The maze of trackage in the Scranton-Wilkes Barre area has always fascinated me.
No less than eight railroads once built into this anthracite rich region. While coal ceased to be a primary source of revenue decades ago, numerous lines remain as a legacy of this once intensive railroad traffic.
Kris and I followed Reading & Northern’s Pittston-Jim Thorpe excursion. Not far from Pittston, I pulled over at the location known as ‘Bloom’ where tracks remain on two levels, and here I exposed this series of photographs.
I can only wonder what this place may have looked like in decades gone by. I was delighted that only minutes passed from the moment of my ‘discovery’ until the passage of this train. ‘King Coal’ is Reading & Northern’s round-end observation car on the tail end of the excursion.
A Sunday morning in early November found us at Pittston Junction, Pa., to watch the departure of Reading & Northern’s diesel-hauled Pittston-Jim Thorpe excursion.
It was a lovely clear day and as a C5M transport plane circled overhead, I took a few moments to photograph both the passenger excursion and a pair of EMD switchers idling in the yard.
In addition to the flurry of pixels allocated to railroad photography, I also made a lone color slide, which at this moment in time remains latent (unprocessed) on my desk.
In mid-October, Kris and I intercepted the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society’s excursion on the Nittany & Bald Eagle. This paused at Tyrone, Pennsylvania, where I made photos of Lycoming Valley 2011 (a former Southern Pacific GP35) surrounded by backlit brightly colored leaves of trees along the line.
In an earlier time I might have refrained from making these images because of the chain link fence between me and the tracks. In this instance, I accepted the fence as a feature of the location. The leaves more than made up for it.
A week later we returned to Tyrone. It was late in the day and the sunlight was low and foliage was brilliant. But during that brief visit, not a wheel turned, neither on the Main Line nor the Bald Eagle Branch, so I photographed the tracks with trees.
October had been pleasantly warm in Pennsylvania, so it was a bit of shock when we arrived at Lilly near the summit of the Alleghenies to find it was a raw 27F! Luckily we’d packed some long sleeves.
Crisp cool air carries the sound well, and long before the headlight came into view, Kris and I could hear this heavy eastward Norfolk Southern freight laboring up the ‘West Slope’.
Years ago, I would have used my telephoto lenses to frame an eastward train beneath the classic PRR signal bridge that once stood at Lilly, but this was removed a few years ago when NS resignaled the line.
Notwithstanding, this is still a neat place to watch a train clawing its way upgrade. This was a monster. In addition to locomotives at the headend, there was a mid-train ‘DPU’ (radio remote control distributed power unit), and a helper at the back.
I made these photos using my Nikon Z cameras. This was the first of several trains we caught that cool morning. Soon the sun was over the ridgeline and we continued a wonderful day of photography!
After departing the East Broad Top we drove north to Mount Union and followed the old Pennsylvania Railroad Middle Division west to Huntingdon.
In the 1980s and 1990s, I often visited Huntingdon, Pa., where my old pal TSH had family.
We had a few minutes, so we drove around town. I remarked on how little the town had changed in thirty years.
As we approached the grade crossing by the Amtrak station, the crossing lights flashed and the gates came down. We pulled into the small Amtrak lot just in time to make some grab shots of the passing Norfolk Southern freight. I also photographed the old PRR station that sits well back from the present day mainline. reflecting a line relocation from more than a century ago.
Although, my photo of the westward freight is non-standard, I like this type of photo because it captures greater environment which includes the crossing signals and the colored trees in the distance.
After the train cleared the crossing we headed west toward Tyrone, where we aimed to catch the freight again.
Years ago I photographed Norfolk Southern’s executive F-units leading the company office car train on various occasions.
Last Saturday, Kris and I intercepted these famous streamliners working Reading & Northern’s Fall Foliage Excursion on its return run from Jim Thorpe to North Reading.
It was a gorgeous clear afternoon and the autumn leaves were beginning to pop. We investigated a variety of places to make photos and ultimately settled on Tippets Road near Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania.
I wanted to make the most of the autumn color, while featuring the F’s classic ‘bull-dog’ nose and car body style construction.
I made these photos while working with both of my Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras. Kris made photos with her FujiFilm X-T4 mirrorless camera. Seamus-the-Dog took it all in from the back seat of the car.
Once the train passed we zipped off after it to make more images in the late afternoon light!
