Tag Archives: New England Central

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Dusk at East Northfield.

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It is unlikely you will find ‘East Northfield’ on most maps of Massachusetts, since this is a railroad location that doesn’t reflect local geography.

Not withstanding these directional peculiarities, East Northfield (as so-identified by New England Central’s sign) is a classic railroad location and a favorite place to photograph trains. Located on the Massachusetts-Vermont state line, this is where New England Central meets Pan Am’s Boston & Maine Connecticut River line from Greenfield.

On Friday, January 24, 2020, my friends, fellow photographers, Tim and Pat and I converged at the junction to make photographs of New England Central’s northward 611.

Here the train was held for a few minutes while Amtrak’s northward Vermonter made its Brattleboro station stop. Operational considerations typically find freights holding south of East Northfield until Amtrak is north of ‘West River’ (a railroad location situated north of Amtrak’s Brattleboro station).

The light was fading fast. So working with my FujiFilm XT1 with 90mm prime telephoto, I exposed a series of images to make the most of the tinted low lighting.

The first view was made with an auto-white balance setting. The second two using a daylight preset that results in the camera capturing more of the blue-spectrum of dusk.

Auto white balance; no post processing color correction.
Daylight white balance without post processing corrections.

This exposure was made a few minutes later and reflects the approach of evening after the amount of light had diminished. It was also made using the ‘Daylight’ white balance preset.

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New England Central on the Roll!

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After departing Greenfield, where I’d had the fortuity to catch a westward Pan Am empty grain train (Thursday’s posting on Tracking the Light), I drove to Millers Falls, Mass. My friends Tim and Pat were photographing the northward New England Central 611 turn on its run from Palmer back toward Brattleboro, Vermont.

I phoned Pat when I arrived at Millers Falls. “Where are you?”

“We’re in South Amherst, 611 is passing Amherst now.”

That was just the information I needed.

I knew it would be cutting it a bit fine (in other words; with the wind a my back, I’d barely make it) but I was going to try to run against this freight and intercept it at Leverett (north of Amherst on the old Central Vermont).

I’m no novice at following trains on this line. I recall a spirited chase of CV freight from Amherst to Millers Falls back in Spring 1986!

I had a clear shot to Leverett (I didn’t get stuck behind a school bus). I pulled in, grabbed my FujiFilm XT1, jumped out of the car and listened.

I could hear multiple 16-645E3 diesels working in run 7 or 8. They were very close.

I needed to change lenses and had just enough time to switch from a 27mm pancake lens to my fixed focal length ‘prime’ 90mm telephoto.

As I set my exposure, the freight roared around the bend! I exposed a burst of images and then laid chase back north again. At one point, I gazed in my rear-view and saw that my friends were behind me. Classic train chase!

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New England Central 437—White River Junction.

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Yesterday, January 1, 2020, I paused at White River Junction, Vermont, a place I first visited to make railroad photographs nearly 35 years ago.

That first visit was a warm sunny summer’s morning. By contrast yesterday’s visit was a wintery, cold and gray afternoon with hints of color in the southern sky.

New England Central local was working with GP40-2 437,  a locomotive still wearing Florida East Coast colors.

Nutt Lane, White River Junction, Vermont. January 1, 2020.

Former Boston & Maine bridge over the Connecticut River. Viewed from White River Junction, Vermont. January 1, 2020.

I made these photos using my FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm zoom lens.

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New ENgland Central November Sunrise at Stafford Springs

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Yesterday morning (November 26, 2019) was misty with a hint of orange in the sky.

New England November mornings can make for cosmic settings for railroad photos.

I made my way to downtown Stafford Springs to catch New England Central’s 608 winding its way through town.

Working with my FujiFilm XT1, I exposed this 90mm view of the northward freight as it crossed Route 32 in the center of town at 717am. (A little earlier than I expected).

Three GP38s in the classic New England Central blue and yellow (or navy and gold, if you prefer) paint scheme were in the lead.

It was the start of an auspicious and productive day of railroad photography!

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New England Central at State Line Crossing—Two Recent Photos.

