Tag Archives: #Scranton

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Alcos on Ektachrome

It seems appropriate to photograph vintage Alco diesels on Kodak Ektachrome.

Last summer on our visit to Scranton, Pa., we found a Delaware -Lackawanna local freight working the former DL&W yard adjacent to the Steamtown complex.

A former Lehigh Valley Alco C-420 and a former Delaware & Hudson RS-3 made for a photogenic pair.

My Nikon F3 was fitted with an f2.0 35mm lens and loaded with E100.

Interestingly, in the foreground of one of the photos is Maine Central 2-8-2 No. 519, the sister engine to 501, which is displayed at North Conway, N.H.

It was just about four months from the time of exposure until I received these slides back from the processing lab.

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography.

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Rain at the Electric City Trolley Museum

As we entered Scranton on I-81 the rain started and Kris suggested we get off the road for a few minutes. So, we headed for the Steamtown complex on the westside of the city center.

I made this view of the Electric City Trolley Museum with glossy rails and an autumnal sky.

The old 1930s-era SEPTA Brill Bullet car has been posed out in front of the museum for years.

Back in the late 1970s/early 1980s, I recall seeing cars like this one in service on the Norristown High Speed Line, but I never traveled on one, which is among my lasting regrets from that era.

Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set at 70mm.; f10 at 1/50th second, ISO 100.

Tracking the Light examines railroad photography.

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DL&W Heritage at Steamtown

Scranton’s Steamtown is a museum of North American railroading. But it is also a citadel of Lackawanna heritage. It is the respository of Lackawanna equipment and artifacts.

In its heyday more than a century ago, Lackawanna was an increadibly busy and very profitable railroad. In 1915, some 32 freight and passenger trains in each direction would work the mainline east of Scranton on a daily basis. Today these rails still host the occasional freights operated by Genesee Valley Transportation’s Delaware-Lackawanna, but its a far cry from the busy thoroughfare it was once.

Outside of Scranton, fragments and vestiges of the Lackawanna survive, but decades have passed since these represented a cohesive and vital transportation network. West of Binghamton, New York, little remains of the Lackawanna main line.

Photos exposed using a Nikon Z7-II.

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Anthracite Mine Tour—Part 2

We were hundreds of feet below ground on the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. We were led by John, our guide, and much of the tour was conducted on foot through the maze of subterrainian tunnels. We had ample opportunity to inspect the old mine and learn about the perils of anthracite mining.

I made all of these photos hand-held using my Nikon Z7-II with the ISO set at 8000 to 12,800 ISO.

Although shadows and highlights have been adjusted in these image, the files are converted directly from the camera RAW images, and not processed using PureRaw. At some point I will convert a few images using this advanced processing software for comparision.

Stay tuned for more anthracite images!

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Sunrise in Scranton

It was a bright morning in Scranton, and I thought there was no better time to make sunlit photos of the old Delaware, Lackawanna & Western station than at first light.

This is now the Radisson’s Lackawanna Station Hotel, and we were staying on the 6th floor in the room behind the clock.

I grabbed my Nikon Z7-II, and I walked around the street-side of the classic Kenneth Murchison building making photos from various angles.

No Phoebe Snow this day and we weren’t ‘off to Buffalo,’ yet this classic old building still feels, looks, and even smells like a traditional railroad station.

Soon it was time for a coffee!

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Steamtown Visit

One of the great things about Steamtown in Scranton, Pa., is that admission is free.

Last week, Kris and I arrived shortly after the park opened and spent several hours wandering around. There’s a lot to see and I hadn’t visited inside the museum in a number of years.

I made these images using my Nikon Z7-II and performed post processing using Adobe Lightroom. I’ve lightened shadows, reduced contrast and warmed the images as required for improved presentation.

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Lumix Views of Scranton’s DL&W Station

I work with different cameras to make various types of photos.

For this post I’m displaying a few photos made with my Panasonic Lumix LX-7 of the Radisson Lackawanna Hotel in Scranton. Using the Lumix lent to a distinct view point and the photos exposed offer an alternative to those that I previously made of the same building with my Nikon Z7-II.

These are not better or worse, just different.

Playing with myriad camera systems allows for a continued exploration of familiar subjects.

Compare these photos from those previously display in my earlier post: https://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/murchison-masterpiece-dlw-station-scranton/

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Delaware & Hudson Lightning Stripe

Back in the winter of 1985, I was delighted to have photographed a Delaware & Hudson Alco RS-3 working at Colonie Shops in Watervliet, New York. My only regret was that I made all of my photos using black & white film.

Last week on our visit to Scranton, we had the fortuity to witness a local freight operated by Delaware-Lackawanna (a Genesee Valley Transportation short line). This featured a pair of antique Alco diesels including a former D&H RS-3 recently repainted into the classic lightning stripe livery.

I made these digital photos of the American classic as it switched the former Lackawanna yard adjacent to the Steamtown complex. I also exposed a few 35mm color slides (but no black & white views).

I never would have imagined back in 1985 that a Delaware & Hudson RS-3 would still be working in revenue freight service forty years later! Today, I wonder if any of the diesels working today will still be in service in another 40 years.

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Scranton’s Silent Behemoth

Autumn leaves cover the tracks, reminding me of the season past. Before me rests a mass of steel supported by two dozen wheels where is placed to greet visitors to Scranton’s Steamtown.

This machine is an example of the famous Big Boy; an enormous locomotive built by Alco for Union Pacific to singly ascend Utah’s Wasatch range with a solid train of perishable traffic in tow.

Between 2013 and 2019, sister locomotive 4014 was famously restored to service by Union Pacific. Meanwhile, old 4012’s boiler has sat silent for more than 65 years.

How can I capture the majesty of this silent giant without feeling pang of sadness; nostalgia for a time I never knew?

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Big Alcos at Bridge 60

I’ve always admired the contours of Alco’s Century-Series diesels.

We arrived at Steamtown in Scranton, Pa., as the sun was on the western horizon—late sun on November day. A set of Delaware-Lackawanna’s antique Big Alcos were catching the rays near Bridge 60.

In the mid-2000s, I traveled on some of these iconic diesels as part my research for various book projects. Those photos were all exposed on color slide film. By contrast the images presented here were all made digitally using my Nikon Z7-II. (However, for the sake of continuity I also exposed a few Ektachrome slides here.)

D-L C-636 No. 3642 was originally a Penn-Central unit, and later served as Conrail 6792. In the mid-1980s, I recall seeing Conrail C-636s among hundreds locomotives stored in the Selkirk, New York deadlines. I’ll need to go back to my black & white negatives and see if 3642 (nee 6792) was among the locomotives I photographed there.

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Interlude with Antique Alcos

On a recent visit to Scranton, Kris and I paused briefly at the Delaware-Lackawanna’s shop where a variety of antique diesels are kept.

I made these views of the Alco RS-3 diesels stored there. Three were former Delaware & Hudson units painted to resemble their as-built appearance.

Forty years ago, I recall visiting D&H’s Colonie Shops at Watervliet, NY, where some of these engines were maintained.

I find it remarkable that after all these years some of the old RS-3s survive.

Photos exposed using Nikon Z-series mirrror less digital cameras.

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