I caught up with Norfolk Southern’s H23 local freight at Lancaster Junction (see my earlier post), and followed it to Manheim, Pa.
I’ve visited the old Reading & Columbia station in Manheim on several occasions. This classic station is now a museum and captures the atmosphere of a typical small town railroad depot.
Knowing the train wasn’t far behind me, I set up timetable east of the station building and after a very short wait, the headlight came into view.
Although clouds resulted in dappled light, I made some satisfying images of the short freight approaching and passing Manheim.
Photos exposed digitally using a Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm Nikkor Z-series zoom.
Tracking the Light is about my process of making photos. Not every adventure results in photographic masterpieces, nor is every excursion an all day adventure.
Since relocating to Pennsylvania last year, Kris and I have enjoyed making drives near where we live. These often include explorations of railroad lines past and present. I’m always looking for an angle and the posibilities for future photographs, while enjoying seeking out where the tracks go. For me its about putting together the pieces of a big puzzle.
Among the lines we have explored recently are vestiges of the old Reading Company’s Reading & Columbia routes. On a warm bright evening last week, we drove to Manheim, where Kris enjoyed an iced treat, while we explored. Norfolk Southern maintains a section of the old Reading that runs between Lancaster and Lititz. At Manheim there is a wye where a short section of the old branch to Mount Hope connects to the main stem of the former P&C route.
The East Penn Railroad keeps a venerable SW900 switcher on the branch near a fuel facility that is surrounded by fencing. Earlier in the week, I was chatting with my friend Dan Howard about this locomotive and he suggested a safe location to make photos. While less than ideal for classic locomotive portraits, at least I was to document the old locomotive in its environment.
Perhaps someday, we’ll catch this antique on the move. If not, at least I made an effort to seek it out. These recent efforts reminded me of trips with Dan 40 years ago to locate a Bay Colony Railroad Alco switcher stored near Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts, and exploration of Bay Colony operated trackage to Medfield Junction.
Photos below were exposed using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens.
Crossbucks mark the former Reading Co., trackage on the north leg of the wye at Manheim, PA. Although I have yet to see a train here, the trackage appears to be used on a regular basis.East Penn Railroad 52 is stored near the north end of the Manheim wye on a short vestige of the old branch to Mount Hope. This is among the curiosities we’ve expored in Pennsylvania Dutch country near Lancaster, Pa.
Like it or not, local spelling (and pronunciation) is always correct.
I visited Mannheim, Germany in August 1998, where I made this Sensia color slide of a DB class 103 electric departing the main station.
Manheim, Pennsylvania is a town on the old Reading Company that is less than half an hour from our home in Lancaster.
Fujichrome Sensia (100 ISO), exposed using a Nikon F3T with f2.8 135mm Nikkor telephoto lens.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Nikkor Z-series zoom. Camera mounted on a Bogen tripod.
In the gloom of a cold winter night, we followed the old Reading Company tracks to the station at Manheim, Pa..
This preserved building is now maintained by the Manheim Historical Society. A few restored freight cars are displayed outside along with a Pennsylvania Railroad caboose, plus railroad artifacts such as historic baggage carts.
The tracks are operated by Norfolk Southern.
I exposed these photos with my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens mounted on a tripod. In post processing I adjusted the NEF RAW files to adjust color temperature, lighten shadows, control highlights and reduce contrast.
