This features recent work and exceptional images for display and discussion.
Yesterday morning (Saturday March 12, 2022), heavy wet snow fell on Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
Kris and I arrived about 11am to travel on the train, and I exposed this sequence of telephoto views using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm.
The combination of wonderfully preserved railroad equipment and windy wet snow made for some excellent conditions to make classic railroad vignettes.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
On a visit to Prague, Czech Republic in October 2016, I bought several rolls of locally produced Fomapan black & white film.
At a suburban station to the east of the city center, I made this view of an old four-wheel freight wagon parked on a siding and consumed by the local vegetation.
This photo is a scaled Jpg from the original scanned negative. I made no adjustment to the scanned file in regards to contrast, exposure or sharpness.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
In several recent Tracking the Light posts, I displayed photos of Dublin’s LUAS trams crossing the 1820’s era cast iron River Liffey span.
In this March 11, 2014 Lumix LX3 photo, the bridge, rather than the tram crossing it, was the emphasis my photography.
My old LX3 was a wonderful and convenient tool for making urban images. Although more difficult to use, looking back I think it produced better compositions than its LX7 successor. That said, I’m on my 3rd Lumix LX7!
This view is a scaled, but otherwise unaltered version of the LX3 Jpg file made 8 years ago today.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
When in Dublin, I’d walk by Irish Rail’s Heuston Station almost daily.
In the evening on 10 March 2014, and again one year later, I captured views of the passing LUAS trams at Heuston.
Where the setting and scenes seem routine, I always try to make a new angle on the subject.
Tracking the Light is Daily!
On March 8, 2014, photographer Dennis McCabe and I followed this Bord na Mona empty train compass west from the Edenderry Power Station to this rural level crossing near the village of Daingean, Co. Offaly.
The train was one of two heading out on the bog to a comparatively remote loading site to collect peat for delivery to the power station.
We had scoped out this location on an earlier trip, and at the time I was delighted to catch a train movement at this obscure location on the Irish Bord na Mona narrow gauge network.
Below are two variations of the same photo.
One was right out of my Lumix LX3, the other involves cropping the foreground and sky.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
It was a typical overcast afternoon in Dublin on March 7, 2017.
I was in position above Irish Rail’s Phoenix Park Tunnel on Conyngham Road, not far from my bus stop.
Not far off camera to the right was the location of the Islandbridge apartment where I resided on/off for 15 years when visiting in Dublin.
Working with my first Lumix LX7, I made this image of Irish Rail’s UP IWT Liner from Ballina.
The RAW file was a little on the dark side, so I adjusted the image using Lightroom. I lightened the shadow areas, while working with the ‘Select Sky’ feature to hold detail in the sky area.
Not long after exposing this photo, I walked down to Ryan’s pub on Park Gate Street to meet some friends for a pint.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
During the last week I was using a GoPro camera to film the view from New Hampshire’s Conway Scenic Railroad Snow Train.
The railroad had fitted a clamp with the GoPro mounting device in order to attach the camera to the locomotive and cars in order to get unusual visual angles of the train in motion.
On one occasion I traveled with the miniature camera to make sure it was filming and didn’t get knocked from the train during the course of its journey.
In another instance, I was satsified with the camera’s position, and let it make the full round trip to Attitash and back. This even caught me in the act of photographing the train from the ground.
Tracking the Light posts Every Day!
The other day, I exposed this sequence of digital photos while traveling on Conway Scenic’s Snow Train along New Hampshire’s Saco River on the former Maine Central Mountain Division near milepost 64.
Snow Train has only three more days of scheduled operations before it concludes its 2022 season, and I’ve been trying to make the most of the frozen landscapes before the train finishes.
Photos exposed on March 2, 2022 using a Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens.
Tracking the Light is Daily!
On March 2, 2015, I walked across the Sean Heuston Bridge (formerly Kingsbridge) toward Heuston Station.
I’ve crossed this 19th century cast iron span over the Liffey perhaps a 1000 times (maybe more) during the many years I spent photographing Dublin.
LUAS tram 3019 decorated to advertise Sky Fibre (cable television) was working westbound toward its station stop at Heuston when I made a snapshot with my old Lumix LX7. The Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate looms to the left.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
The other day, I caught a returning Snow Train at Intervale, New Hampshire with the great mass of Mount Washington looming 18 miles to the North.
