Tag Archives: #Columbia

photography

Improving My Angle on Milepost 37

Yesterday, a tornado hit Columbia, Pa., tearing the roof off a building and causing other damage.

Just two days earlier, Kris, Seamus, and I waited trackside in town, listening not for a warning siren, but for the scanner’s crackle: “Clear Cola eastbound.”

When we heard that, I drove into position near my pre-selected location near milepost 37 on the Port Road Branch. I’d posted a photo from this location a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to try the location again, this time with a telephoto lens and from a slightly different vantage point.

My goal was to better feature the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries Route 462 over the Susquehanna River and can be seen to the left of the locomotive in the latter images of this sequence.

Not long after parking, we could hear Norfolk Southern unit coal train 594 rolling along.

I made these photos with my Nikon Z7-II fitted with an f/2.8 Nikkor 70-200mm lens.

To make the most of the evening light, I processed the NEF RAW files using DxO PureRaw 5 with DeepPRIME 3 corrections, followed by adjustments in PhotoLab 9.

Norfolk Southern 4371 leads unit coal train symbol 594 destined for Baltimore.
It was just after 8pm on Tuesday when I made this sequence of Norfolk Southern 594.
Of the five frame sequence, this is my favorite. I’ve altered the image using PhotoLab9 to improve contrast, exposure and color palate.
My goal was to better feature the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries Route 462 over the Susquehanna River

Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography and wishes Columbia a speedy recovery!

photography

Improving My Angle on Milepost 37

Yesterday, a tornado hit Columbia, Pa., tearing the roof off a building and causing other damage.

Just two days earlier, Kris, Seamus, and I waited trackside in town, listening not for a warning siren, but for the scanner’s crackle: “Clear Cola eastbound.”

When we heard that, I drove into position near my pre-selected location near milepost 37 on the Port Road Branch. I’d posted a photo from this location a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to try the location again, this time with a telephoto lens and from a slightly different vantage point.

My goal was to better feature the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries Route 462 over the Susquehanna River and can be seen to the left of the locomotive in the latter images of this sequence.

Not long after parking, we could hear Norfolk Southern unit coal train 594 rolling along.

I made these photos with my Nikon Z7-II fitted with an f/2.8 Nikkor 70-200mm lens.

To make the most of the evening light, I processed the NEF RAW files using DxO PureRaw 5 with DeepPRIME 3 corrections, followed by adjustments in PhotoLab 9.

Norfolk Southern 4371 leads unit coal train symbol 594 destined for Baltimore.
It was just after 8pm on Tuesday when I made this sequence of Norfolk Southern 594.
Of the five frame sequence, this is my favorite. I’ve altered the image using PhotoLab9 to improve contrast, exposure and color palate.

Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography and wishes Columbia a speedy recovery!

photography

Evening Angle on Cola

Columbia, Pa., has a fascinating railroad history, but is difficult to portray.

I’ve been seeking an angle that makes the most of Cola Tower.

The other evening, Norfolk Southern’s 38V (Enola to Baltimore) was held at the west home signal for Cola interlocking. The old Cola Tower stands as a relic of an earlier era. As we waited for the train to get a clear signal through the interlocking, I examined a few locations.

This view looking railroad west seems cluttered and distracting during daylight. However, in the glow of evening, it conveys the spirit of the place.

Photos exposed using my Nikon Z6-III with an f/1.4 50mm lens mounted on a 3Pod tripod. NEF RAW files processed using DxO PureRaw 5 with DeepPRIME 3 corrections. 

Top photo; ISO 32000, f1.4, 1/80th second, auto white balance.

Bottom photo: ; ISO 32000, f1.4, 1/160thth second, auto white balance. The shorter shutter speed was necessary to better freeze the action and minimize overexposure of the headlights.

Tracking the Light has explored railroad photography since 2012.

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Coal Train Against an Evening Sky

This is a story about focus, color, and contrast.

The setup: At Washington Boro, we noted a Clear signal for an eastward train. We continued to Columbia while I scouted potential locations near milepost 37. We waited near COLA Tower until I heard on the train radio, “Clear COLA.”—the eastward train calling the nearest signal at the far end of the interlocking. That gave me the 60 to 90 seconds I needed to get into position near Milepost 37.

There was just enough light remaining in the evening sky to compose what was essentially a daylight photograph. I framed the train between the former Pennsylvania Railroad catenary poles, using the colorful sunset sky and the Susquehanna River as the backdrop.

I placed my focus point toward the lower left of the frame and used a very wide aperture to maximize the available light while separating the background from the main subject—Norfolk Southern locomotive No. 4613.

Initially, I wasn’t pleased with the results, but Kris thought that I’d made a great photo. That prompted me to take another look and interpret what I’d captured.

