The morning of 15 September 2006 was clear and bright. It was the third attempt we made to catch Irish Rail’s Ballina-Dublin Norfolk liner from a vantage point in this field near Ballyvary, Co. Mayo.
On this day, many of the containers carried by the train were actually Norfolk Line boxes. While this may seem unremarkable, in practice it was relatively unusual, and on many days the train carried an assortment of 20 and 40 foot containers.
Norfolk Line was a component of the Maersk Group. Years later, this train became the IWT Liner, which years ago was a regular feature on Tracking the Light, as I often photograph it on my extended visits to Ireland.
I have a variety of connections with name Norfolk. My wife Kris grew up in the town of Norfolk, Massachusetts, and in recent years we have paid several visits to Norfolk, thus the photographs of MBTA near the Norfolk Station.
These days, American Class I carrier Norfolk Southern is among my regular subjects, including its local freights on the New Holland and Lititz Secondaries and on former Pennsylvania Railroad main lines.
A decade before I was born, my father paid visits to the Norfolk & Western to photograph their magnificent steam locomotives at work. I have often featured these images in my books, as well as N&W photos from other photographers, including the late John E. Pickett and Jim Shaughnessy.
Ten years ago, fellow photographer Pat Yough and I traveled to Norfolk, Virginia where we visited the Norfolk Southern Museum (that displayed one of my photos on the wall) and traveled on Norfolk’s The Tide lightrail system.
Tracking the Light Tracks Norfolk!