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In recent days, New England Central’s Willimantic, Conn., to Palmer., Mass., turn running as job 608, has been back on its daylight schedule, which sees it reaching Stafford Springs, Connecticut at about 730am.

Thursday (November 21, 2019), I made a morning project of intercepting the train and photographing it on its northward run.

At the Massachusetts-Connecticut state line, the railroad crests the top of a divide known as ‘State Line Hill’ and begins its descent toward Palmer. Just north of the top of the hill the tracks cross Route 32, which is where I set up to make my photo.

This view was made using my FujiFilm X-T1 with 90mm prime telephoto.

I aimed to make a split scene, where the highway and railroad cross at the center and direct the eye to opposite sides of the frame.

The subject is the train, which has just caught the sun at the intersection of the state boundary.

The second view in shows the locomotive better, but is a less evocative image.

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Coming and Going with New England Central at Northfield, Massachusetts.

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Stark winter light suits black & white photography.

Back in January (2019), photographer Pat Yough and I made a day of photographing New England Central between White River Junction, Vermont and Leverett, Massachusetts.

Among the trains we photographed was freight 611, the Brattleboro to Palmer turn.

I made these views near Northfield, Massachusetts on Fuji Acros 100 black & white film using a Nikon F3 with 50mm lens.

To maximize tonality and detail, I used a split-development process, first soaking the film in a very dilute mixture of Kodak HC110, then a more concentrated mix of Rodinal.

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Weedy Summer: New England Central 611 at Vernon, Vermont.

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Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.

Warm sunny summer mornings are very pleasant. However with the warm weather comes rapid plant growth which can complicate railroad photography.

Take for example these views that I made at Vernon, Vermont at the end of June, 2019.

New England Central’s 611 crew was taking Brattleboro-Palmer turn southbound with locomotive 3476 in the lead (a one upon a time EMD SD45 re-built to a SD40-2/’SD40-3’ configuration.)

To get a bit of elevation, I scaled a mound on the east side of the line, near the grade crossing at the switch for the old power plant.

I liked the cows grazing in the nearby field, so working with my Canon EOS-7D with 200mm lens, I made a distant view. Unfortunately for the, the brush had grown so much that it seems like the freight is emerging from the undergrowth!

I also made a few photos with a FujiFilm XT1 and 27mm pancake lens. Of these, the more distant view seems to work better from a compositional standpoint. SD45 enthusiasts make argue otherwise!

FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm lens.

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New England Central—Telephoto at Brattleboro.

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I’ve posted a variety of my New England Central photos on my Flicker account. The link below should direct you there.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/163833022@N05/albums

Today on Tracking the Light:

Toward the end of June 2019, I visited New England Central’s yard at Brattleboro, Vermont.

It was the first time in many months that I used my old Canon EOS-7D, which I’d fitted with a 200mm telephoto lens.

As the 611 crew was getting organized to take Brattleboro to Palmer turn south, I made these photos.

I’ve always like the Canon color palate, which I believe is a function of their lenses and sensor. This is decidedly different than the digital photos I make with either my FujiFilm XT1 or Lumix LX7. Playing with a long telephoto is always fun, although in recent years I’ve shied away from very long lenses, as I’ve found that they tend to be overused.

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Two Railroads at the Junction—panoramic composite

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Click on Tracking the Light for the full view!

Last week, I made this panoramic composite using my FujiFilm XT1 with 90mm fixed-focal length (‘prime’) telephoto.

New England Central on the left; Vermont Rail System on the right; the station at White River Junction between them.

By ‘composite’, I mean that the camera exposed numerous single frame images as I swept across the scene and then assemble them internally using pre-programmed software. This feature is offered by both my XT1 and Lumix LX7 digital cameras.

If you would like to board a train from White River Junction for a leisurely ride along the river on June 15th:
http://massbayrre.org/Trips/GreenKnightTrain.htm
Photography encouraged!

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New England Central 437 Works White River Junction.

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Last week, I made these photographs of New England Central 437 and Buffalo & Pittsburgh 3000 working a local freight at White River Junction, Vermont.

Old 437 wears some tired looking Florida East Coast paint, revealing its former owner.

This local made numerous passes of the old station, making for ample photographic opportunities.