In the lead was former Maine Central Railroad GP38 252. A locomotive delivered in November 1966.
Fresh snow and bright sun help make the photo. This same location isn’t as impressive on a dull day when clouds obscure the mountain.
Exposed with my Nikon Z6 fitted with a Z-series f2.8 70-200mm zoom.
Ten years ago today (February 28, 2012), I made this photo of CSX Q300 on the old Reading Company at West Trenton, New Jersey.
My old Lumix LX3 was a little tricky to use when making action photos of trains. If the camera was in full ‘auto’ mode and I pressed on the shutter release the camera would hesitate for a moment.
The trick was to use the manual setting and then ‘queue-up’ the camera by presssing the shutter release halfway in preparation for making a photo. In this way the camera shutter would release almost instantaneously when pressed the remainder of the way, thus allowing for a composition with full-frame view of a moving train, such as this one.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
Friday, February 25, 2022, it snowed all day.
Yesterday, Saturday Feburary 26, I set up for the first Snow Train of the morning near the Ellis River Bridge in Glen, New Hampshire.
A massive mound of freshly plowed snow made for a elevated platform for which to stand upon.
As the train roared west over the Ellis, it set free a cascade of fresh show that showered down upon the train.
I made this telephoto view with my Nikon Z6 digital camera.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Sometimes the last photo of the day, is the best photo of the day.
Photographer Pat Yough and I were on our way back from the Philadelphia area on February 26, 2012. We stopped briefly at Raritan, New Jersey along NJ Transit’s former Central Railroad of New Jersey main line.
I made this reflection of an Alstom-built PL42AC with my old Lumix LX3.
This photo is scaled directly from the camera-RAW file using Lightroom.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
On the evening of February 25, 2013, I was walking along the wall on the St. Johns Road in Dublin. There’s a low spot where a few stones have been dislodged, and it was here I peered over the wall.
A Cork train was heading down road behind 201-class 219. Working with my old Lumix LX3, I exposed this pan photo.
The original file was a bit dark, so I lightened the camera-RAW file using Lightroom and scaled it for presentation here.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
In May 2000, an Irish Rail train consisting of six 2700-series railcars approaches Newbridge, Co. Kildare.
The 2700s were only about a year old at the time.
Today, Irish Rail’s 2700s are long-stored out-of-service, ticking away the clock until they are sold, scrapped, or maybe, just maybe, returned to traffic. . . .
Tonight, Thursday, February 24, 2022, I’ll be presenting a Zoom slide show on Conway Scenic Railroad to the members of the Irish Railway Record Society.
Tracking the Light Looks Back!
NI Railways’ former Great Northern Railway (of Ireland) station at Lisburn is a classic that retains its traditional appearance including platform canopies and footbridge.
I made this view on a visit in Spring 2001. Working with my Rollei Model T, I exposed a geometerically balanced composition, where I’ve used the canopy supports as a visual partition that divides the photo evenly at the center.
Perfectly centered compositions are frowned upon in some circles, but I’ve occasionally executed successful and visually dynamic photos using this technique. In this instance I don’t think my photo could have been improved by off-center placement of the column.
Since background elements vary considerably on the right and left sides, the centered composition helps weigh the intrigue of one side versus the other.
Do you think this image would be improved if I had included a train?
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
It is rarely recognized, however on a clear winter day you can see Mount Washington from the platform of the North Conway Station.
Yesterday, I made these photos of the arriving Snow Train as I perched atop a snow mound adjacent to the platform.
I lined up the mountain, station and train using my Nikon Z6 with Z-series 70-200mm zoom.
To soften contrast, I lightened the shadows in post processing, while slighly boosting the color saturation.
I imagine that back in 1874, when the station opened, there was an unobstructed view of Mount Washington. Today, trees, buildings, and wires make for a cluttered scene.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Boston & Maine F7A 4268, under restoration by the 470 Club, catches a ray of sun in the North Conway, New Hampshire roundhouse last week.
Soon it hoped this classic EMD diesel-electric will be moving under its own power.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
On this day six years ago—February 18, 2016— Mike Gardner and I photographed a westward Pan Am Railways freight that was tied down at North Adams, Massachusetts awaiting a re-crew.
I made these photos using my Lumix LX7.