I found it interesting that on the previous weekend we found fellow photographers at every bend to make photos of steam locomotive 2102, but on this day when photographing the F’s on exactly the same route, we only saw only other person making photos between Tippets Road and North Reading. This was especially remarkable considering the beautiful autumnal conditions!
Near South Tamaqua, Pa., at Atlas (also called Reynolds), Kris and I rolled by last weekend’s Fall Foliage Excursion operated by Reading & Northern.
This is a popular place to picture R&N’s excursions. I opted for a broadside view to capture the engine in action as well as the cars behind it.
So much of the focus on R&N’s excursions is about locomotive 2102, I thought it is important to make images of the cars. Since last autumn, several have been freshly painted and the railroad offers an interesting variety of passenger cars.
Photos were exposed using my Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras.
The old Reading & Columbia route of the Reading Company was fragmented during the Conrail-era and what remains is operated by several different railroads.
Historically, the line offered the Reading Company a through-route from greater Reading, Pa., via a junction at Sinking Spring, to Manheim, and Lancaster Junction to the once-important shipping center at Columbia, Pa., with branches to Mt Hope and Lancaster.
Today, the eastern end of this route is operated as part of the East Penn Railroad, with locomotives stored at the old Reading Company station in Reinholds. This continues via Denver and Stevens toward Ephrata.
I began exploring this route after we moved to Lancaster last year. Last week, I made another inspection of this route, making photos of the line using my Lumix LX7. I started at Reinholds and worked my way west.
One of these days, I hope to catch a train on the move over these rails.
Arriving in our new Honda CR-V Hybrid, we safely pulled off Route 741 at Gap, Pa., to roll by Amtrak Keystone 656 from Harrisburg. This was running just a few minutes after the advertised.
I set up with my Nikon Z6 and 70-200mm lens, aiming to catch the train against the sunset sky. (The sun was just an orange glob slowly melting into the western horizon.)
We received a friendly blast from the engineer in the old Metroliner control cab as the train glided through the curve at Gap.
I like the trailing view with our new car and Kris in the passenger seat. Amtrak 656 is fading into the distance, but we already know what that looks like.
It was a beautiful evening between trains at Strasburg Rail Road’s East Strasburg Station. I used this opportunity to make some detailed views of the equipment and the environment around the station.
Rich low sun offers many opportunities for photos that simply cannot exist on dull days.
No matter how often we visit Strasburg, I always find a new angle.
Kris and I had boarded Amtrak Keystone 665 at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. I wanted to sit on the northside of the train and check out some of our usual places as we zipped along at 100 plus.
As we approached Lancaster, a thunderstorm had darkened the horizon.
I made these views from the train using my Z7-II.
Old Conrail caboose on display at Christiana, Pa.Racing along at Jefferson Drive, Greenfield, Lancaster, Pa., I was disappointed! I’ve made so many photos here over the last few months, and it looks so bland from the train.And there’s the pond where I catch Norfolk Southern’s local coming round the bend. You’d never even guess there were tracks in this photo.We’ll need to check this out sometime. Lancaster on the approach to the station.A storm was brewing.
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.
I consider this an excercise in composition. I had a few minutes last Thursday morning, so I went up to Leola, Pennsylvania to catch up with Norfolk Southern’s New Holland Branch local.
The sun was bright and the clouds were just rolling in from the west. I made this sequence of photographs of the GP38-3 and SD40E that had paused by the old PRR depot along Horseshoe Road.
Over the last year, I’ve made a variety of railroad photos at this location. I like the concept of variation on a theme. Years ago I learned to make the most of good photographic situation, because you never know precisely the situation and composition that will best suit a photograph for publication.
Of this selection do you have any favorites? All were exposed using my Nikon Z7-II mirror-less digital camera.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 30mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/320th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 24mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 33mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 31mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/320th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 54mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 45mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 24mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/640th second. No adjustments to exposure or contrast.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 49mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/320th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 24mm; ISO 100, f 7.1, 1/400th second. Nominal adjustment to shadows and hightlights.
It was more than 90F the other day when I made these photographs.
Strasburg number 89, a former Canadian National Railways 2-6-0 Mogul, was leading the return run of the 3pm excursion to Paradise.
The best photo eclipsed the train altogher. After the excursion crossed Esbenshade Road, Amish horsedrawn buggies passed in front of me.
I made this photo from the hip; with no view finder. Old school technique with a modern digital camera. Unfortunately, the Strasburg Rail Road excursion was entirely blocked by the back-end of a horse.