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NEW ENGLAND CENTRAL Elephant Style—Four GP38s Lead 608—Two Slides from 2004.

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New England Central 608, working from Palmer, Massachusetts to Willimantic, approaches Mansfield Depot, Connecticut on October 11, 2004.

For today’s Tracking the Light, I fished out a pair of slides I made back in October 2004 during a chase with New England Central 608 south from Palmer, Massachusetts.

On that day the freight was led by four GP38s, all facing southward, and I was seeking a location to capture this unusual event. (For the record, out of the photograph, there was a fifth GP38 in consist facing north).

Although imperfect, owing to clutter and brush in the foreground, I selected this elevated view north of Mansfield Depot.

I scanned the slides last night in preparation for this post. I don’t think they’d ever been out of the box before. Luckily I’d recorded the date and particulars on the slide box which saved me have to scan through my notebooks from 15 years ago.

I do recall that a friend of mine was visiting from across the pond and he was impressed by the ‘colletion of GMs’ as he called them, working that morning’s train.

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Palmer, Massachusetts—Track Changes soon! (Four views on Tracking the Light)

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On the way back from some errands this morning (May 18, 2019), I stopped at CP83 in Palmer, Massachusetts


Although not a wheel was turning, I was fascinated to discover some brand new points waiting for installation near the famous ‘diamond’ crossing (where CSX crosses New England Central) .

Using my Lumix LX7 digital camera I made these views of what appear to be a power derail.

Stay tuned!

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Orange Paint and Soft Sun: New England Central 611 at East Northfield.

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Monday, May 6, 2019, we set up at the classic location on the bridge at the junction East Northfield, where the New England Central and Boston & Maine lines come together, immediately south of the Vermont-Massachusetts state line.

Paul Goewey, John Peters and I had convened in Palmer and traveled north along the New England Central hoping to catch 611 on its southward run toward Palmer, which it does most weekday mornings.

We caught it several times, as pictured in Tracking the Light on May 7, 2019, before proceeding to this location.

Elevation and soft morning sun made for an excellent setting to picture the train in action. I made these views using a FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens.

We didn’t rest here, and continue south with the train to make more photographs.

FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens.


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New England Central Spring at Vernon, Vermont!

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Yesterday, May 6, 2019, my old friends Paul Goewey, John Peters and I made a foray to Brattleboro to intercept New England Central’s 611 on its southward run to Palmer. We didn’t have to wait very long!

At Vernon, we paused to make photographs. I’ve always been partial to the view with the farm and the unusually tall tree.

The morning sun was lightly dappled by clouds making for some slight diffused light. Working with a Lumix LX7 and FujiFilm XT1, I made a series of photographs as the freight roared passed. Soon we continued our pursuit, aiming to make more photos in the lush Spring greenery and low morning sun

Lumix LX7
FujiFilm XT1.
FujiFilm XT1.

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Cross-lit Crossing the Connecticut.

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In late April, after an interlude to photograph Amtrak 56, the northward Vermonter, Mike Gardner and I resumed our photo chase of New England Central’s northbound 611 (Brattleboro, VT to Palmer, Massachusetts and return), that would soon follow Amtrak’s train on it way north toward Brattleboro.

We arrived at the west end of the old Central Vermont Railway bridge over the Connecticut River (near the junction with Pan Am’s Boston & Maine at East Northfield) shortly before the freight crossed it.

Mike assumed a position at the classic location on the south side of the bridge, while I improvised with a view on the north side.

Why photograph from the ‘dark side’?

In this instance, I feel that the north side of the bridge offers a superior view of the setting, while cross lighting the train adds a sense of drama.

FujiFilm XT1 with 90mm telephoto.


Lumix LX7 photo.


Lumix LX7 photo.

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Millers Falls High Bridge—Revisited.

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The early 20thcentury pin-connected deck truss over the Millers River at its namesake Millers Falls, Massachusetts is one of my favorite places to picture New England Central freights.

On our chase of New England Central last week (Thursday April 25, 2019) photographer Mike Gardner and I arrived at Millers Falls several minutes ahead of 611 on its return run to Bellows Falls, Vermont from Palmer, Massachusetts.

