I went to catch No. 90 returning with the 12 noon train.
The ancient cemetery at Carpenters offers views of the line.
For these photos, I held my Fuji X-T1 at arms’ length and composed using the adjustible rear display.
My goal was to make photos here that were different than those I’ve made here previously.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Catching a freshly shopped steam locomotive crossing a lush field isn’t hard to take.
Strasburg Rail Road’s number 90 is back working excursions to Leaman Place after its recent overhaul.
Friday was cool and cloudy. Would these photos be better if had been warm and bright?
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Tuesday, I was on my way to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and decided to make a short detour to Blackhorse Road to roll by Strasburg’s 1pm passenger excursion. Old 89 had paused short of the road crossing for its standard ‘ghost whistle’ routine. While this was going on, I heard another engine chuffing up the grade (technical term) between Cherry Hill and Esbenshade Road.
In a heartbeat, I made a u-turn and drove post-haste back toward Strasburg. While racing along PA Route 741, I overtook 2-10-0 number 90 hauling four covered hoppers.
As mentioned on TTL the other day, engine number 90 recently completed its overhaul, and I’ve been hoping to catch it in service. This fortuitous encounter was just another instance of dumb luck.
At Strasburg, number 90 ran around its train and proceeded back toward Cherry Hill where it met 89 on its return run from Leaman Place on the siding at Grofts. But that’s a story for another post!
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I’d heard that Strasburg Rail Road’s 2-10-0 number 90 might be out and running after its most recent overhaul. So last Saturday, I waited at Esbenshade Road for the return run of the 11am train.
It was one short. In other words, instead of 90, I caught 2-6-0 number 89.
It was still pretty neat to listen to the engine laboring up the grade from Cherry Hill Road.
I made these 200mm telephoto views with my Z7-II and 70-200mm lens.
Stay tuned for more. . . .
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On our recent excursion to Paradise and back, I made a few photos of Strasburg Railroad’s SW8 8618 using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm Fujinon zoom lens.
Below are two versions of the same file. The top is a scaled but otherwise unaltered Fuji RAF RAW. The bottom is the image after transformation into a DNG file with lens defect correction using DxO PureRaw followed by selective cosmetic adjustments using Adobe Lightroom to maximize shadow and highlight detail, plus level, color and exposure corrections.
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Last weekend, Conway Scenic Railroad Trainmaster Mike Lacey and his wife Betty visited Kris and me in Pennsylvania. Although I work remotely, I speak with Mike daily in my work for Conway Scenic.
After a barbecue at our house, Kris and I brought Mike for a trip on the Strasburg Rail Road. We bought our tickets on the platform and traveled on the 4 pm train to Paradise.
Mike enjoyed his busman’s holiday taking in the sights and sounds of old 89 at work as we rolled across the fields in Amish country. I can never get enough of the Strasburg Rail Road, and this was a great joy for me as well.
I made these photos using my FujiFilm XT1. Mike snapped some photos with his Canon R mirrorless.
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We could call this a Mogul Video, no?
On our drive last last weekend, Kris, Seamus-the-Dog and I paused at Cherryhill Road in Strasburg, to roll by an early afternoon excursion to Leaman Place, Pa.
I was traveling ‘light,’ working with my old Fuji XT1 and 16-55mm Fujinon zoom. As the train passed, Kris made a video with her iPhone from the window of our car.
I processed the Fuji RAF RAW file using DxO Pure Raw to create a DNG file for editing in Lightroom. This might seem cumbersome, but it yields excellent results.
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Yesterday, I was among observers as Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road switched with 2-6-0 89. This included a move to position EMD-built SW8 8618 in the engine shop nearest the station.
This is a lesson in back lighting and the lightening of shadows in post processing.
I worked with my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm Fujinon zoom, exposing my photos in RAF raw format. Later I converted the RAW files to DNG format using Iridient X-Transformer. Finally, I made post processing corrections in Adobe Lightroom. This involved lightening the shadow areas and adjusting sky density.
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And an SW8.
Working with my Fuji XT1, I made a series of 1/2 to 3 second exposures of Strasburg Rail Road SW8 8618 by the light of the full moon.
While, I had the benefit of a 3Pod Tripod, I didn’t have the use of the specially made clip that holds the camera to the ball head. Unfortunately, that was attached to my Nikon Z7-II, which I’d left at home.
I made due by firmly holding the camera to the tripod during exposure.
After importing the RAF Raw files, I converted these to PNG format using DxO Pure Raw software, and then imported the converted file into Adobe Lightroom for adjustment.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
In the course of my photography, I have places that I return to again and again. These are the places that are accessible, but more importantly yield results. And, most significantly, despite many visits, the results are not just satisfactory but varied.
