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Perfect Light at Lancaster Junction!

Over the last couple of years I’ve paid a few brief visits to Lancaster Junction. This was once a significant divergence on Reading Company’s Reading & Columbia route.

Last week, after departing Manheim having photographed Norfolk Southern’s H23 local freight, I droved directly to Lancaster Junction ahead of the train.

Track speed on NS’s Lititz Branch is a little fast than a jog, so I arrived a solid five minutes ahead of the train. While waiting I met a local historian who showed me where the old station had once stood and other vestiges of this once fascinating place.

I’m thinking that Lancaster Junction might be a neat place to put on my reincarnated ‘Wee Reading Company’ which hopefully will begin to take shape in our basement.

Below are a few historical USGS topo maps the show the Junction at various times (1904 and 1990s).

Lancaster Junction, Pa, from a 1904 USGS topo map. Note the small yard on the leg of the wye heading toward Lancaster.
This 1990s era map shows the now-abandoned alignment of the Reading & Columbia line toward Columbia, Pa. This section is now a rail-trail. The location of my photos below were taken from the area represented by the red-cross and circle on this late-era map. It is a place well suited to early afternoon early winter sunlight. Today there are no switches or sidings remaining at the junction and the station building are but a memory.

When the H23 began to sound its horn for the Auction Road crossing, I was all set with my Nikon Z6 and my father’s old M4 loaded with Ektachrome 100. A puffy cloud was threatening to darken the scene, but this cleared off by the time the locomotives loomed into view. With the digital camera, I made photos that capture the scene as much as the train itself, while the lone color slide was more about the locomotives.

I made this sequence of photos, gave the locomotive engineer a friendly wave, parted company with my new friend, and then plotted my course for the next place to roll by H23. The Ektachrome slide will have to wait for another day, as it will need processing.

As the train approached a puffy cloud was tickling the sun, but it cleared off by the time the locomotives walked by me.

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Bright Afternoon at Reinholds Station

I’ve been continuing my survey of former Reading Company lines east of the Susquehanna. This is more than merely a passive photographic exercise as I’m actively searching for scenes to incorporate in my next Wee Reading Company adventure.

Regularly Tracking the Light readers may remember the last run of the original Wee Reading Company in May 2023. That railroad now exists only in photos, although I saved all of the locomotives, rollingstock and structures, as well as salvaging as much of the track and timber as practicable for use in the new incarnation of the Reading in HO Scale.

In late Autumn, Kris and I paused at Reinholds Station on the East Penn part of the former Reading & Columbia route. This picturesque line has great modeling potential.

I exposed these views with my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens. The NEF RAW files were processed by Pure Raw and adjusted using Adobe Lightroom.

Tracking the Light explores vestiges of the old Reading Company!

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SD38s for Dessert

We’d finished our meal at the Tamaqua Station Restaurant.

I’d been watching the signals for a southward train and saw that the previously all red lights had cleared to ‘approach’ (yellow-over-red-over-red).

Kris ordered a fancy dessert from the dessert cart, and then we heard the whistle . . . the second in less than an hour.

I wandered down toward the old tower just in time to catch a pair of Reading & Northern SD38s with a short freight.

Exposed with my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set at 27mm (to include the signals).

Reading & Northern SD38s pass the old Reading Company station at Tamaqua, Pa.,

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Antiques of the Anthracite Roads

It was a blistering hot afternoon when we exited the Steamtown Mall on the elevated footbridge that offers views of the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western shops and yards that are now part of the Steamtown complex at Scranton, Pa.

Below us was a selection of Central Railroad of New Jersey passenger cars, DL&W multiple units, various cabooses and sad looking freight cars, plus a Reading Company RS-3, some F3s masquerading as a set of Lackawanna units, a few old steam locomotives, and a Leslie rotary plow.

As I was making studies of the museum’s antiques, we heard the unmistakable chortling sound of an Alco 244 diesel . . .

