Tag Archives: #East Deerfield

East Deerfield— Dozen Years Ago

The McClelland Farm Bridge over the yard at East Deerfield, Massachusetts was known as the ‘Railfan’s Bridge’, although in my circles we called it the ‘Waste too much Film Bridge.’

This was a great place to catch the action.

On July 30, 2012, I made this view of Pan Am Railway’s road freight EDMO (East Deerfield to Mohawk Yard, Schectady, NY) beginning its westward journey over the Boston & Maine Fitchburg Route.

Much has changed in the last dozen years. The bridge was replaced; the railroad changed hands, and most of the classic EMD locomotives have been supplanted with more modern machines.

In 2012, I was working with a Canon EOS-7D ditial camera. I used this as my primary camera from June 2010 until I bought my first Fuji XT-1 in winter 2015. I still have the Canon. It’s a good camera and there’s nothing wrong with it, but my more modern cameras have a variety of operating advantages largely related to advances in autofocus systems, improved sensors, and improvements with lenses.

I still like the Canon color profile which made for beautiful images right out of the camera.

Glinty SD40-2

The old McClelland Farm Road Bridge at the west of Guilford Rail System’s East Deerfield Yard was a favorite place to make photos of diesel locomotives.

Back in August 2004, I made this detailed low sun view of CP Rail SD40-2 5857 passing below the ever-popular bridge.

Fujichrome color slide exposed with a Nikon F3 and 180mm telephoto lens.

Tracking the Light is Daily!

East Deerfield—Nice Light, No Trains.

Sunday, January 24, 2021, on the drive back to the White Mountains, we diverted to the old Boston & Maine yard at East Deerfield, Massachusetts.

It was my most recent visit to this hallowed ground of New England railroading, a place where I’ve photographed countless hundreds of trains over the last four decades.

It was Kris Sabbatino’s first visit.

Winter evening light made for some wonderful photographs.

These images were exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm lens using the Velvia color profile. Other than scaling for internet presentation, I made no alternations to the camera Jpgs.

Tracking the Light Posts Every day!

Old View of Old East Deerfield Railfan’s Bridge.

On the morning of June 29, 1985, I exposed this black & white photo of the McClelland Farm Road bridge over Boston & Maine’s East Deerfield Yard.

This is the famed ‘Railfan’s Bridge’, which was then a very popular place to make photos and watch trains.

Over the years on Tracking the Light I’ve featured many views of this bridge and its replacement being built.

Exposed using a Rolleiflex Model T with 75mm f3.5 Zeiss Tessar on Kodak Professional 120 Tri-X (rated at ISO 320) using a 645-sized ‘super slide insert’.

I processed the film in Kodak D76, and yesterday I scanned the now 34 year old negative using an Epson V600 flatbed scanner.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Pan Am POED Five Years Ago

On this day five years ago (October 23, 2015), I photographed Pan Am symbol freight POED crossing the Connecticut River at East Deerfield, Massachusetts.

I was working with my first FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm Fujinon zoom.

This image is scaled from the in-camera JPG exposed using the Velvia color profile—designed by Fuji to emulate the color palette and contrast of its popular color slide film of the same brand name.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

East Deerfield Yard, September 30, 1984—Two photos.

I took a break from classes at Hampshire College and ventured to Boston & Maine’s East Deerfield yard (near Greenfield, Massachusetts) with some friends for a day of photography.

Among the many trains we saw that day was B&M’s EDSP (East Deerfield to Springfield) through freight that operated with a GP18/GP9/GP7 locomotive combination.

At the time this was a refreshing throwback, as more modern and often mixed lash-ups of B&M, Maine Central and Delaware & Hudson locomotives tended to predominate on the east-west Fitchburg route via the Hoosac Tunnel.

I was especially keen to picture GP7 1566, which was among the last to retain its vertical white nose stripe and harked back to an earlier era.

Photos were exposed on Kodak black & white film using my Leica 3A.

Tracking the Light Looks Back!

An SD45 Emerges from the Mists of Time.

Just now I was searching for another photo, and I came across this scan from a 35mm black & white negative that I exposed in June 1989.

This was on a routine trip to East Deerfield. It was a foggy morning, as mists clung to the Connecticut River Valley and over Boston & Maine’s sprawling yards behind me.

I was standing at the famous ‘Railfans Bridge’ where countless thousands of photos were exposed over the years (and that’s just my personal collection, not to mention all the photos made by countless other photographers).

I was working with my father’s M3 fitted with a 90mm Leitz telephoto.

At the time, a long-hood forward SD45 at this common location probably didn’t rate my A-list. Yet any SD45 on the move would have warranted my attention.

Look at the old B&M phone box to the left of the locomotives.

When I revue my old photos, I am routinely surprised how the common has become cool.

Tracking the Light Looks Back!