We set up on the sidewalk of the Route 63 highway bridge over the river. For these views I opted for a more southerly position on the road bridge in order to feature budding trees that indicates the arrival of Spring in the Millers valley.

Working with my Lumix LX7, I exposed several digital views as the train’s leading locomotives eased over the antique spans. To me, the SD45/SD40 style locomotives  seem out of proportion with the steam era bridge, which of course is half the attraction, long may it last!

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New England Central—Power Shot!

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After photographing New England Central’s southward 611 at Three Rivers, Massachusetts, photographer Mike Gardner and I worked northward scoping photo locations, while the 611 crew swapped its southward train at Palmer for its northward consist.

(New England Central 611 is the weekday turn that runs from Brattleboro, Vermont to Palmer and back.)

We inspected angles at Cushman north of Amherst and at other locations, but settled on the open area off Depot Road in Leverett, Massachusetts near the site of the old Central Vermont station.

I opted for a low angle to feature some fresh green grass in the foreground, using my 12mm Zeiss Touit fitted to my FujiFilm XT1 using the adjustable rear panel display to hold the camera close to the ground. (No, I’m not lying on the ground).

The combination of the very wide angle lens and low viewpoint helps accentuate the size and shape of New England Central’s locomotives.

The lead locomotive began its career as an EMD SD45 with classic angled (or ‘flared’) air-intakes at the back. 

Although during the course of re-building, the locomotive had its 20-cylinder 645 engine swapped for a less powerful 16-cylinder 645 diesel, the machine still has its an impressive profile.

Soon we were hot in pursuit of 611, racing northward on Route 63 to our next location.

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New England Central 611 at Three Rivers, Massachusetts.

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Thursday, April 25, 2019, photographer Mike Gardner and I convened at Palmer’s Steaming Tender for lunch. Afterwards we drove northward in search of New England Central’s road freight, 611.

New England Central’s clean locomotives in parent company Genesee & Wyoming’s orange, yellow and black paint, make for handsome subjects, and a welcome change to the days when patched faded liveries of the locomotive’s various former owners predominated.

Anticipating catching 611’s northward run from Palmer, we paused at Three Rivers to check some photo locations and were surprised to hear a southward train approaching.

Lo and behold! It was 611 on its southward run.

Lucky bonus.

After photographing the southward move, we continued our drive north to inspect locations . . . Stay tuned for more!

Photos exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens.

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    New England Central and the Coast Guard Eagle—New London, Connecticut.

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    Mike Gardner and I made an epic chase of New England Central freight 608 on Halloween Day 1997.

    Among my favorite views from that day is this color slide exposed from a footbridge along the Thames River at New London, Connecticut.

    In the distance is US Coast Guard training ship Eagle.

    Two years later I stood on the deck of the Eagleat the Irish port of Cobh in County Cork, having arrived by train from Cork city.

    Tonight, February 28, 2019 at 730pm, I’ll be giving an old school slide show to the Irish Railway Record Society, located opposite the Heuston Station car park in Dublin. Among my featured railroads will be New England Central.

    See: http://irishrailarchives.ie/index.php/meetings/upcoming/

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    New England Central 608 Cross-Lit at Plains Road.

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    South of Stafford, Connecticut, the former Central Vermont Railway runs along Plains Road, before crossing it to continue its path along the Willimantic River.

    This is a favorite morning location for me, but a week ago Tuesday I opted to catch the southward 608 in the last rays of winter sun.

    These are 12mm wide-angle views exposed with the FujiFilm XT1 and 12mm lens.

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    New England Central 608 at Stafford Springs—Part 4.

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    Last Tuesday was another sunny afternoon, and so another opportunity to photograph 608 New England Central rolling through downtown Stafford Springs, Connecticut!

    This time I worked with my FujiFilm XT1 with 12mm Zeiss Touit lens.

    As the train eased through town I made my way to another location for an additional photograph. Stay tuned!

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    Vintage Chrome: Millers Falls High Bridge—Then and Now.

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    You’ll need to click on Tracking the Light to see the vintage photo.

    On January 25, 2019, Pat Yough and I were aiming to catch New England Central 611 on the Millers Falls high bridge over the Millers River. This stunning 1905 pin-connected deck truss has been one my favorite spans to photograph in Massachusetts.