Stay tuned!

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Lunch at Tamaqua Station

On our way to Scranton, Kris and I stopped at Tamaqua, Pa., for lunch at the Tamaqua Station Restaurant.

I was pleased to see that the article I wrote for Trains Magazine last year that features the restaurant had been laminated and displayed for visitors to enjoy.

This former Reading Company station has great atmosphere and offers a great menu selection. Kris didn’t have the opportunity to sample the desserts on this visit, so we agreed to return soon.

Photos exposed using my Nikon Z7-II.

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Norfolk Southern at Lititz Station

Finally!

After more than two years of eying up the Lititz Station (itself a recreation) as location to photograph a train, I finally caught a locomotive here.

Last week, I was patient as NS local H23 switched a local industry. After a while, SD60E 6977 pulled a few cars down and began its run around.

This gave me ample time to get the locomotive crossing Pennsylvania Rt 501 (North Broad Street) by the old Wilbur Chocolate factory.

My timing was good. Not only did the sun come out, but as I was making my photos, a fellow photographer informed me of the plan to move the run around track further west and eliminate the need to cross North Broad Street and pass the station.

I also made a few Fujichrome slides to preserve the event for posterity.

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Lucky Day at Manheim

Wednesday was my lucky day last week.

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.

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Parallel Bridges at Rupert—four stages of correction

Last week Kris and I visited Rupert, Pa. where, at one time, the Lackawanna interchanged with Reading Company.

Here, parallel railroad bridges cross Fishing Creek.

The old Reading truss bridge is long abandoned, while the former Lackawanna plate girder bridge is now used by the North Shore Railroad short line.

Working with my FujiFilm XT1, I exposed this view as a RAF (RAW) image. Below are four variations of the same file that aim to show steps toward achieving a final image.

First I converted the RAF file into DNG format using Iridient X-Transformer. Then I made some nominal corrections with Lightroom.

Out of curiousity, I then returned to the original RAF file and converted it DNG using DxO PureRaw, a program with which I’ve been experiementing recently.

Note: in this excercise I made two distinct conversions from the RAF (RAW) image to the DNG format using the two different conversion programs. I did not re-convert the already converted image.

Working with the PureRaw DNG in Lightroom, I found that this conversion gave me much greater latitude to improve detail and color in the sky. While the sky appears nearly white in the unadjusted files, using the highlights slider in Lightroom I was able to draw in considerable detail.

Overall, I found that the PureRaw-created DNG file was easier to adjust in Lightroom and allowed me to create a better end-result.

I plan to continue these experiments.

Iridient X-Transformer created DNG file, scaled without cosmetic adjustment.
Iridient X-Transformer created DNG file, scaled following adjustments to shadow-areas, highlights and color balance. Note the sky.
PureRaw created DNG file, scaled without cosmetic adjustment. This software corrected for a variety of lens defects among other transformations.
PureRaw created DNG file, scaled following significant cosmetic adjustment, including nominal cropping. Notice the differences in the sky detail compared with the other variations.

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Minersville Revisited

On our Saturday drive, Kris and I paused at Reading & Northern’s station at Minersville, Pa. This is home to the preserved Central Railroad of New Jersey 0-6-0 number 113.

On several occasions in year’s gone by, I’ve photographed 113 under steam at Minersville. On those occasions the station has been alive with visitors, who had flocked to the railroad for annual Santa Train excursions.

Saturday’s visit was a complete contrast to my earlier visits. Old 113 was cold, and the rails were rusted. The station was locked up tight and not a wheel was turning. Elsewhere trains were on the move, but not here.

For me Minersville is like Brigadoon, and someday, it will come to life again.

CNJ 113. Photo exposed in NEF RAW and converted to PNG format using DxO Pure Raw software, then adjusted with Lightroom for presentation here.

These photos were exposed using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens.

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Big Engine on the Lititz Local

Last week I swung by Lititz, Pa.

