Tag Archives: 30th Street Station

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Pennsylvania Angel at 30th Street Station.

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Click on Tracking the Light to see the un-cropped photographs.

I exposed these photos the other day of Pennsylvania Railroad’s super human size angel at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

This pays tribute to its employees killed during World War II.

Lumix LX7 photo.
Lumix LX7 photo.

Tracking the Light posts Daily!

 

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Amtrak’s Philadelphia 30th Street Station: decorated for the Holiday Season.

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In the hustle to get to where you going, don’t forget to take in the finer points of traveling.

The week around Christmas is one of the busy travel seasons for Amtrak and can be an interesting time to make photographs.

Amtrak’s former Pennsylvania Railroad Station at 30th Street in Philadelphia is one of the nicest large terminals in North America.

Lumix LX7 photo.
Lumix LX7 photo.

Amtrak_30th_St_Station_Philadelphia_Solari_Board_P1360288

Amtrak_30th_St_Station_Philadelphia_Christmas_Tree_P1360290

 

Amtrak_30th_St_Station_Philadelphia_Angel_P1360291I made these photos at 30th St. the other day with my Lumix LX7 while waiting for Amtrak train 148, which connects Washington D.C. with Springfield, Massachusetts. (This is a direct train, and one of the few that still changes from electric to diesel at New Haven.)

ACS-64 number 649 leads train 148 on track 4 at 30th Street Station. I boarded the Quiet Car.
ACS-64 number 649 leads train 148 on track 4 at 30th Street Station. I boarded the Quiet Car.

After exposure I made nominal adjustments to the RAW files using Lightroom. To clean up the images and make them more pleasing to the eye I adjusted contrast and color saturation.

Slight adjustments can make a photo ‘snap’ which gives that extra something special that helps grab your attention. Extreme adjustments can alter the image and produce far-fetched fantasy images. (Which at Christmas in Philadelphia could be a good thing, right?)

Seasons Greetings from Tracking the Light!

 

Interested in Railway Stations?

Check out my new book Railway Depots, Stations and Terminals published by Voyageur Press and available via Amazon and other distributors.

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Special Post: Tracking the Light at 30th Street Station, Philadelphia

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Too often travelers today tire themselves by focusing on reaching their destination. My intention is to make getting there part of my trip and not just some necessary endurance to get where I’m going.

Newark, New Jersey's never looked so good. I blinked and I thought I was near the Port of Rotterdam! Lumix LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Newark, New Jersey’s never looked so good. I blinked and I thought I was near the Port of Rotterdam! Lumix LX7 photo June 2, 2015.

This means: Stopping off. Taking a break. Changing direction. Changing modes. Having a proper lunch. Going for a side trip. And then, eventually getting back on track.

I’m planning to intercept Norfolk & Western 611, by the way.

Mixed in with my regular Tracking the Light posts, I plan to have these ‘Special Extra Posts.’

Presently I’m near the heart of the old Pennsylvania Railroad.

Amtrak train 93 pauses at Philadelphia 30th Street Station. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Amtrak train 93 pauses on track 5 at Philadelphia 30th Street Station. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
That ad! I'm thinking K4s Pacific, Chinese Wall, Big Shed , Gothic head house—but think the oil company has other ideas. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
That ad! I’m thinking: K4s Pacific, Chinese Wall, Big Shed, Gothic head house and a bit of a nasty ol’ grade—but think the oil company has other ideas. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Amtrak number 93 at the top of the Solari Board. By the way: it was two minutes ahead of the advertised. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Amtrak number 93 at the top of the Solari Board. By the way: it was two minutes ahead of the advertised. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Classic terminal station. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Classic terminal station. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Streetcar in the rain! SEPTA's number 10 crosses Market Street. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.
Streetcar in the rain! SEPTA’s number 10 crosses Market Street. LX7 photo June 2, 2015.

Tracking the Light posts new material every morning.

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Rolling on the Railroad Special Post: Frosty Morning in Philadelphia.

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As Transmitted from Amtrak number 56, The Vermonter. 

This morning I started at Overbrook, Pennsylvania, where frosty temperatures and a clear sky made for some stunning lighting effects. The cold wasn’t aiding timely railroad operations.

I caught a SEPTA local to 30th Street Station. I was booked to travel on the Vermonter, but delays gave me ample time to wander around and down load digital photos from my cameras.