    New England Central 611 at Millers Falls, Massachusetts on January 25, 2019 Exposed using a FujiFilm XT1 digital camera with 27mm pancake lens.

    I made my first photographs of the bridge nearly 33 years ago: On May 14, 1986, I’d followed Central Vermont 447 north from Amherst (where I was enrolled at Hampshire College). The train was running at an abnormal time, which gave me the opportunity to make a late afternoon photo at Millers Falls.

    Although I made some nice sun lit photographs on Kodachrome 64 of the CV GP9s and CN M-420 diesel working across the bridges, two problems vexed me and resulted in these slides spending more than three decades in the ‘seconds file’.

    As the train rattled across the bridge, a huge flock of pigeons soared in the sky, which at the time ruined the image for me, since many of the birds looked like dark blobs that resembled dust on the emulsion. The other difficulty was more serious.

    Central Vermont Railway 447 northbound at Millers Falls at 4:50PM on May 14, 1986.

    I was using an old Leitz 50mm collapsible Summitar  lens which had a loose front element and had lost its critical sharpness. Although on a small scale the photos made with this lens appear ok, when enlarged they are unacceptably soft. I’ve electronically sharpened the photo here to make it more appealing for internet presentation.

    Ultimately, I discontinued the use of the soft lens, but it took me several months before I recognized and accepted the problem, and found funds to rectify it.

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    EMD’s Racing the Sun at East Northfield.

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    After catching New England Central’s local freight at White River Junction (featured in Friday’s Tracking the Light), I figured we had time to zip down I-91 to Brattleboro, Vermont and catch road freight 611 on its run south to Palmer, Massachusetts.

    Rolling down Cotton Mill Road, I spied 611 led by five vintage EMD diesels pulling across the causeway south of Brattleboro Yard.

    Pat Yough, visiting from Pennsylvania, wanted to try for a photograph at the Junction in East Northfield, on the Vermont-Massachusetts state line, so after a cloudy day photograph near Vernon, we overtook the slow moving freight.

    Shortly before the train arrived, the clouds parted for a few moments, and a brilliant ‘sucker hole’ illuminated the tracks.

    Working with my 18-135mm zoom lens, I quickly adjusted my composition to make the most of this sunny opportunity. And made several nice sunlit telephoto shots.

    By the time the train rolled below us, the clouds had dampened the morning light. Yet, the chase was on . . .

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    New England Central at Eagleville Dam (Part 2).

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    Here’s a view I made last week of New England Central’s southward 608 as it passed the old mill dam at Eagleville, Connecticut.

    I’m curious to know more about the mill. All I know is that the dam and mill pond remain. The area is now a public park.

    Dusk at Eagleville, Connecticut.

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    Monday, January 14, 2019: New England Central at Eagleville Dam (Part 1).

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    In the last light of a winter’s evening, I exposed this view of New England Central’s southward 608 as it approached Eagleville, Connecticut.

    Which is the subject of the photo: the train or the waterfall?

    Exposed digitally using a FujFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens.

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    New England Central 608 Stafford Springs—Part 3.

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    As New England Central 608 approached downtown Stafford Springs on January 14, 2019, I set my Nikon F3 to expose a textured image.

    The old buildings adjacent to the tracks are as much of a visual attraction as the train itself.

    Working with an f1.8 105mm lens, I exposed three frames of Kodak Tri-X.

    To process the film, I used my custom tailored split process, that uses two developers, followed by selenium toning of the fixed negatives. This maximizes the tonality of the film, while giving me glossy highlights. A secondary effect of the toner is the slight lavender hue.

    After processing, I scanned the negatives in color using an Epson V750 scanner.

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    Stafford Springs and New England Central 608: Part 2.

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    On Wednesday, December 12, 2018, I revisited the scene at Stafford Springs, having made photos there two days earlier.

    In fact, I’ve been photographing trains passing this Connecticut village since the early 1980s, but I find it always helps to try to look at an old place with fresh eyes.

    I like the arrangement of old brick buildings, the tracks along the creek/old mill race, and other elements characteristic of southern New England.