Working a vestige of the old Reading & Columbia Line was Norfolk Southern’s H23 local freight.

The power for this short train was SD60E 6987, a distinctive variaty of six-motor diesel that feature’s NS’s blunt-nose ‘Crescent Cab’.

I made this view using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.

Someday the ordinary will be seen as remarkable.

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Very Short Freight at Limerock

The other day, I posted some photos that I’d made of a two-unit, two-car freight passing Limerock on its way from Lancaster to Lititz, Pa. My success, led me to try again. So before Christmas, Kris and I made another exploration of Norfolk Southern’s Lititz secondary, and this scored us an even shorter freight.

It is seen here under clear skies approaching the West Lexington Road grade crossing with a lone GP38-2 and single boxcar.

Exposed digitally using a Fujifilm XT1 with 16-50mm Fujinon lens. Fuji RAF raw files were converted to PNG format using Iridient X-Transformer and then imported into Adobe Lightroom for final adjustment and scaling for internet presentation.

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View from West Lexington Road

Norfolk Southern’s local on the Lititz Secondary rolled along at a jogging pace.

I’d previously scoped out a few angles from West Lexington Road at Limerock in Lititz, Pa. When I arrived, the the short train was coming into view. I had ample time to make these images using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-50mm Fujinon lens

All were exposed as RAF Raw files, then converted into DNG format using Iridient X-Transformer. This software makes more effective use of the Fuji Raw format. Working from the converted files, I made adjustments to exposure, contrast and color balance using Adobe Lightroom, and then produced scaled output for digital display here.

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Molino—60 Years Ago and Today

In October 1964, my father photographed Reading Company T-1 No. 2100 crossing a field at a rural gradecrossing near Molino, Pennsylvania. This was on one of his many chases of Reading’s Iron Horse Rambles.

Sixty years later—plus or minus a few of days—I brought Kris and Seamus-the-dog to this very same crossing.

“Pop made a photo here.”

We parked our Honda and walked Seamus, while waiting for the returning Reading & Northern Fall Foliage Excursion to pass with the F7s leading.

I was thinking that this location really hadn’t changed much, although the railroad has. Reading Company was melded into Conrail in 1976, and then 23 years later Conrail was divided between Norfolk Southern and CSX. In the meantime, Andy Muller carved out his Reading & Northern empire from lines cast away by Conrail during its retrenchment years.

Before the train came into view, we found an enormous praying mantis sitting on the front tire of the Honda. My first attempt to shoo the wee critter into safety failed when it scurried around the backside of the tire.

Then we heard the horn of the approaching excursion. We made our photos. However rather than jump into the car for spirited chase, I needed to persuade the mantis to relocate. Ultimately, I coaxed it to cling on to my pen. Kris found this amusing and made a few photos. I found a nice spot in the grass for the big bug and we were on our way again.

Exposed using a FujiFilm X-T4.

Yesterday, I sent Pop a preview of today’s post. He has hundreds of Reading photos.

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Reading & Northern at Milepost 105

Last Saturday was warm and clear. We had a late start, but decided to make another drive into coal country to photograph Reading & Northern Autumn Foliage Excursions.

Since we had a little time, we explored a few different locations. Kris liked the view from a grade crossing between East Mahanoy Junction and Haucks (compass north of Tamaqua, Pa.) at milepost 105. This was once a very railroad intense part of Pennsylvania. Today several lines still converge on this area.

We didn’t have long to wait and Reading & Northern’s return trip to Pottsville passed us with three vintage Budd RDCs!

I made these photos using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens.

Soon we were searching for another location to catch R&N’s F7s with the train from Jim Thorpe bound for Reading Outer Station. Stay tuned . . .

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Sweet Light at Zehners—Steam Marching Home.

I’m always trying to come up with catchy titles for my individual Tracking the Light Posts to entice you to read them.