Add Esbenshade Road in Strasburg, Pennsylvania to that list. I first photographed at this place in 1996.
Below are my most recent efforts from this crossing of the Strasburg Rail Road as sunset— just a few weeks ago.
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The sun clung to the western horizon as Strasburg Rail Road 475 worked the short grade at Carpenters.
Rich red-orange light glinted off the passing train as skeletal trees stood by as stark reminders of summer seasons past.
Today, it’s hard to go wrong when making photographs at sunset, a task made is easier with digital cameras that allow you to adjust sensor sensitivity with the spin of a dial.
Low light photography posed greater challenges in my Kodachrome days.
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On the evening of October 28, 2024, I paused in the car park at the Strasburg Rail Road to make a few test photos with my Nikon.
J-Tower was lit for Halloween.
Earlier in the evening while attempting some long time exposures, I’d accidentally set my Nikon Z7-II in a ‘mode’ and my results were something other than what I’d expected.
A bit of systematic fiddling with the camera restored the settings to where I’d needed them to be for a nocturnal time exposure on a tripod.
This image was exposed at f4.0 for 30 seconds (at ISO 100), the lens focal length was set to 52mm. I adjusted the NEF RAW file in post processing to make the most of the sky and tower.
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A few weeks back, I was conducting my research at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Before my appointment to review literature from railroads of the past, I wandered across the street where Strasburg Rail Road’s former New York Central SW8 8618 was switching out a passenger consist.
I have a fondness for black EMD switchers. When I was about five, my father bought me a Lionel NW-2 painted for Santa Fe—black with the railroad’s classic logo. That small engine, no 623, is presently beneath our Christmas Tree, where on command it leads a short consist on a figure 8.
I made these photos with my Nikon Z7-II.
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Yesterday, I met up with Tracking the Light reader and photographer Andrew Ludasi at Strasburg. We drove to Carpenters to catch the 3pm returning with engine 89.
It was dull afternoon, but the sound of the locomotive in the pastoral setting was rewarding. After the train passed, we discussed cameras, film and photographic technique.
I mentioned that I always liked black & white, and in years past often used black & white film even when I’d had the opportunity to expose color. I suggested that occasionally, I’d convert digital color photos to black & white, and this might be a good idea for today’s photos.
Last night during the processing of my images, I desaturated one of the photos and cropped it to make for a more dramatic composition.
In this image, I didn’t make for a full black & white conversion as I left a hint of color and gave the image a sepia-tint for effect.
Is this better than the full color versions? Today, I can have the best of color and black & white. Take your pick as to which versions you prefer.
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Summer weekend evenings are a wonderful time to take in the cosmic thrill offered by the Strasburg Rail Road.
Low sun tinted with a golden glow can make for a romantic scene of the iron horse racing across a pastoral landscape.
I made these photos of the last train of the day returning to Strasburg from Leaman Place.
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Layers of haze, a bit of agricultural pollution, probably some high level smoke from distant fires plus some cotton candy clouds made for a colorful textured summer evening sky.
Kris and I drove to Esbenshade Road to roll by the Strasburg Rail Road’s Saturday evening late departure. For me the sky offered something different at a setting where I’ve made countless photos over the last couple of years.
Photos exposed using my Nikon Z6 and Z7-II mirrorless digital cameras. Files were processed using Adobe Lightroom to make the most of the highlights in the sky while retaining shadow detail.
I framed the on coming train in a way to make the most of the clouds, while trying to capture the reflection of the sky as the tail car passed by.
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We were on our way to the Fox Meadows Creamery for ice cream and coffee. I made a slight detour via Strasburg, thinking we might just catch the 5pm train returning.
As we approached Paradise Lane, we saw the train coming aross the cornfields. I pulled in and reached for my Nikon Z6.
Since the weather had been very warm and humid, we were running the air-conditioning in the car. When I stepped outside my lens immediately frosted over. So before I could make an exposure, I had to wipe the front element clean. Then I exposed this sequence of photos.
I’m pleased; these turned out well for hastily composed photos on a soft summer evening.
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Must all railroad photos focus on trains?
Is there a place for the elusive?
Over the last few weeks, I’ve made a great many photos of steam locomotives at work in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. This selection hints at what lies beyond. Subtle rather than obvious.
Follow the smoke.
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It was a fine evening at Carpenters (the little cemetery situated near the Strasburg Rail Road crossing of Blackhorse Road).
Kris and our puppy Seamus waited in the car as I set up for Strasburg’s return run from Leaman Place.