For the next weeks the sun will be rising and setting on the north side of Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line where it runs parallel to Jefferson Drive in Lancaster.
I’ve been making a project of working the light at this familiar location.
Amtrak Keystone train 618 is a good choice because this is scheduled to depart Lancaster at 1945 (745pm) which can result in some dramatic backlit photos.
On this occasion, Amtrak ACS-64 number 615 was leading. This elusive electric was on my list of Amtrak locomotives to photograph on the move. I guess I can tick that box!
New Holland, Pennsylvania has classic character. It is one of those towns where the railroad still serves local industry and remains an active part of the landscape. It is at the east end of Norfolk Southern’s former PRR railroad New Holland Branch.
On another recent visit, I made these photos along South Railroad Avenue in the evening light.
Kris spotted the TTX ‘Railbox’ Plate F boxcar on the siding located east of the grade crossing.
Photos exposed using Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras.
The central Pennsylvanian setting near the village of Mexico offers a classic view looking east toward the Tuscarora Ridge, which can be photographed from a variety of angles.
In my earlier posts, I pictured Norfolk Southern freights from the north side of the Underpass Road grade crossing.
As the light changed and thunderstorms approached from the West, Kris and I took positions on the south side of the grade crossing. It began to rain lightly (but heavier rain was coming!)
A westward empty coal train rolled by. This was exceptionally long and featured a mid-train DPU (radio remote controlled locomotives working as ‘distributed power units’).
Not long after this train had gone, an east ward train could be heard. This was slowing for an ‘approach’ aspect. Its relatively casually speed made it easy to photograph. At the back was a single EMD diesel working as a DPU.
These photos were made with my pair of Nikon Z-series mirror-less digital cameras.
One of my first acquaintances with the east end former PRR Middle Division was Easter weekend 1988. I met my old pal TSH in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, having driven south from Rochester, NY where I was studying Photographic Illustration at RIT.
On that trip, I exposed Kodachrome of Conrail trains at Duncannon, Thompsontown, Mifflin and Lewistown. We missed the sweeping curve at Mexico.
It wasn’t until explorations in this area a decade later with photographer Mike Gardner that I first made photos from Underpass Road in Mexico, Pa. (If there was an underpass here, there is no visible evidence of it today).
Last weekend, Kris, Seamus-the-Dog and I revisited this prime photo location on Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line where the grand sweep of the track in a bucolic setting with the Tuscarora Ridge in the background makes for a favorite place to watch trains.
We didn’t have to wait long before the distant sound of rolling thunder announced the approach of a westward freight.
It was the first of several train that we caught here.
A cloudless bright morning; the perfect time to picture Norfolk Southern’s New Holland branch local by the old station in Leola, Pennsylvania.
I made three similar photographs using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens. In all three I had the lens set to 200mm at f5.6. The difference between them is in the framing with minor changes to the composition.
Working with my Z6 with AF Nikkor 35mm f2.0/D attached via a Nikon FTZ adaptor, I made this imag sequence of Amtrak Keystone 618 racing eastward at Jefferson Drive in Lancaster, PA.
I timed my arrival just a minute ahead of the train.
My objective was to see how the traditional 35mm lens would handle the glinting sunset on my Z-series digital camera. I adjusted my exposure manually (aiming for overall underexposure to better capture the effects of the bright sun), then made changes to the camera’s NEF RAW files in post processing to make for overall appealing photographs.
On many occasions over the last year as I drove toward Leola, Pennsylvania, on the Horseshoe Road, I’ve looked across this field toward the New Holland Branch.
In some instances, I was pacing Norfolk Southern’s morning local on its way east on the branch.
A few weeks ago, I had a near perfect morning; clear and bright with cows in the field. On this day, I was ahead of the local freight by a minute or two. So, I pulled over with enough time to walk across the road to my preselected location and expose these telephoto views looking toward Hartman Station Road using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens.
I was surprised to hear a whistle to the west, when we were exploring the Shikellamy State Park along the Susquehanna River near Sunbury, Pa.
Then when the train came into view on the far side of the river, I had vivid sense of Conrail-blue deja vu.
The last time, I’d visited this bridge, photographer Mike Gardner and I had caught the eastward Norfolk Southern freight symbol 13W led by a former Conrail GE C40-8 still in the classic Conrail paint, and then a little while later, we photographed the westward NS 41T with Canadian National locomotives. But that was back in November 2001!