I could have titled this; ‘2102, again.’ Or ‘Yet Another Photo of old Reading Company Rails,’ or perhaps, ‘OH YEAH, THIS was worth the wait!’

In retrospect, perhaps that last one was better . . .oh well, there’s always tomorrow’s post.

On the afternoon of October 5th, Kris and I were poised at Zehners, near South Tamaqua, Pa., waiting to catch Reading & Northern’s 2102 leading the return leg of the day’s Fall Foliage Excursion that had run between Reading Outer Station and Jim Thorpe.

Low sun made for dramatic lighting, and it really was worth the wait! Sometimes it pays to stick with it, even when you’ve been out all day making photos.

I made this series of photos using my Nikon Z mirrorless cameras.

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Lancaster Junction

There’s no junction at Lancaster Junction anymore.

Reading Company’s Reading & Columbia route split at Lancaster Junction. One line continued toward Landisville where it crossed the Pennsylvania Railroad on the way to Columbia. The other line, curved to the left and went into Lancaster, Pa.

Today, the railroad is operated by Norfolk Southern, and only the branch to Lancaster remains. The route beyond Lancaster Junction is now a trail.

I’ve made a couple of visits to this spot in recent weeks. I wished I’d seen this location in it heyday, but I’m happy there’s still some trackage here. Maybe someday, I’ll catch an NS local freight on its way to or from Lititz.

Lancaster Junction looking toward Lancaster; the old route on the right is now a trail.
Looking toward Lititz.

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Reading & Northern 2102 arriving at Port Clinton—October 5, 2024

Saturday was a beautiful clear October morning. I walked up to the station at Port Clinton, Pennsylvania to photograph the arrival of locomotive 2102 from North Reading on its journey to Jim Thorpe.

I felt like a wee plastic man on a really big HO-scale railroad.

Back lit lighting made for dramatic images, but then required a bit of contrast control and selective lightening for final presentation.

I made these photos using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm zoom lens.

After the train arrived to pick up passengers, I walked back to the grade crossing near the village of Port Clinton to photograph the thundering departure of this magnificent machine. Stay tuned!

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Obscure Surviving Vestiges of the Reading Company

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.

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Double Stacks rolling west off the old Reading

The Harrisburg area is a maze of trackage, which is alive with freight and passenger movements. Among the of the busiest lines is Norfolk Southern’s former Reading Company route (operated as its Harrisburg Line), which joins the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line route (operated as NS’s Pittsburgh Line) near Amtrak’s former PRR passenger station in Harrisburg, PA.

This route carries the lion’s share of east-west freight moving through Harrisburg, specifically traffic moving to the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.

Prior to routing and infrastructure changes in the Conrail-era, the majority of freight coming east on the PRR route, continued east of Harrisburg on former PRR routes. Traditionally, the junction between PRR and Reading lines at this location was a relatively minor connection between the historic railroad systems.

It was a warm Tuesday in early April, when I made these photographs of a westward NS double stack container train from the Mulberry Street Bridge railroad-east of Amtrak’s former PRR Station. This freight is making the transition from the old Reading to the old PRR route.

Images exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens, files adjusted in Lightroom.

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A brief look at the old Lebanon Valley Branch.

The portion of the former Reading Company’s Lebanon Valley Branch/Crossline running between Reading and Harrisburg, PA is now operated by Norfolk Southern as the western end of its Harrisburg Line.

Since the Conrail-era, this route has hosted the lion’s share of through freights moving east of Harrisburg toward the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.

This heavily built line is signaled for two-main tracks [bi-directional signaling allows moves on signal indication in both directions on either track].

Although conceptually interesting, I’ve found this to be a difficult route to photograph effectively.

Last Saturday, Kris and I were exploring the area and visited the town of Richland, Pa., which is bisected by NS’s Harrisburg Line. Shortly after we parked east of the main crossing, I heard a roar to the west.

“There’s a freight coming.”