Cows populated the fields on both sides of the line. My challenge was that as the laboring locomotive approached, the cows in the field to the left of the line became wary of the noise and began to migrate away from the tracks.
Working with my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm zoom, I composed this series of images as engine 475 worked its way west. Leading is engine 475, a former Norfolk & Western 4-8-0—a type sometimes described as a ‘Mastodon.’ It is among the locomotives featured in my new book ‘Steam by the Numbers’.
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There hasn’t been a lot of snow this winter in Strasburg, Pa.
So, when about six inches fell a couple of weeks ago, Kris and I decided to make the most of it.
These photos were made braving the cold at Blackhorse Road to capture Strasburg Rail Road’s 4pm excursion to Leaman Place.
There’s such a contrast in the seasons, it’s hard to fathom that this is same crossing where we made many photos during the summer months.
I converted one of the images to monochrome for dramatic effect. All were exposed digitally using my Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens.
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It was a dark rainy afternoon.
Kris and I wandered over to the Strasburg Rail Road to watch steam in action.
Engine No. 90, a 2-10-0, leading a Santa’s Paradise Express excursion had met another excursion at Groffs and was accelerating upgrade toward the East Strasburg station.
My handy Lumix LX7 was my camera of choice.
I expose this photo as color RAW image.
In post processing, I converted the photo to monochrome using the saturation slider control, then made a variety of adjustments to contrast and exposure to manipulate appearance.
Below are the original file, a basic black & white conversion, and my final adjusted photograph.
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I found that the colorful autumn leaf season lasted weeks longer in Pennsylvania Dutch Country than it does in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and other areas of New England.
On November 11, 2023, I made these photos at Black Horse Road of Strasburg Rail Road’s 2-10-0 number 90 working midday excursions. Several beautiful trees were displaying their late season colors.
Clear autumn air and bright sun made it possible to get some more distant views of the train.
I’ve always preferred the late season foliage, when the green leaves have largely changed, some trees are bare, but a few radiant trees of red and yellow remain and the sun is low and bright.
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This season the Strasburg Rail Road decorated in the spirit of Halloween.
I made these photos on my various visits during October.
Boo!
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A couple weeks ago, I caught up with my friend Kurt Bell at the Strasburg Rail Road, and later we went across the street to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. These are two institutions with which Kurt has had decades-long affiliations.
Kurt is a Railroad Collections Archivist in Harrisburg with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission and the author of a book about the Strasburg Rail Road.
It was a beautiful autumn day and we wandered among the antique trains, visiting with people and taking in the majesty of the railroad environment.
I think one of the highlights of the day for Kurt was seeing his old favorite engine, Strasburg No. 31 (a former Canadian National Railways 0-6-0 switcher) ‘in kit form’ in Strasburg’s shop, where it has been undergoing restoration work.
Kurt had a story to tell me about everything we saw and everyone we met. I learned a lot about tourist railways and railway museums that day!
I made the photos with my Nikon Z7-II.
Thanks Kurt!
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Strasburg Rail Road’s Mogul No. 89 was sprinting toward the East Strasburg station near the grade crossing with Paradise Lane.
I wanted to capture the spirit of the moment and the motion of the engine. The backdrop of Red Caboose Motel and flags flapping in the wind was a bonus.
I like the burst of steam from the whistle.
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Last week, I made this view of Strasburg 475 at Cherry Hill road in Strasburg, PA.
High thermal clouds softened the midday summer sun.
There was a time in my Kodachrome days that I would have cursed the puffy clouds if they so much filtered the midday sun. However, I’ve found that in several ways slightly filtered sun, especially during the highlight of midday, leads to better photos.
With my digital cameras and post processing, I make the most of shadowed light, while the softened sun offers better contrast on the locomotive.
I made this view using my Nikon Z7-II, and I adjusted my NEF RAW files with Adobe Lightroom.
Tracking the LIght Posts Daily!
September Sunset at Esbenshade Road in Strasburg. Filtered late summer sun made for classic golden glint light.
Years ago, I made a project of captureing trains in the glint light on Kodachrome. This film had a wonderful ability to render glint that made for many stunning slides.
The other night I used my Nikon Z7-II to capture the fading summer sun.
To make the most of the scene, I set the camera to ‘M’ (manual) and dialed in my shutter speed and aperture by using the in-camera histogram to get the most effective pixel distribution from dark to-light . This resulted in about a stop darker than the in-camera meter was suggesting in ‘A’ mode (automatic).
After exposure, I balanced the image with post processing controls using Adobe Lightroom. In this way I was able to maintain detail in the sky and on the side of the train, while keeping the shadows from becoming opaque.
