Tag Archives: #Twin Ledges

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Plenty of Power at Twin Ledges

It is always nice to catch an extra.

My friends and I were set up at the rock cut that in part comprises the location known as ‘Twin Ledges’ situated on the east slope of Washington Hill. This was the former Boston & Albany main line, operated by Conrail as its Boston Line.

The trees had just a leafed out on May 24, 1987, when I made this image of a laden Conrail BAL (ballast) extra ascending the grade behind a consist of GE C30-7As.

Long after the train had squeeled through the reverse curves, we could hear its locomotives chugging west toward Washington Summit near Hinsdale, Massachusetts.

Conrail was a class act that made for countless photo opportunities.

Fifty Years after it commenced operations, Tracking the Light takes a fond look back on Conrail!

photography, Tips and Technique

Conrail at Twin Ledges—27 Years Ago.

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On October 3, 1993—27 Years Ago Today—I made this Kodachrome slide of a Conrail eastward freight on the former Boston & Albany.

I’d set up with a Nikkormat FTN fitted with a Nikon AF28mm lens.

I wanted to exemplify the deep rock cuttings and so made use of the afternoon shadows.

The lit marker lamps on the lead locomotive was an unusual and unanticipated detail that make this photo more interesting.

Twin Ledges is a pair of rock cuts on a double S-bend in the Berkshires timetable west of the old Middlefield Station on the Boston & Albany mainline.

Kodachrome 25 slide scanned using a Nikon Super Coolscan5000 powered by VueScan software. Tif file adjusted using Adobe Lightroom and scaled for internet.

My late friend Bob Buck of Warren, Massachusetts, had first shown me this iconic location in 1982, and I’ve made countless visits back to this spot over the years.

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