Kris made a video with her phone, and I exposed a sequence of photos using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens and Lumix LX3.

This was an impressive mixed carload freight. Following the lead locomotives were 136 cars and a single-engine DPU (distributed power unit) at the back.

The view at Richland was hardly the magnificent vista offered by the famous Horseshoe Curve, but it was a neat place to roll a train by.

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Twilight Glow at Reinholds

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A week ago and a world away, wintery dusk settled over Reinholds Station, Pennsylvania.

The blue hour was golden.

Next to the old Reading station rested former New York, Susquehanna & Western GP18 1802.

This quaint setting is rare in 21st century railroading and befitting of a model railroad.

Photos were made with a Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm mounted on a Bogen tripod to allow for long exposure. NEF RAW files adjusted using Adobe Lightroom.

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Lumix LX3—Reading Sunset

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The tracks of the former Reading Company’s Lancaster & Columbia line through Lititz, Pa, were trimmed back a few blocks in recent months.

The rails were lifted where they crossed North Water Street, near the Appalachian Brewing Company.

I made these photos while experiementing with a vintage-2008 Lumix LX3. A decade ago, I’d made a lot of great photos with this compact camera model.

While I ultimately replaced my original LX3 with the more versatile LX7, I again have an LX3 in my repertoire of photographic equipment. This camera’s f2.8 Leica Vario-Summicron lens yields excellent results.

Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/10th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/10th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/10th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.
Lumix LX3, ISO 200 f2.8 1/13th sec.

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Manheim, Pennsylvania

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.

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Christmas Convergence at West Cressona

I like it when I can tie several themes together. This post is special because it ties together many loose threads in one neat knot.

Catching CNJ 0-6-0 passing through the former Reading yard at West Cressona a few weeks ago is a perfect example.

Back in 2015, on a trip to photograph 113 in Christmas train service with photographer Pat Yough, I met photographer Oren Helbok.

This seasonally-themed train was working the prototype rails that had inspired my HO-Scale Wee Reading Company.

Researching the Reading in November 2021 led Kris and me to Pennsylvania, and it was a significant factor in considering our move to the state earlier this year.

In March 2022 on visit to Pennsylvania to explore the Strasburg and Harrisburg areas, Kurt Bell introduced us to author/photographer and fellow Trains correspondent Dan Cupper.

In October, Dan Cupper and I had visited West Cressona to photograph a Reading & Northern local with a pair of EMD SW8 diesels

Earlier this month, both Dan and Oren encouraged Kris and me to photograph this season’s trips with 113.

During our photography of the 113 trips, Pat Yough had phoned to say that the elusive Reading & Northern SD38 2003 was in the yard at West Cressona. (See earlier posts on Tracking the Light, including: http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/reading-northern-sd38-2004/and http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/the-solomons-gap/).

After catching 113 passing Becks, Kris and I made our way to the yard, which had been a feature of my model railroad, and caught 113 working its way through the historic trackage and passing 2003.

Back in 1986, I had photographed 2003 in an earlier incarnation as Grand Trunk Western 6253, which had arrived in my old haunt of Palmer, Massachusetts on a fiber-optic cable laying train. This stuck in my mind because it was the first time I’d ever seen a six-motor diesel on the Central Vermont.

My now-defunct Wee Reading Company HO railway. This was my interpretation of West Cressona Yard.
This angle was the inspiration for the model. I first stood here in 2014. This photo was made a couple of weeks ago.
Central Railroad of New Jersey 113 works past Reading & Northern 2003 at West Cressona, PA
Reading & Northern 2014 was at the back of the Santa excursion. In 2014, I made first visits to West Cressona and Minersville to photograph 113.
And there is the elusive 2003!
Central Vermont cable laying train at Palmer, Massachusetts in August 1986. I made my first photos of Palmer from this location in September 1977.

Merry Christmas from Tracking the Light!

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Reading Railroad Heritage Museum

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.