    Working with my FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm lens, I exposed these views of New England Central 608 on its return journey from Palmer to Willimantic.

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    New England Central 608 at Stafford Springs, Connecticut: Part 1.

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    In recent months, New England Central’s Willimantic-Palmer freight, job 608, has been largely nocturnal while the railroad undertook a major rehabilitation program.

    New rail, ties and crossing protection have been installed. The switches at State Line are improved. And the railroad is in the best shape it’s been in decades.

    Monday morning, December 10, 2018, I heard 608 working north through Monson.

    That afternoon, I heard the train on its return run. So Pop (Richard J. Solomon) and I headed out to intercept it.

    We caught it at both ends of the siding at State Line, then proceeded to Stafford Springs, where I made these views using my FujiFilm XT1 fitted with 12mm Zeiss Touit lens.

    High contrast low December sun proved challenging. To make the most of the light, I applied an external graduated neutral density filter tapered and positioned to hold the sky exposure.

    Compare the camera produced JPG file with adjusted RAW images. (There is no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. The JPG reflects a ‘pre-profiled’ camera setting based on Fuji’s Velvia color setting. The RAW’s were adjusted by me to reflect conditions at Stafford Springs.)

    In post processing, I worked with camera RAW files by lightened shadows, darkened highlights, and reduced overall contrast while warming color temperature and slightly boosting saturation.

    Camera produced JPG using the ‘Velvia’ color profile. Other than scaling, this image was not modified in post processing; color, contrast etc are a result of the pre-profiled JPG setting.

    This version was adjusted from the Fuji RAW file and reflects the changes discussed in the text.


    File adjusted from the camera RAW.

    As we departed Stafford, I noticed a better angle to catch the train. Stay tuned!

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    New England Central-12mm Broadside View.

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    Clear evening, northward freight, five units and a deck-girder bridge; working with my FujiFilm XT1, I made this broadside view at Three Rivers, Massachusetts of New England Central’s 611 on its return run from Palmer to Brattleboro, Vermont.

    My Zeiss 12mm Touit is a special application lens. It’s very wide, very sharp, and free from barrel distortion. However, its necessary to keep the camera level to avoid line convergence as a result of the wide field of view.

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    Four Orange SDs—New England Central’s 611 at Three Rivers.

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    A clear sky and low autumn sun begs for photography.

    Yesterday, Mike Gardner and I visited Palmer, Massachusetts for lunch at the Steaming Tender, located in the old Union Station, where CSX’s former Boston & Albany crosses New England Central’s former Central Vermont.

    Not a wheel turned. So after lunch, I ascertained that New England Central’s 611 was close. Off we went, driving north.

    At Three Rivers we saw the freight crawling south through town and hastily set up our photograph.

    Nothing fancy; this is just a traditional three-quarter view of a colorful freight in nice afternoon light with late autumn foliage. There’s something satisfying about that.

    Exposed digitally using a FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens.

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    New England Central at Hospital Road—Two Views.

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    Far and Near, which do you prefer?

    Both views were exposed on a soft morning at Hospital Road in Monson, Massachusetts of New England Central freight 608 on its northward run to Palmer.

    Working with a 90mm fixed telephoto lens, I made a distant view that better shows the train in the curve, followed by a tight view focused on the locomotives.

    Other features include the distant signal to the Palmer diamond and milepost 64 (measured from New London, Connecticut).

    I set my exposure manually to avoid under exposure as a result of the camera meter reading the bright locomotive headlights.

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    Three Years Ago Today: New England Central at Belchertown, Massachusetts

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    It was July 6, 2015, three years ago, that Paul Goewey and I photographed New England Central at Springfield Street in Belchertown, Massachusetts.

    Our vantage point is from the old Central Massachusetts Railroad right of way—a line that was abandoned in the early 1930s, when Boston & Maine obtained trackage rights over the parallel Central Vermont (now New England Central) line.

    On this Day, July 6, 2015, I caught Connecticut Southern 3771 leading the southward New England Central 611 at Springfield Street in Belchertown, Massachusetts.

    I made this view using my FujiFilm X-T1.

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    Palmer’s Busy Bright Morning—four new photos.

