Under the cover of darkness, Norfolk Southern unit coal train 632 (Keating to Baltimore) was rolling down the Royalton Branch. Kris and I waited for it in Columbia, Pa., and when we heard it was getting close, I moved into position opposite Pennsylvania Railroad’s old Cola tower.

I tried this angle several weeks ago and felt it had potential for another try. I like it because the location is readily visually identifiable and has a lot of railroad history.

Among the challenges at this location at night is trying to compensate for the locomotives’ excessively bright headlights. This evening, I was also facing high humidity, stemming from damp conditions along the Susquehanna River, which kept causing condensation on the lens.

My result is atmospheric, if imperfect.

Tracking the Light explores the Night!