photography

Pumpkins and a Westward Train at Buckland—October 2015–three photos.

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In staying with the spirit of the season, I offer these views exposed last week of a discharged ethanol train, Pan Am Railways/Norfolk Southern symbol 67N, passing a pumpkin field at Buckland, Massachusetts. (Plus an earlier image at East Deerfield, see below).

The movement of unit ethanol trains via the former Boston & Maine routing is a relatively recent change in New England railroading.

For several years unit ethanol trains to the Providence & Worcester have used routings via either CSXT or CP-Vermont Rail System-New England Central. The construction of improved connections between Pan Am Railways/Pan Am Southern and the Providence & Worcester at the Gardner, Massachusetts yard, have allowed Pan Am via NS to emerge as a preferred New England ethanol route.

I’ve known about this for a few months, yet I was taken by surprise when the westward empty ethanol train appeared at East Deerfield Yard, just a few minutes behind a POED (Portland to East Deerfield) carload freight that I’d been following.

Surprise! What's this? How about 67N, the discharged unit ethanol train rolling west at East Deerfield.
Surprise! What’s this? How about 67N, the discharged unit ethanol train rolling west at East Deerfield.

So often, locations along the old B&M offer only a very limited view of the train.

This pumpkin field, near the old Buckland station, offered a good place to put the unit train in perspective. I wanted to show as much of the train as practicable and in a New England setting.

Buckland, Massachusetts. I adjusted the contrast and color temperature in Lightroom to more closely resemble the scene as I saw it.
Buckland, Massachusetts. I adjusted the contrast, saturation and color temperature in Lightroom to more closely resemble the scene as I saw it.
This view required a variety of subtle adjustments in post processing. In addition to warming the color temperature, I used a digitally applied gradated neutral density filter to retain sky detail and color while making over all adjustments to saturation and contrast. I hope this makes for a better balanced scene, but every computer screen (and all sets of eyes) interpret images differently, so what looks balanced to me, might look odd to someone else. What do you think?
This view required a variety of subtle adjustments in post processing. In addition to warming the color temperature, I used a digitally applied gradated neutral density filter to retain sky detail and color while making over-all adjustments to saturation and contrast. I hope this makes for a better balanced scene, but every computer screen (and all sets of eyes) interpret images differently, so what looks balanced to me, might look odd to someone else. What do you think?

Photos exposed with a FujiFilm X-T1 with 18-135mm lens.

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