See: www.readingrailroad.org

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Reading’s Rocket

Among the world’s oldest surviving locomotives is Reading’s Rocket. This was recently relocated from Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

It was named to honor of Robert Stepenson’s original Rocket of 1829—the locomotive that is the ancestor of most subsequent reciprocating steam locomotive designs.

Reading’s Rocket was built in England in 1838 by Braithwaite & Company and shipped across the Atlantic to the Port of Philadelphia and then by canal to Reading, Pa. It was first steamed in May of that year, and began working in passenger service in July 1838.

The locomotive later greatly altered from its original appearance and then subsequently restored to more or less its as built condition.

Thanks to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania for facilitating my photographs of this rare and antique machine.

Photos exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.

Typical of early locomotives, Rocket has inside connect rod connections and inside valve gear. This vital equipment—located between the wheels of the locomotive—is key to the engines operation, but goes largely unnoticed by most observers.

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Visit to the Middletown & Hummelstown with Wayne.

Several weeks back, our friend Wayne Duffett had business on Pennsylvania’s Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad, a short line that operates a short segment of the former Reading Company. Wayne posed with the railroad’s vintage GE 65 ton diesel number 2. Later, we drove to Middletown, where we had lunch in the classic Brownstone Cafe on Union Street.

After lunch the railroad fired up its antque former Western Maryland Alco S6 switcher to do a little work. Stay tuned for views of the grand old Alco at work . . .

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Local on the old Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven

Here is another photo from the real-life setting for my one-time Wee Reading Company HO model railroad.

A few weeks back on my birthday, Dan Cupper and I made a productive exploration of old Reading Company lines operated by Reading & Northern.

This included following the PNPV local freight led by a pair of former Lehigh Valley SW8 switchers up the old Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad—one of the oldest surviving railroad routes in the United States, now in operation for more than 190 years.

At Becks this train stopped to switch out the far end of West Cressona Yard.

I admit that this looks very different in real life than on my former model railroad, but it was still neat to be standing there admidst rusty autumn leaves and two 70 plus year-old diesels.

Below are two versions of the same image. The top is the Nikon NEF RAW file, scaled as a JPG for internet but otherwise unaltered.

The next down is the same file adjusted to improve appearance.

I’ve also included a screen shot of the Adobe Lightroom work window that shows how I used the slider controls to obtain my results.

There are my photo secrets revealed!

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Photos of a Postage Stamp Station!

In March 2023, the United States Postal Service issued a plate of five railroad station stamps. Among these is the former Reading Company station at Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. This hasn’t served as a Reading passenger station since 1963, but is now a railroad themed restaurant.

In October, I paid two visits to the Tamaqua Station Restaurant; first with Kris, to meet up with Pat Yough, Scott Snell and Brian Plant, during our fall foliage photography of Reading & Northern’s 2102 under steam; second, about a week later with Dan Cupper.

During the course of these visits I made more than a dozen photos of the classic building—inside and out.

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2102 with October Foliage at Zehners

October is my favorite month for making railroad photos. Low sun and rich autumnal foliage can make for stunning settings. Yet, finding brilliant colored trees lineside isn’t always so easy.

Driving along on the highways in Anthracite country of eastern Pennsylvania in October you’ll see plenty of beautifully colored trees, but often, when you find your way to the tracks the leaves there are still green, or brown, or gone.

A few weeks back, Kris and I were following Reading & Northern’s 2102 as it led an Iron Horse Ramble toward Jim Thorpe.

Back in 2015, Pat Yough and I made a similar trip to photograph the railroad’s colorfully painted Pacific type, engine 425 on a foliage trip. Among my favorite photos from that day were those made at Zehners, near South Tamaqua, and so that’s where Kris and I stopped to catch 2102.

Kris and I arrived well ahead of the train. Folks had begun to gather. I was impressed by the trees. Bright sun illuminated the mid-morning sky and we made some satisfying images of the train as it passed.

Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.

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Standing on the Inspiration for my old Model Railroad

On my birthday I went to visit the railroad that had inspired my HO-scale Wee Reading Company.

In May, Kris and I had traded the joy of the Wee Reading Company—a microcosm that I created of Pennsylvania anthracite country railroading—in order to move to and live in Pennsylvania.

Fellow photographer Dan Cupper joined me on a day-long exploration of Reading & Northern operations. We began the day at Port Clinton, and followed the PNPV (Port Clinton to Pottsville) freight to West Cressona on the old Mine Hill Railroad—one of the component lines of the Reading system.

I made photos at the old yard, along the street and houses that I’d conceptually recreated as the center-piece of my HO-scale fantasy—itself now a memory.

This seemed completely surreal, but resulted in some interesting photos.

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Four-eight-four and Autumn Foliage—Molino, Pa.

October 21, 2023, Kris and I were poised and ready at Molino to photograph Reading & Northern’s former Reading Company class T-1 4-8-4 No. 2102.

Although he photographed from a different angle back in October 1963, my father caught a Reading Iron Horse Ramble at Molino, which was part of the reason I wanted to photograph 2102 here.

On this day, we were among dozens of other photographers at this location. Everyone was respectful of each other and did a remarkably good job of trying to stay out of each other’s photographs.

Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Nikon Z-series zoom.
Light cloud and cross lit sun made for excellent conditions to photograph autumn foliage. Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Nikon Z-series zoom.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Nikon Z-series zoom.
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Nikon Z-series zoom.

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2102-Majesty of the Machine in Motion

Reading & Northern’s class T-1 2102 is an awe inspiring locomotive.

On October 1, 2023, Kris and I were poised to photograph this machine as it worked former the Central Railroad of New Jersey line near Nequehoning, PA.

Rich autumn sunlight and a hint of autumn foliage made for excellent conditions.

The locomotive crew made a show of steam and smoke as the engine passed us.

Nikon Z-6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom set to 200mm; f5.6 1/250 sec ISO 200.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 45mm; f4.5 1/640 sec ISO 200
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set to 24mm; f4.5 1/640 sec ISO 200

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Iron Horse on the roll!

Reading & Northern’s recreated Iron Horse Rambles are real throwback to the early 1960s.

Sunday, as we stayed well ahead of former Reading Company 4-8-4 No. 2102 as it worked toward Tamaqua and Jim Thorpe, Pat Yough led us to inspect several locations on the old Reading Co.’s Little Schuylkill Branch. These are places that I recognized from my father’s photos of Reading’s Iron Horse Rambles of 60+ years ago.

We settled on the popular location at Reynolds (near Atlas), not far from South Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.

Many photographers were set up for a classic 3/4 angle. Having followed that formula on previous trips, this time Kris and I opted for a broadside view where the BIG 4-8-4 would be lit by the morning sun.

I made this sequences with my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens and Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens.

Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens.
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens

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Philadelphia & Reading Bridge—Harrisburg

Third time’s the charm.

In June 2009, I made my first visit to the former Philadelphia & Reading arched bridge over the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pa.

At that stage, I was still using film exclusively, and using my Canon EOS-3 loaded with Fujichrome, I made some photos of the bridge sans train.

Kris and I paid another visit to the bridge in March of 2022, Again, I made photos of the arches, but no luck catching anything on the move.

Toward the end of July, I made my third visit. This time fortune favored me. Not long after I parked on South Front Street, I heard a horn to the west and soon an eastward Norfolk Southern train came rolling across the arches.

I made these images using my Lumix LX7 and Nikon Z6 cameras.

Lumix LX7 photo.
Lumix LX7 photo.
Z6 with Nikkor f2.8 180mm.

I had the Z6 set up with my 1980s-era Nikkor f2.8 180mm prime telephoto. While a very sharp lens, this is operated manually, which makes focusing a little tricky.

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