The Pan Am blue SD40-2s made for interesting subjects. I felt that this shade of blue looked good in the winter sunlight.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
After a light snowfall in December 1993, I set up at CP79 east of Palmer, Massachusetts, where an eastward Conrail freight led by DASH-8-40C 6069 was holding on the Controlled Siding to meet a set of light engines rolling west behind B23-7 1992.
I was working with my Nikon F3T fitted with an Nikkor AF28MM lens. Since the F3T wasn’t equipped with autofocus, I set the focus manually.
This lens offered a wide perspective and tended to vignette the corners of the photo. Also because it was relatively wide, the relative motion of the leading locomotive to the film plane was greater than with a longer focal length lens, and resulted in a slight blurring, despite a 1/250th of second shutter speed.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
In May 2001, I stood on the old footbridge at Irish Rail’s Kildare Station and framed an up-road train using the bridge’s lattice iron-work .
Irish Rail locomotive 213 (of the 201 class EMD diesels) led Mark III carriages. At the time this was about as common as one could expect for an Intercity passenger run.
Now, the Intercity MarkIII carriages are long gone, and old 213 is among the 201-class diesels stored at Inchicore.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Last week subzero temperature following a heavy snow resulted in some very wintery scenes around the North Conway, NH station.
The polarized February sky and low sun made for excellent photographic conditions.
I made these digital photos using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm zoom lens.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
On an evening in Spring 2001, I made this monochrome silhouette at Dublin’s Heuston Station using my Rollei Model T. The photo brings back memories of another time.
The place has much changed in the intervening 21 years since the click of the shutter.
This shows Irish Rail class 141/181s working as shunters, a practice that ended about a dozen years ago when locomotive hauled consists were phased out in favor of modern self propelled Intercity Railcars (ICRs). Among the other changes: the platform arrangement was altered and extended, while the trainshed roof restored.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Friday, February 11, 2022, New Hampshire’s Conway Scenic operated its vintage Russell snow plow with former Maine Central Railroad GP38 255 pushing it west toward Attitash.
I followed the plow by road and made a few select digital photos with my Nikon Z6 fitted with 70-200mm lens.
To get a good snow exposure I dialed in ‘+3’ to the expose compensation, which helps keep the snow white. I metered manually with the in-camera ‘matrix meter’, then set both shutter speed and aperture manually.
Although I set the camera’s focas point, I let the Nikon’s autofocus system work as intended.
In a few instances, I hiked into locations to get the best angle where the snow was the deepest. On more than one occasion I found myself up to my hips in snow.
It was a good day out with the plow!
A couple of weeks ago, I put together a video for Conway Scenic on the operation of the plow. This was mostly filmed in 2021. It is available on You Tube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp5Qg-5_B6M
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Way back in April 2001, photographer Mike Gardner and I paid a visit to the closed Old State Road bridge over the former West Shore route at Guilderland, New York.
This was only a couple of years after CSX assumed operation of Conrail’s former New York Central Waterlevel Route across New York State. At that time this was an exceptionally busy line with a non-stop parade of freights.
I made this coming and going pair of photos using my Rollei Model T. This featured a very sharp f3.5 Zeiss Tessar lens.
My choice of film was Kodak Tri-X processed in Ifotec HC developer. I scanned the negatives yesterday using my Epson V600 flatbed scanner, then made minor adjustements to the TIF scans using Adobe Light room to improve constrast and exposure.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
A few weeks ago, I posted comparative views of southward trains at the South Monson crossing between Route 32 and the former Central Vermont Railway, now New England Central. See: http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/2022/01/25/south-monson-1983-2018/
One view dated from 1983, the other from 2018.
This snow photo was exposed from the same vantage point exactly nine years ago today—February 10, 2013.
For comparison, I’ve included scaled versions of the other South Monson photos.
I suppose you could call call these ‘Then, then, and When.’
Tracking the Light Looks Back!
On occasion I make a photograph for one of my friends.
Saturday, February 5, 2022, I traveled on Conway Scenic’s 1130 Snow Train (a train for which I drafted the schedule). Upon crossing the Ellis River bridge in Glen, New Hampshire, I though this would be an ideal place to photograph the train with heavily snow covered trees.
I returned later, and wading through deep snow I put myself in position on the west bank of the Ellis to capture the the return run of the 1330 Snow Train.