From my slide archives: Norfolk Southern 13W led by a former Conrail DASH8-40C. November 2, 2001.From my slide archives: A photo from my earlier visit to the Shikellamy State Park back on November 2, 2001 (Exposed on Fujichrome film). NS 41T with CN diesels.
From my slide archives: A photo from my earlier visit to the Shikellamy State Park back on November 2, 2001 (Exposed on Fujichrome film). NS 41T with CN diesels.
From my slide archives: A photo from my earlier visit to the Shikellamy State Park back on November 2, 2001 (Exposed on Fujichrome film). NS 41T with CN diesels.
Fast forward: Conrail’s days as an independant Class I carrier are now a quarter century behind us, so what was this modern GE in blue paint Kris and I saw last week?
As the unit coal train (NS 632) rolled across the multiple-span truss bridge, I realized what I was looking at:
Norfolk Southern’s specially painted Conrail heritage locomotive! This is a General Electric ES44AC, engine number 8098, an Evolution-series 4,400 hp low-emissions diesel-electric.
Conrail never owned anything quite so advanced.
I made my photos and then Kris and I decided to follow the train back down NS’s Buffalo Line. This was a rare find! It was our lucky day! Lucky!
I had a couple of prime locations in mind, if we could only stay ahead of the train!
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom. Look what’s trailing! Another EMD diesel number 1127.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom. Look what’s trailing! Another EMD diesel number 1127.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom. Look what’s trailing! Another EMD diesel number 1127.
The former Pennsylvania Railroad’s Northern Central route north of Harrisburg toward Northumberland, Pa., (and beyond) is operated by Norfolk Southern as its Buffalo Line.
In the late-1990s, toward the end of the Conrail-era, photographer Mike Gardner and I began exploring this route, and continued our photography along the line ifor several years after Norfolk Southern assumed operations. However, it had been more than twenty years since I had taken a serious look of the railroad north of the Harrisburg area.
A few days ago, we had a rare sunny day, so Kris and I made an adventure of following the east bank of the Susquehanna River compass north toward Sunbury.
A Millersburg, PA, we stopped to inspect the old Northern Central Railway freight house that has been repurposed and maintained in good condition.
A Millersburg, PA, we stopped to inspect the old Northern Central Railway freight house that has been repurposed and maintained in good condition.
A Millersburg, PA, we stopped to inspect the old Northern Central Railway freight house that has been repurposed and maintained in good condition.
Kris and I spotted this sweeping curve near Dalmatia, Pa., commenting that it would make a neat place to catch a train. I wondered how I’d missed this spot in the Conrail era. I suspect there may have been more brush/trees in the scene 25 years ago.
Kris and I spotted this sweeping curve near Dalmatia, Pa., commenting that it would make a neat place to catch a train. I wondered how I’d missed this spot in the Conrail era. I suspect there may have been more brush/trees in the scene 25 years ago.
Kris and I spotted this sweeping curve near Dalmatia, Pa., commenting that it would make a neat place to catch a train. I wondered how I’d missed this spot in the Conrail era. I suspect there may have been more brush/trees in the scene 25 years ago.
We stopped at few locations. At Sunbury, I was curious get re-acquaited with the railroad and its connections. On the north side of town, we visited the Shikellamy State Park, where Mike and I had caught NS freight 41T back in November 2001. At that time NS was still operating the line as a through freight route all the way to Buffalo, NY.
Classic Chrome: In November 2001, I made this Fujichrome color slide with my (then new!) Contax G2 rangefinder of Norfolk Southern’s 41T crossing the Susquehanna River bridges at the Shikellamy State Park located on an island between Sunbury and Northumberland, Pa.
Classic Chrome: In November 2001, I made this Fujichrome color slide with my (then new!) Contax G2 rangefinder of Norfolk Southern’s 41T crossing the Susquehanna River bridges at the Shikellamy State Park located on an island between Sunbury and Northumberland, Pa.
Classic Chrome: In November 2001, I made this Fujichrome color slide with my (then new!) Contax G2 rangefinder of Norfolk Southern’s 41T crossing the Susquehanna River bridges at the Shikellamy State Park located on an island between Sunbury and Northumberland, Pa.
Here’s a similar view of the same bridge bridges made on our recent visit. More than 22 years separate the two photos. Notice that a trail has been constructed during the interval. Looks like the bridge could use a coat of paint too. Nikon Z7-11 photo.