Tracking the Light Catches the Golden Glint!
I like 2-6-0s. Old Canadian National No. 89 is a fine looking machine.
It has been getting a work out this summer and I’ve seen it on numerous runs between East Strasburg and Leaman Place over the Strasburg Rail Road.
A couple of weeks back a clear evening made for ideal conditions to catch the 7pm train on its return run from Leaman Place.
I exposed this telephoto view as the train worked upgrade near Carpenters.
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Last Thursday morning, I photographed four trains in 45 minutes. Three were scheduled.
I caught eastward and westward Amtrak Keystone trains at Gap, Pennsylvania, then made a short drive over to the Strasburg Rail Road, where I waited for the 10am scheduled excursion to Leaman Place. As this steam hauled train approached Blackhorse Road, I could hear a second horn to the west.
I surmised that Strasburg’s local freight might be following the excursion. My guess was close; Strasburg’s SW8 diesel was leading a ballast hopper toward Leaman Place where it would clear for the excursion to return.
I can’t recall any time in the recent past in America where I caught electric, steam and diesel trains over such a short span of time.
Photos exposed with my Lumix LX7.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Tracking the Light Posts Daily!
Last week, when TEC Associates’ Wayne Duffett visited, we took a trip on the Strasburg Rail Road.
Former Norfolk & Western 4-8-0 475 was working.
We traveled in style, riding in parlor car Marian, and each enjoyed a Tröegs beer on the way to Leaman Place.
We passed some Amish farmers at Blackhorse Road.
Wayne commented on the height of the corn and the wonderful pastoral scenery.
As we arrived at Leaman Place, we met Strasburg Rail Road’s SW8 that was departing with a very short freight.
That’s not something you can experience on very many railroads: meeting a revenue freight on a steam hauled tourist excursion.
After we arrived back at the railroad’s East Strasburg Station, I made photos of Wayne with the locomotive, before headed out the line by road to photograph the next run.
Photos exposed digitally using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens.
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Friday evening we went out ahead of an approaching thunderstorm to watch Strasburg Rail Road’s 7pm train on its outward run to Leaman Place.
As we waited the sky grew dark and flashes of lightning lit the horizon.
The dark clouds caught up with us just as the train approached, which made for some bizarre lighting conditions.
I made these photos using my Lumix LX7 and Nikon Z7-II. The exposures were tricky because of the dark sky, low light and rain.
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Yesterday evening, Kris and I photographed Strasburg Rail Road’s 6pm excursion approaching Esbenshade Road.
Dramatic lighting made for an excellent conditions to picture a steam locomotive in action.
I exposed manually to capture detail in the sky. In post processing, I made a variety of adjustments to the RAW file to make the most the the scene.
Below are examples of the NEF RAW file before and after adjustment in Adobe Lightroom.
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Monday while waiting at Cherry Hill, as we anticipated Strasburg Rail Road No. 89 on its return run from Leaman Place, we heard a horn to west . . .
Also it was beginning to rain.
Sure enough, Strasbrug’s SW8 8618 had been whistling for Esbenshade Road and was running light engine to the new freight yard at Leaman Place.
The two trains met at Groffs, with the diesel taking the siding and No. 89 with the passenger excursion holding the main track.
Soft light, spring foliage, and light rain made for interesting conditions for this sequence of digital images.
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Yesterday morning, Kris and I got take-away breakfast from the Spreckled Hen in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. We drove over to Cherry Hill Road to roll by the 11am train to Leaman Place and enjoy our food.
I was delighted that former Canadian National Railways 2-6-0 number 89 was leading the seven-car excursion. (The 2-6-0 wheel arrangement is known as the Mogul Type.)
Rain was closing in from the west as I made these images using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens. Kris made a video with her iPhone 13 that she posted to Facebook.
As we waited for 89’s return trip we had a pleasant surprise . . . Stay tuned for the details and more photos!
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Last week, Strasburg Rail Road was offering ‘In-Cab Experiences’ with former Norfolk & Western steamlined J-Class locomotive 611. These were scheduled to operate in a relatively secluded section on the Leaman Place-end of the railroad.
I made this digital view looking across the fields of the locomotive under steam using a Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Nikkor Z-series zoom. My aim was to capture the majesty of the locomotive in pastoral setting.
By using selective focus and aiming through the lush Spring foliage, I hoped to create a sense of depth.
After exposure, I made a few nominal adjustments to the Nikon NEF RAW file using Adobe Light room. Notably, I used the ‘Select Sky mask setting’ to selectively lower the highlight density in the sky-area in order to avoid a loss of color and provide better balance the overall scene.
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