Wayne Duffett was the locomotive engineer, as seen in the cab of former Maine Central 255. Wayne is also the railroad’s bridge engineer with whom I traveled last year on his detailed structural inspection of this span and others along the line. Further, it was Wayne who first recommended to me a vantage point on the banks of Ellis.
Saturday at North Conway, NH the combination fresh snow, a clear cold sky, and brightly painted EMD diesels in a quaint setting made for some great photo opportunities.
Although compact and lightweight, my Lumix LX7 is a handy tool for capturing railroad photos. I carry it with me often, even when I have bigger cameras at hand.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Eight Years ago—February 7, 2014—I made this trailing view of Amtrak’s Acela Express racing eastward at West Haven, Connecticut.
My father and I spent the morning along the former New Haven Railroad electrified mainline photographing Amtrak and Metro-North trains in action.
Exposed digitally using my Canon EOS-7D with a prime 200mm lens.
Yesterday, I made some snowy photos with this same old Canon, which after a dozen years still makes excellent images.
Tracking the Light Posts Everyday!
Driving around a few weeks ago, Kris and I paused at Gorham, New Hampshire, where I made these views of the old Grand Trunk Railway station
I wanted to feature broadside photographs that show the profile of the station perpendicular to the railroad rather than more common three-quarter views nearer to the tracks.
For these photos I was working with my Nikon Z6 fitted with my 70-200mm Z-series zoom lens. I made mild adjustment to constrast and saturation in post processing.
Do the modern highway vehicles improve or detract from the photos of the station?
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
On 13 April, 2001, I traveled with the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland to Mullingar, where I exposed a roll of Kodak 120 Tri-X using a Rolleiflex Model T.
Among the photos I made was this group portrait featuring RPSI’s steam locomotive 461 on the Mullingar turntable with an array of Irish Rail and RPSI crew and members.
If I recall correctly, RPSI’s Kevin Walker and Denis McCabe assisted with arranging the group portrait.
Many years earlier, I learned a trick for getting large numbers of people to all look at the camera at the moment of exposure.
I think I was pretty successful here.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
I titled this photo, ‘The Usual Suspects.’ This made it a bit harder to locate in my files.
In May 2003, I was traveling with the lads from Dublin to Crewe (England) by way of the ferry to Holyhead in Wales.
Along the journey, I exposed this group portrait in front of Virgin Cross Country HST.
Saturday evening (January 29, 2022), I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend and fellow photographer Aiden McDonnell, who is pictured here second from the left.
I’ve often made it point to photograph my friends when on excursions to document the passing railroad scene. I’m really glad that I did.
RIP Aiden.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day.
In May 1998, I stood at the south end of platform 5 of Dublin’s Connolly Station where I made this view of 2600-series diesel multiple units as they accelerated away from the platforms toward Tara Street on the Loop Line.
I was working with my Nikon F3T loaded with Fujichrome Sensia II (ISO 100).
At the time the 2600s were a common sight in Dublin.
This photo reminds me of my first impressions of Dublin and how much has changed since 1998.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
July 2005. The view from my old flat at Islandbridge in Dublin.
Irish Rail 165 leads an evening Guinness Transfer over the RIver Liffey heading into the Phoenix Park tunnel toward Dublin’s North Wall.
I made this image on Fujichrome using a Nikon with a 180mm prime telephoto.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
On November 10, 1985, I had my father’s Rollei loaded with Verichrome Pan black & white 120-size roll film.
Using the camera with the 645-size insert, I photographed Boston & Maine GP38-2 201 leading one of Maine Central’s former Rock Island U25Bs on a westward freight working the Fitchburg route at Greenfield, Massachusetts.
I scanned the negative with my Epson V600 flatbed scanner, then imported the scan into Adobe Lightroom to make a series of contrast and exposure adjustments, while elimintating dusk specs to improve the negative.
I liked the stark quality of Verichrome that made it well suited to November in New England
Tracking the Light is a Daily Blog.
Yesterday evening Conway Scenic Railroad operated a work extra with GP38 252 and the company’s vintage Russell snow plow.
I wrote the orders for the train, then went out along the line to make some photos with my Nikon Z6 mirrorless digital camera.
Low pastel sunlight made for some beautiful snowy scenes.
I caught the plow extra at Glen, NH, not far from the Ellis River crossing.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