Here’s a similar view of the same bridge bridges made on our recent visit. More than 22 years separate the two photos. Notice that a trail has been constructed during the interval. Looks like the bridge could use a coat of paint too. Nikon Z7-11 photo.
Here’s a similar view of the same bridge bridges made on our recent visit. More than 22 years separate the two photos. Notice that a trail has been constructed during the interval. Looks like the bridge could use a coat of paint too. Nikon Z7-11 photo.
Here’s another contemporary view of the Susquehanna River bridges at the Shikellamy State Park located on an island between Sunbury and Northumberland, Pa.
As I was photographing the bridges from the park, I heard a whistle to the west . . .
The magnificent bridges at Safeharbor make for great subjects.
I’ve yet to see a train at this location. And much to my regret, in all likelihood, I will never see a train on the taller of the two bridges—since this now carries a rail trail instead of a railroad.
Kris and I have paid visits to Safeharbor in various seasons. Winter yields stark lighting ideal for making silhouettes of the great spans.
I made these views using my Nikon Z7-II with 28-70mm Nikkor zoom, and Kris’s Fuji XT4 with my 50-140mm Fujinon telephoto.
I’d like to think that, decades ago, some photographer braved the elements to make a wintery silhouette of Pennsylvania Railroad E44 or P5a electrics leading an Enola bound freight over the top bridge from this vantage point. In the winter, Norfolk Southern freights using the lower of the two bridges are largely nocturnal owing to the limitations imposed by a freight curfew on movements over Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (which connects with this route at Perryville, Maryland).Nikon Z7-II with 28-70mm Nikkor zoomNikon Z7-II with 28-70mm Nikkor zoomNikon Z7-II with 28-70mm Nikkor zoomNikon Z7-II with 28-70mm Nikkor zoom.Fuji XT4 with 50-140mm Fujinon telephotoFuji XT4 with 50-140mm Fujinon telephoto
After days of gray cloudy skies the sun emerged. Kris and I paused at Gap, Pa., to roll by Amtrak’s westward Keystone, train 643. This was operating cab-car first with an ACS-64 electric at the back of the consist.
Working with my Nikon Z7-II and 24-70mm zoom set to 70mm, I exposed a series of images. I cropped these in post processing to emphasize the horizontal perspective.
70mm view, f4.5, 1/1250 second, ISO 200.70mm view, f4.5, 1/1250 second, ISO 200.70mm view, f4.5, 1/1250 second, ISO 200.
During our visit to Lititz, Pa., I made these photos along the old Reading Company tracks that bisect the town.
The caboose on display was once operated by Central Railroad of New Jersey and has been convincingly dressed to resemble similar cars that had been operated by the Reading.
Nearby is the replica passenger station, a structure that during daylight hours serves as a welcome center.
Although the end of track is about a block away, Norfolk Southern still serves this route. We caught a glimpse of a railroad HyRail truck and a rail-defect detection vehicle on the night of our most recent trip. However, we were unable to make a photo of these vehicles at work.
Yesterday, Kris and I were wandering around southern Pennsylvania on an afternoon drive. We crossed the Susquehanna and followed back roads across farm field and through villages.
I saw a highway sign that read, “Stewartstown 7 [miles]”, and so we drove there.
Meandering into the village, I told Kris about how there used to be a tourist railway at Stewartstown. I was wondered if the tracks were still in place . . . and then . . . Lo and Behold, there was a 44-ton diesel with its headlight lit and passengers boarding an Reading Company coach at the old station.
I dare say I was flummoxed!
We went out along the line, and I set up in a forest. After a short while, I heard the bark of an airhorn, and the 44-ton diesel leading the short excursion came around the bend. It was like a dream from another time!
I was running errands. On my way back to the apartment, I found that Greenfield Road under Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line was closed—likely as result of flooding from the recent rains—so I detoured around via Willow Road. On my way, I heard Norfolk Southern’s New Holland local sounding for a crossing.
I approached Willow Road (in greater Lancaster) with haste. With my Lumix LX7 in hand, I pulled over in time to see theNS local freight approaching. I didn’t have much time to set the camera. So, I zoomed in, framed up my photo and exposed a series of digital images.
The first two were the best.
When I got home I discovered that the camera was set to record in JPG rather than RAW. That’s not the end of the world, but not having a RAW file greatly limits the ability to make adjustments.
