Tag Archives: #Rhonda Lee

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Galesburg Ghost Spooks Silver Splendor?

Is there a ghost haunting Tracking the Light?

Last week, reader Wayne Duffett asked about the ghost in my photograph of Budd Vista dome Silver Splendor that had appeared in my post titled Spring Classic Trains Silver Issue.

Ghost?

Indeed, a spectral face appeared in one of the windows of the car as it paused at Galesburg, Illinois at the headend of Amtrak No. 4.

Upon closer inspection, I recognized the ghost as poet and author Carl Sandburg.

The ghost of Carl Sandburg?

Not really, no.

I recalled that when Amtrak No. 4 paused for its extended station stop at Galesburg in November 2018, I briefly disembarked to make photos of Silver Splendor on which I was traveling. Across the tracks from the train was a huge mural that featured icons of Galesburg, including an image of Burlington’s Budd-built Zephyr, and a portrait of the famous writer.

Perhaps the ghost of the Zephyr reflected in the Silver Splendor would have been more appropriate? Boo!

This is the photo where Wayne noticed a ghostly visage in the window of Silver Splendor. (Look beneath the letter ‘N’ in Burlington.
A much enlarged version of the photo in question.
This is another image that I made in Galesburg during the No. 4’s station stop in November 2018.
Here is an enlarged version of the mural. Notice the portrait of Carl Sandburg at center left. This was the source of the visage reflected in the window.

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photography

Frankenstein-Two Years Ago Today.

Step back to September 28, 2020. I had just bought my Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera. The foliage was turning, and I hiked up to the famed Frankenstein Trestle to catch the Mountaineer on its ascent of Crawford Notch.

This photo is among my favorites from 2020. I have used it extensively to promote Conway Scenic Railroad. It has appeared in various magazines and newspapers. The railroad sells refrigerator magnets featuring this image in the North Conway Brass Whistle Gift Shop, and we had monochromatic hoodies made up as well.

Saturday, September 17, 2022, Conway Daily Sun featured the photo on the cover of the newspaper.

The photo was exposed with my Z-series 24-70mm zoom set at 26mm, aperture at f4; camera shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second. I made adjustments to shadows, highlights and color temperature and saturation using Adobe Lightroom.

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photography, Tips and Technique

Rhonda Lee Summer Sunset.

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Last night, August 8, 2019, I traveled on Conway Scenic’s Dinner Train for the second evening in a row.

The purpose of my trip was in preparation for some more involved filming in the coming days.

However, when we arrived at Bartlett, New Hampshire we were greeted by a stunning summer sunset, I reached for a camera. Well, actually three cameras. I reached for three cameras.

I then arranged with conductor Derek Palmieri to make a few photos.

Budd Vista dome  Rhonda Lee (née Silver Splendor) has only been recently re-lettered and made for a fine sight catching the summer sunset.

These images were the products from my FujiFilm XT1 fitted with a Zeiss 12mm Touit lens.

I also exposed a few images with my Lumix LX7. I’m sure someone will groan when they read that I made black & white views on Ilford HP5 with a Nikon F3.

You’ll have to wait for the film photos, as it might be a few weeks before I have the time or facilities to process them.

Bartlett is one of my favorite places to catch Conway Scenic, and it seems I’m here almost every day, by road or by rail!

Don’t forget, today August 9, 2019, I’ll be signing books on Conway Scenic’s 1330 (130pm) Valley Train to Conway, and at the North Conway Station from 230 to 5pm!

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photography, Tips and Technique

Conway Magnificence: Budd Dome and Steam at Willey Brook.

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I’ve just scratched the surface reviewing the many photos I made yesterday (June 29, 2019) of Conway Scenic’s Trains, Planes and Automobiles steam excursion over New Hampshire’s Crawford Notch.

This was the first public excursion with Conway’s new Budd-dome Rhonda Lee (formerly Silver Splendor) as featured on Tracking the Light. And the first time the car was teamed up with steam locomotive 7470.

I made this view of the iconic Willey Brook Trestle on the return run in the afternoon where the steam locomotive was trailing.

For years I’d admired photos from the vantage point on the rocks above the bridge, which has been used to photograph the railway since it was constructed in the 1870s.

I never realized how difficult it was to get up there until I had to make the ascent myself, with all my gear in tow.

This view was exposed using a FujiFilm XT1 with 12mm Zeiss Touit mounted on a Gitzo tripod. I used an external Lee graduated filter to help improve sky detail.

By working in the vertical-oriented portrait format, I was better able to show the distance of the stream below the bridge and the great verticality of the entire scene. I’m specifically mimicking a 19thcentury glass plate view, while remembering a Kodachrome slide my friend Brian Jennison exposed here of a Maine Central freight.

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