3s.
With the LX-7, I found the 400 ISO setting to be very acceptable on the computer screen. While nominally less saturated and with more noise in the shadows than ISO 80, over all the result was really very good. I’d generally avoided using 400 ISO on the LX-3.
Limited Clear (the lower head is flashing). LX-7 at ISO 80.SEPTA at Trenton. Lumix LX-7 set at ISO 80.LX-7 at ISO 80. NJ Transit at Trenton, NJ on May 28, 2014.
Amtrak 79 arrived with a new Cities Sprinter model ACS-64 electric number 602 in the lead. This is my first spin behind one of the new electrics. See my earlier post: Daily Post—Amtrak ACS-64 Debut, February 7, 2014.
Today’s post is a follow up to both of yesterday’s posts, which covered my experiments with the Lumix LX-7 and the beginning of my adventure to Spencer.
As covered in yesterday’s Tracking the Light Special Post, I was traveling on Amtrak’s two-car shuttle, scheduled as train 475, which runs from Springfield, Massachusetts to New Haven, Connecticut to connect with Boston-Washington train 175. I sent my post from the train.
Amtrak 475 arrived early in New Haven, giving me about 15 minutes to wander around making photographs. I’m continuing to test my father’s Panasonic Lumix LX-7, and there was some nice low sun to work with.
Exposed with my father’s Panasonic Lumix LX-7. After exposing several angles digitally, I also made a few slides.
I was keen to photograph the Shore Line East train which features a ‘GP40-2H’ locomotive in the classic New Haven Railroad McGinnis livery.
I also fished out my Canon EOS3, that was buried in the depths of my camera bag, and exposed a few frames of Fuji Velvia 100 of the New Haven painted commuter engine. My hand held Minolta IV light meter aided my exposure; f5.6 1/500th.
It will be a few weeks yet before I see the slides, so for now we can settle for the Lumix instant digital images (that’s what they are for, right?)
A Metro-North local bound for Grand Central Terminal. Lumix LX-7 photo.
New Haven in the early evening is a busy place. In addition to Metro-North trains coming and going, an Acela bound for Boston was arriving on Track 4, just as Amtrak 175 approached Track 1.
I exposed a series of images of train 175, hauled by venerable Amtrak AEM7 number 943. How many millions of miles has this old electric have to its credit? Low sun and the angle of the curve made for a nice grab shot from the Boston-end of the passenger platform.
Amtrak 175 approaches New Haven. Lumix LX-7 photo. I found that the LX-7 reacts faster and cycles quicker than the older LX-3. This is especially useful in a situation like this one.Amtrak logo on the side of an Amfleet car. Lumix LX-7 photo.
Certainly, I found that the Lumix LX-7 has its moments, although the differences in the controls (as compared with my old LX-3) befuddled me a couple of times. Traveling on 175 was comfortable, but the WiFi on the train wasn’t working. I arrived in Trenton at the last glow of daylight.
I’m just getting warmed up, so stay tuned! (or what ever the Internet equivalent is to that old radio term).
Tuesday May 27 at 5:10pm: I’m on board Amtrak 475. I boarded at Windsor Locks, Connecticut, I’ll change trains at New Haven. I’ve got an overnight stay planned for near Trenton, New Jersey.
This promises to be an excellent opportunity to photograph a great variety of restored classic diesels. I’m looking forward to seeing the Alco PA. I’ve written a great deal about this model, yet I’ve never seen one! It will be great to see 611 again.
And, I’ll finally get to see one of the Pan Am executive F-units! (Seems like when ever these run in New England, I’m either in Ireland, Chicago, or someplace over the hills and far away.)
I’ll be posting updates! Stay tuned to Tracking the Light for more photos!
Amtrak 475 approaches its station stop at Windsor Locks, Connecticut at 4:25pm, May 27, 2014. Exposed using my father’s Lumix LX-7. Photo sent from this train using Amtrak’s WiFi.
Last month (April 2104), my Panasonic Lumix LX-3 began performing erratically while I was photographing Irish Rail at Monasterevin.
Although annoying, this was only a minor setback of the day, because I had my Canon EOS 7D with me. I often travel with at least two cameras, just in case one develops problems.
The LX-3 suddenly suffered an electrical fault; specifically the rear display stopped working reliably. Sometimes it would flicker on, other times it was dark. I tried all the usual cures; I turned the camera off and then on, I removed the battery, I even tried the factory reset. No joy.
In the short term I found that if I pressed on the side of the camera body, the display would come on long enough to make adjustments. I continued to use the LX-3 for secondary services, while relying on the Canon EOS 7D and film cameras for more critical work.
I’ve had my LX-3 for almost five years and in that time I’ve carried it with me everywhere. It’s visited about a dozen countries, and more than a dozen US states. In addition to pictorial service, I’ve used it intensively to copy documents while in libraries. Using the in-camera file counter, I determined that I released the shutter more than 64,000 times.
Last November the camera took a very hard knock, which didn’t immediately affect its performance, but certainly didn’t do it any good. In April, the camera was subject to unusual dampness (it got wet) while I was making night shots in Porto, Portugal.
LX-7 view of Amtrak 54, the Vermonter, at Palmer on May 24, 2014. The camera was set to simultaneously expose Jpg and RAW files. It does an excellent job retaining highlight detail.
On May 24, 2014, my father lent me his Panasonic LX-7 to see if this newer Lumix model would offer a suitable replacement. This camera comes highly recommended to me by several people. Since it’s essentially the latest model kin to my LX-3, it may represent an ideal choice for my new ‘everywhere camera’.
I brought it to Palmer, Massachusetts where I exposed about 100 images in various conditions, both to get a feel for the cameras controls (which have several notable differences from the LX-3), and examine the quality of the images.
Checking the Amtrak timetable. The LX-7 manual focus controls are similar to those on the LX-3 but take a bit of getting used to.Among the advantages of digital photography are much improved photos exposed in overcast-lighting. Using the LX-7’s manual over-ride while in ‘A’—aperture priority, I intentionally over exposed by 1/3 stop to allow for better detail and contrast in ground-areas and trees. I hadn’t yet mastered the LX-7’s various metering modes, and it’s possible there was a more effective means for adjust the exposure.CSX Q423 (or L423) was working Palmer yard. In this view it pulls passed CP83 to double its train out of the yard. I exposed several telephoto views with the LX-7. By keeping the camera relatively low to the ground, I’ve minimized foreground distractions while allowing for a more dramatic perspective on the locomotives.
I found that the LX-7 had several positive points. In general it reacted quicker and cycled faster than the LX3. Its zoom lens has a wider range, and offers longer telephoto photo settings. The rear display seemed sharper and brighter.
On the downside, I was unfamiliar with the controls, so setting the camera proved challenging. Also, the camera is slightly larger.
In general I was happy with my results, and plan to experiment a bit more with the camera before I commit to buying one. There are a variety of excellent small cameras on the market these days, so I may wish to sample some of these too. More to come!
A modern GE Evolution-Series diesel faces a mid-1980s era SD50. The locomotives stopped, giving me ample time to make detailed views. LX-7 photo.Low-angle on CSX 875 leading symbol freight Q423 (or L423) at Palmer. LX7 at its widest view.Finally on its way west, this CSX freight crossing the Palmer diamond. Another CSX westbound was close behind. LX-7 view. All photos are un-modified except for scaling necessary for internet presentation. The LX-7 handles high contrast situations very well. I was in the ‘standard’ color setting.