In this case, it doesn’t matter much, December morning sun produces excellent lighting conditions with very good contrast and color.
I’ve scaled the best of the sequence for presentation here, but the photo is otherwise unaltered, and appears basically as it looked right out of the camera.
I was home about 5 minutes after I made this photo.
Perhaps the greatest concentration Reading Company artifacts is at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
Thanks to our friend Dan Cupper who arranged a special visit to this citadel of railroad preservation, Dan, Rich Roberts, Kris and I were treated to personal tour.
We were met by the museum’s Rich Brodecki and introduced to a variety of the museum’s volunteers, including archivist Richard Bates. We spent nearly two hours surrounded by vestiges of the late, great Reading.
Highlights of our tour included the museum’s model railroads, especially the HO-scale interpretation of the Reading, which reminded me of what I’d hoped my own Wee Reading Company could have become. This features a coal mine and several villages.
Outside, we viewed a variety of former Reading locomotives and cars. We were given a tour of Reading business car No. 15, which is a remarkable relic of the railroad’s past, and I had the opportunity to see the cabs of a Reading Alco C-630 and General Motors NW-2.
I made these photos using my Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras. I’m looking forward to another visit in the future.
Street trackage offers great opportunities for placing the railroad in a cool setting.
Kris and I had just finished our lunch with Wayne Duffett, who was in Middletown to inspect bridges for the Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad.
While Wayne was making his arrangements, we watched as former Western Maryland Alco S-6 151 was fired up. This was going to make a run down Brown Street to collect a car from the Norfolk Southern interchange.
We set up about midway down the street. The Alco was preceded by a trainman with a flag as I exposed this group of digital photos using my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.
On October 21st, Kris and I paused at Reading & Northern’s Tamaqua (Pa.) Yard, where I photographed the railroad’s No. 2004.
Initially, I was interested in making photos of the locomotives resting here in an autumnal scene. When I recognized 2004 as one of the railroad’s ‘rare’ SD38s, I decided to make the most of this find.
Any locomotive more than a half-century old is undoubtedly worthy of attention. However, where the four-motor GP38 was among the most common EMD diesel-electrics of the late 1960s and early 1970s, with a great many still at work on American rails, its six-motor cousin was never common. Among the 53 SD38s built, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton bought five. Similar in appearance to the SD38, was the six-motor SD40 numbered more than 850 built. Even more common was the seemly ubiquitous SD40-2, which numbered in the thousands.
When Grand Trunk Western acquired DT&I in 1983, these rare birds joined the GTW roster. In 1986, I was surprised to find a freshly painted GTW SD38 working a cable laying train on the Central Vermont Railway in Palmer, Massachusetts. It was the first time, I’d ever seen a six-motor diesel on CV’s Palmer Subdivision. In researching the history of the 2004—pictured here—I found that R&N’s 2003 (GTW 6253) was the locomotive I’d photographed all those years ago.
Hopefully, during our wanderings in coal country over the coming weeks and months, I’ll come across R&N 2003, which will bring me full circle with this rolling antique and help complete my SD38 photo story.
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
October 21st, Kris and I paid another visit to the Reading & Northern to photograph 4-8-4 No. 2102 in action.
This is such an awesome locomotive in every regard.
We arrived trackside at Hamburg, Pennsylvania just after 9am. This is on the old Philadelphia & Reading’s original mainline.
After less than half an hour we heard the whistle and anticipated the passage of the great machine leading an Iron Horse Ramble on its march toward Jim Thorpe.
What is really cool is that 60 years ago, my father was doing the same thing! I grew up looking at Pop’s Reading Company slides. There’s a lot of history around locomotive 2102 and that’s part of the draw of the engine for me and a lot of other people.
By design, this day last week I caught up with Dan Cupper and railroad artist Craig Thorpe at Black Horse Road in Strasburg. We planned our meeting to coincide with the passing of the hourly excursion.
I made photos of the train and my friends.
Craig had brought with him a print of painting that he made of Reading & Northern 4-8-4 2102 at Nesquehoning that he created from still photographs that Dan had made.
After Strasburg 89 passed, we walked up the hill to Carpenters Cemetery and photographed the return run. In the meantime some Amish farmers were working a nearby field with an impressive team of draft (draught) horses.
These views were products of my Nikon Z-series mirror-less digital cameras.
