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Railfan’s Bridge at East Deerfield—my First Farewell.

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The old McClelland Farm Road bridge over the Boston & Maine tracks at the west end of East Deerfield Yard (near Greenfield, Massachusetts) has been a popular place to photograph trains since the steam era.

Known colloquially as the ‘Railfan’s Bridge,’ this vantage point has been featured in articles in TRAINS Magazine Railpace, and other popular literature for decades.

I first visited with my father and brother in the early 1980s, and have made countless photos here, many of which have a appeared in books, calendars, and of course on Tracking the Light.

My friend Tim coined it the ‘waste too much film bridge’ in the early 2000s, owing to our propensity to make an excessive number of photos as Guilford freight trains switched in the yard.

Although hackneyed and perhaps over frequented, it’s been a great place to catch the sunrise, make photos of the locomotives and freight cars, and work the evening glint.

At times, I’ve seen as many as 30 photographers here, all vying for position.

Imagine my surprise last month, when Tim and I arrived to photograph the elusive and much followed Pan Am Railways office car train, expecting to find a wall of lenses, and instead realized that we were the only photographers on site!

In the evening glow, Pan Am Railway’s prized former Canadian National FP9s lead the company office car train off the Deerfield Loop track at the west end of East Deerfield Yard. Exposed using a FujiFilm X-T1 digital camera.
. You can see that the trees have been cut in preparation for the heavy works, expected to begin shortly. Lumix LX7 photo.
How many thousands, or tens of thousands, of photos have been exposed from this vantage point over the decades? FujiFilm X-T1 photo.

I used this opportunity to make some photos of the old bridge, soon to be replaced by a new span located 40 feet to the west.

Why is this my first farewell? Simply, the bridge isn’t yet gone. After it is, perhaps I’ll post a ‘final farewell’.

 

I wonder how the new vantage point will compare?

 

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Brian’s photos of Pan Am Railway’s Office Cars; Resurrected from Beyond.

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Yesterday’s Tracking the Light featured the gripping headline:

“OH NO! I JUST WIPED MY CARD . . .”

And there I’ve told the story of how I accidentally erased my day’s finest efforts (and brought them back again.)

It’s bad enough to accidentally destroy your own work, but it’s especially galling to ruin the photos from such a great day. Bright sun, clear blue skies and a polished executive train moving a moderate speeds.

Simply we’d nailed the Pan Am train at multiple locations in great light, and there were several sets (groups of photos) that I was really happy about.

Followed by the sickening feeling of loss.

The day's finest photos: GONE!
The day’s finest photos: GONE!

The film equivalent of this sort of disaster is the accidental opening the camera-back before rewinding, where-in you lose a half dozen photos or so, but if you close it up quickly you can usually save most of the roll.

The worse film-related catastrophe was when your box of film came back from the lab with a little green slip; ‘Owing to a unique laboratory occurrence, we are sorry to report . . .’

By contrast, my digital disaster was an easy fix (Click the link to read Monday’s post for details: http://wp.me/p2BVuC-4ih).

As I mentioned yesterday, when this sort of thing happens: avoid making it worse by continuing to use the card.

Although I’d ‘erased’ (wiped, zapped, cleaned) the camera’s memory card. In truth, all I’d done was erase the catalog. All of my photos remained on the card. Yet, resurrecting them was a slow painstaking process.

Here are some of my favorite photos that’d I never thought I’d have opportunity to post on Tracking the Light

Working west at Buckland. Exposed on a SanDisk Extreme PRO 32 GB memory car using my FujiFilm XT1. Erased accidentally and retrieved using RescuePRO Deluxe. For details see Monday's Tracking the Light.
Working west at Buckland. Exposed on a SanDisk Extreme PRO 32 GB memory car using my FujiFilm XT1. Erased accidentally and retrieved using RescuePRO Deluxe. For details see Monday’s Tracking the Light.
My friend Tim D. was behind the wheel, and driving well-known back roads along the Deerfield River scored us this view near Charlemont, Massachusetts.
My friend Tim D. was behind the wheel, and driving well-known back roads along the Deerfield River scored us this view near Charlemont, Massachusetts.
This was a grab-shot near Zoar. I have to admit, it was this view I was most disgusted having lost.
This was a grab-shot near Zoar. I have to admit, it was this view that I was most disgusted having lost.
Pan Am's office cars disappear into Hoosac Mountain.
Pan Am’s office cars disappear into Hoosac Mountain.
A friendly wave near Eaglebridge, New York.
A friendly wave near Eaglebridge, New York.
Lots of folks were out for this view at Fisherman's Lane in Schagticoke, New York.
Lots of folks were out for this view at Fisherman’s Lane in Schagticoke, New York.

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Tracking the Light SPECIAL POST: Knowledge Corridor Specials, December 22, 2014.

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Amtrak Extra and Pan Am’s Office Cars on the Move.

8 digital photos and more!

Today, in preparation for the opening of the Knowledge Corridor next week, special trains converged on Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Amtrak_104_at_Holyoke_P1120203
Amtrak’s special was ahead of schedule departing Holyoke with officials on board. Lumix LX7 photo. (You’ll need to be patient to see the color slide exposed here.)

 

Paul Goewey and I intercepted the northward Amtrak special at Holyoke—where we made use of a location recently opened up by brush clearing in conjunction with work on the line.

Amtrak's special crosses the Deerfield River on the Cheapside Bridge. Back in the day there was a canal harbor near here. Lumix LX7 photo, December 22, 2014.
Amtrak’s special crosses the Deerfield River on the Cheapside Bridge. Back in the day there was a canal harbor near here. Lumix LX7 photo, December 22, 2014.
Pan Am's Office Car train with F-unit at Greenfield, Massachusetts on December 22, 2014. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
Pan Am’s Office Car train with F-unit at Greenfield, Massachusetts on December 22, 2014. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
A convergence of passenger trains at Greenfield. Soon, Amtrak will call here everyday! Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
A convergence of passenger trains at Greenfield. Soon, Amtrak will call here everyday! Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.

We followed the train northward. Pan Am posed its Office Car train, complete with vintage F-unit at Greenfield.

Later, we waited patiently at East Deerfield Yard to catch the Pan Am train reversing back. This was my first opportunity to catch one Pan Am F-units on the move.

It wasn’t the brightest day for photography, but we made the best of it with digital cameras. (And I exposed a few slides for posterity!)

Nose to nose at Greenfield. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
Nose to nose at Greenfield. Canon EOS 7D with 200mm lens.
An added bonus were these two Pan Am locomotives at East Deerfield Yard.
An added bonus were these two Pan Am locomotives at East Deerfield Yard.
Pan Am's Office Cars reverse toward East Deerfield in the fading light of evening. Canon EOS 7D with 100mm lens.
Pan Am’s Office Cars reverse toward East Deerfield in the fading light of evening. Canon EOS 7D with 100mm lens.
Pan photo of PAR-1 at East Deerfield. Lumix LX7 photo.
Pan photo of PAR-1 at East Deerfield. Lumix LX7 photo.

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