Tag Archives: #Marietta

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Marietta in the Ink of Night

Having rolled by Norfolk Southern’s H19 local freight at Cola Interlocking in Columbia, we took advantage of the slow-speed switch (which restricted the freight’s speed as it continued west on to NS’s Port Road Branch), and zipped ahead of the train by road.

We drove along West Front Street in Marietta, an older part of town near the Susquehanna River. We paused at my preselected location, where I set up my Nikon Z6-III on a 3Pod tripod and waited for the approaching local freight to illuminate the scene.

Marietta’s inky darkness made for a compelling setting, but it also created extreme contrast when the headlights of the leading SD60E pierced the night. I exposed a series of images, yet I think I prefer the photographs made before the locomotives came into view.

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography, day and night!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Waiting for a Train by the light of a Full Moon and Dancing Fireflies.

We call them ‘blinky bugs’.

Riverfront Park in Marietta is a peaceful place along the banks of the Susquehanna and nice spot to wait for a freight on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Secondary.

On previous visits Kris and I could watch the fireflies, while listening to a distant train rolling down the river.

The other night featured the appearance of the brilliant full moon— a radiant golden orb that gradually rose in the eastern sky.

As we waited, I made photos of the moon and blinky bugs using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens.

Focusing was a problem, finding the ideal exposure was another.

This image required substantial contrast and exposure control in post-processing.

After an hour, no steel wheels had graced the former PRR lines crossing Vinegar Ferry Road that leads to the park. With no distant rumble and work the next morning, we departed for home. At Washington Boro, the signals indicated than an eastbound was in the picture, but we were out of time. Observing the nocturnal passage of freight would have to wait for another evening’s adventures.

Tracking the Light explores photography!