I created two different interpretations from the RAW file, which I first converted to a DNG using DxO PureRAW 5 with DeepPRIME 3 processing and lens corrections.

The top image benefits from carefully adjusted local contrast, while the lower version features greater amont of brightening and sharpening to emphasize detail.

Which interpretation do you prefer?

Stay tuned for more!

Tracking the Light examines the details of railroad photography.

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Parade of Machines by Moonlight

In recent weeks, a surfacing gang has been working along the Susquehanna River on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Secondary. On our drive the other evening, we overtook dozens of track machines waiting to get in the clear of the main track at Columbia, Pa.

We paused near the old Pennsylvania Railroad station to watch the whirring parade of mechanical wonder. I made photos under a nearly full moon accented by street light and the lights on the myriad track machines as these glided past.

Photos exposed hand-held using a Nikon Z6-III with f1.4 50mm lens. RAW files were converted using DxO PureRaw5, which applies Deep Prime 3 corrections to demosiac and denoise files along with a host corrections to address lens imperfections. 

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

PRR Station Columbia

Ample ambient streetlight makes the old Pennsylvania Railroad station in Columbia a suitable situation for nocturnal railroad imagery.

Even on the inkiest of evenings there’s just enough light to stop a train.

In this photo, Norfolk Southern freight H19 is westbound from Lancaster, Pa., on its return to Enola Yard led by three SD60Es with 78 cars in tow.

Exposed using a Nikon Z6-III with Nikkon 50mm f1.4 lens set to its widest aperture, 1/320 second at ISO 12800. Image processed with DxO PureRaw5 to minimize noise.

One month ago, Norfolk Southern H19 is seen passing the old Pennsylvania Railroad station at (left) in Columbia, Pa.

Tracking the Light examines railroad night photography.

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Full Moon and Cotton Candy Sky

When I find a winning combination of time and place there’s a certain satisfaction in repeating the exercise and watching my results improve with each new variation.

I’ve made dozens of trips to Columbia, Pa., which is an historically fascinating place with several railroad lines converging upon it.

In daylight, it is visually challenged, and from my experience too often devoid of railroad activity.

In the evening it comes alive.

Finally over the last few weeks, Kris and I have caught trains moving through the Columbia after dark.

A few days ago, I display some successful images of Norfolk Southern on the move.

On Sunday, a full moon made for opportunity. Kris had suggested that we take another turn at Columbia, and we arrived in time to catch H19 running light engine from Lancaster, followed by a 632 loaded coal train.

My view of H19 passing the station was from essentially the same place as where I’d caught the same train a few nights previously. However, I composed my photo to included not just the train and old PRR station, but mural on the wall to the left, plus our car with Kris making a nocturnal video. For me what really adds drama is the moon rising with a cotton candy sky.

Exposed using my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Moonlight, COLA Signals, and a Coal Train

Friday night Kris suggested we go out exploring to find more freights on the move.

So with my 3Pod tripod and N7-II at the ready, we drove to the Susquehanna River at Columbia, Pa. On the way we heard the Enola-Lancaster turn key up Norfolk Southern’s River Line desk dispatcher. This train was looking for permission to return west to Enola, but needed to hold east of Columbia for a 596 unit coal train to clear the interlocking at Cola.

We had a few minutes to look for suitable locations, and at the last minute I settled on the westward home-signals at COLA on the Port Road (located off River Road in Columbia, Pa.)

The moon was nearly full.

I quickly set up my tripod and made this sequence of images as the loaded 596 coal train glided eastbound. In the lead was NS GE 4870, and similar to the train we saw last week, this had a two unit mid-train DPU and well over 200 cars.

All files exposed in NEF RAW format and converted to DNG format using PureRaw for import into Lightroom for cosmetic adjustment.

As soon as 596 had cleared COLA we repositioned to catch NS H19 coming off the branch from Lancaster. All of this was very exciting! Stay tuned for more photos . . .

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Cola with Stars

Saturday night, Kris again suggested we head out to find a freight train on the move.

Since we scored a loaded coal train on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Branch at Washington Boro, Pa. last week, I thought that would be a good place to start. As we arrived at the intersection of Rt999 and Water Street, I heard a whistle. We could see a distant headlight.

“Westbound!” Now that was good timing.

We drove west on Water Street toward Columbia, staying a good distance ahead of the train.

We pulled up near old Cola tower, where I had enought time to set the Nikon Z7-II to ‘M’ (manual), attach it to the tripod, level out the camera and frame up the scene, while setting the sensitivity to ISO4000 and adjusting the shutter speed.

Then the headlight came into view. It was a Norfolk Southern tank train, possibly an empty ethanol move? Kris counted 93 cars.

I made a sequence of images with the camera set at f4.5.

This selection was processed using DxO PureRaw to eliminate the effects of lens vignetting and reduce pixelization from the high ISO setting.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!