An outbound SEPTA multiple unit catches the glint of the rising sun at Overbrook, Pennsylvania before 8am on January 23, 2014.
An outbound SEPTA multiple unit catches the glint of the rising sun at Overbrook, Pennsylvania before 8am on January 23, 2014. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
An eastbound SEPTA multiple unit passes Overbrook, Pennsylvania before 8am on January 23, 2014. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
An eastbound SEPTA multiple unit passes Overbrook, Pennsylvania before 8am on January 23, 2014. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
Canon 200mm view of a non-stop SEPTA MU east of Overbrook, PA, on January 23, 2014.
Canon 200mm view of a non-stop SEPTA MU east of Overbrook, PA, on January 23, 2014.
The Solari boards at 30th Street didn't paint a happy picture. Delays and cancelations were the rule of the day. My train was only about 40 minutes behind the advertised. Lumix LX3 photo.
The Solari boards at 30th Street didn’t paint a happy picture. Delays and cancelations were the rule of the day. My train was only about 40 minutes behind the advertised. Lumix LX3 photo. 
30th Street Station, Philadelphia on the morning of January 23, 2014. Lumix LX3 photo.
30th Street Station, Philadelphia on the morning of January 23, 2014. Lumix LX3 photo.
30th Street Station from the 29th Street side. Lumix LX3 photo
30th Street Station from the 29th Street side. Lumix LX3 photo
Amtrak veteran, AEM7 932 roars into 30th Street Station with the Vermonter in tow. I'm riding behind this locomotive as I write this. Lumix LX3 photo.
Amtrak veteran, AEM7 932 roars into 30th Street Station with the Vermonter in tow. I’m riding behind this locomotive as I write this. Lumix LX3 photo.
Amtrak 56 arrives at 30th Street, 40 minutes after its scheduled time. Better late than never. Lumix LX3 photo.
Amtrak 56 arrives at 30th Street, 40 minutes after its scheduled time. Better late than never. Lumix LX3 photo.

At present I’m gliding eastward across a snow covered urban landscape on the former New Haven Railroad. This is Tracking the Light’s first post sent directly from an Amtrak train.

View from Amtrak 56 on approach to New York's Hell Gate Bridge with the New York City Transit Authority below and the Manhattan skyline beyond. Lumix LX3 photo.
View from Amtrak 56 on approach to New York’s Hell Gate Bridge with the New York City Transit Authority below and the Manhattan skyline beyond. Lumix LX3 photo.
On board Amtrak number 56 The Vermonter, east of Penn-Station, New York. Lumix LX3 photo.
On board Amtrak number 56 The Vermonter, east of Penn-Station, New York. Lumix LX3 photo.
Metro North Railroad HyRail truck as viewed from Amtrak 56 on the afternoon of January 23, 2014. Lumix LX3 photo.
Metro North Railroad HyRail truck as viewed from Amtrak 56 on the afternoon of January 23, 2014. Lumix LX3 photo.
USDOT test car on the old New Haven Railroad west of Stamford on January 23, 2014. Lumix LX3.
USDOT test car on the old New Haven Railroad west of Stamford on January 23, 2014. Lumix LX3.

 Tracking the Light posts new material every morning.

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DAILY POST: Vestiges of the Pennsylvania Railroad

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46 Years Later, Hints Remain of the Old Order.

 Philadelphia was the Pennsylvania Railroad’s headquarters city. Despite multitudes of change in the industry since PRR merged with New York Central in 1968, there’s still plenty of  Pennsy cues around Philly.

For me this is like finding hints of a long lost empire.

Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Railroad’s Suburban Station. Lumix LX3.
Interior of 30th Street Station. The commemorative statue depicts an angel carrying a soldier skyward which symbolizes PRR’s employees who perished in action during World War II.
Interior of 30th Street Station. The commemorative statue depicts an angel carrying a soldier skyward which symbolizes PRR’s employees who perished in action during World War II.

 

The keystone was PRR's symbol. If one searches around Philadelphia's 30th Street, there are still plenty of PRR keystones to be found. Lumix LX3 photo.
The keystone was PRR’s symbol. If one searches around Philadelphia’s 30th Street, there are still plenty of PRR keystones to be found. Lumix LX3 photo.
Old PRR station at Clifton-Aldan, Pennsylvania. Lumix LX3 photo.
Old PRR station at Clifton-Aldan, Pennsylvania. Lumix LX3 photo.
Railroad signal.
A PRR-style position light signal at Overbrook, displays an ‘Approach-Medium’ aspect. Canon EOS 7D photo.
Overbrook Station on the Main Line, as seen on the evening of January 18, 2014.
Overbrook Station on the Main Line, as seen on the evening of January 18, 2014.

 [click here for views of the January 20th 2014 Schuylkill River derailment]

Tracking the Light posts new material every morning.

Please spread the word and share Tracking the Light with anyone who may enjoy seeing it!

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See:  Exploring SEPTA

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