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    The day dawned clear and bright. I spent an hour at CP83 in Palmer making good use of the light. The railroads cooperated and supplied a parade of eastward trains, and these favored the sun for classic views.

    I’ve made countless thousands of photos at Palmer, Massachusetts, but it’s always nice to keep the files fresh.

    CSX eastward intermodal—probably Q012—passes the signals at CP83 in Palmer, Massachusetts. Exposed using a FujiFilm X-T1 with 90mm telephoto lens.

    New England Central GP38 3845 works a local freight on the interchange track.

    NECR 3845 shoves back.

    Moments after New England Central’s local disappeared from view, CSX’s B740 arrived with cars for interchange. (exposed at f5.0 1/640 ISO 200)  It was about this time that things got interesting! Stay tuned for more.

    Soon the scene is likely to change since CSX is installing new equipment for its positive train control signaling, and this will likely result in new signal hardware in place of the Conrail-era signals installed during single-tracking in 1986-1987.

    Then something unexpected happened, and by shear luck I caught a rare move! Stay tuned for Part 2.

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    Connecticut River Composition.

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    Last week I made these views of New England Central’s northward 611 freight as it crossed the Connecticut River bridge at East Northfield, Massachusetts.

    The longer days feature the evening sun in a northerly position that allows for sunlight on the nose of the locomotive as it crosses the bridge.

    Although I’ve often worked the south side of this span, this was the first time I’ve made successful photos of a train from the north side.

    Exposed with a FujiFilm X-T1 and prime (not zoom) 90mm telephoto lens.

    Several turbo-flutters later (about 8 digital ‘frames’ or exposures), also made with my FujiFilm X-T1 and prime (not zoom) 90mm telephoto lens. 

    I was watching the light and the effect of reflections in the river as I composed my photos.

    For these digital images I was working with both my Lumix LX7 and FujiFilm XT1.

    Lumix LX7 photo. The locomotives are more fully on the bridge, but here I’ve lost the effect of the nose reflection in the water.

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    Pacing the New England Central.

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    We were trying to overtake the New England Central ballast train extra

    (see: Extra train on New England Central. https://wp.me/p2BVuC-5yy).

    I rolled down the passenger-side window of my friend’s Golf, and exposed a series of photos with my Lumix.

    Lumix LX7 RAW file adjusted for color, contrast, and exposure in post processing.

    I’ve described this technique previously; I adjusted the f-stop (aperture control) manually to its smallest opening (f8), my ISO was at its slowest setting (80), and I put the camera to aperture priority.

    I intended this combination of settings to automatically select the appropriate shutter speed for ideal exposure, while using the slowest setting to allow for the effect of motion blur.

    Lumix LX7 RAW file adjusted for color, contrast, and exposure in post processing.

    I kept the camera aimed at the locomotive while allowing for ample foreground to blur by for the effect of speed.

    This works especially well to show the large diesel working long-hood forward, which is not its usual position.

    Lumix LX7 RAW file adjusted for color, contrast, and exposure in post processing.

    Lumix LX7 RAW file adjusted for color, contrast, and exposure in post processing.

    Tracking the Light Posts Daily.

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    Extra! Extra train on New England Central.

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    We’d heard there was an extra move.

    We didn’t know what it was.

    I got a bit confused as to where the extra was in relation to the regular northward New England Central 611 (that runs weekdays from Brattleboro to Palmer and back).

    After being out of position, and some quick driving to recover, we managed to get the extra on the move at Vernon, Vermont.

    This consisted of the lone New England Central former Southern Pacific ‘tunnel motor’ (SD40T-2 number 3317) hauling some ballast cars.

    This isn’t Donner Pass! Here’s a former SP tunnel motor working long-hood forward leading a ballast extra at Vernon, Vermont. In the background is the decommissioned Vermont Yankee Nuclear generating station.

    Unusual to say the least!

    The regular freight followed about an hour later.

    Both photos were exposed using my FujiFilm X-T1 with 90mm Fujinon telephoto lens.

    NECR 611 on its northward run from Palmer, Massachusetts at Vernon, Vermont.

    Tracking the Light Posts Daily.