![\"For](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Conrail-NHSE-WIndsor-Locks-CT-Aug-18-1987-Brian-Solomon-661688.jpg?resize=474%2C305\")
<\/a>In August 1987, I\u2019d made several trips to photograph Conrail\u2019s New Haven to Selkirk (symbol NHSE) on the former New Haven Railroad New Haven\u2014Springfield line.<\/p>\n
The challenge of this project was that the train departed Cedar Hill Yard (near New Haven) very early in the morning. If I recall correctly, it went on duty there about 3am. My strategy was either to drive past the yard in Hartford to see if it was there, and then pick a location for a photograph, or simply set up and wait.<\/p>\n
On this day, August 18, 1987, I was waiting on spec. I\u2019d figured, at least I\u2019d catch a few of the southward Amtrak trains, and if Conrail\u2019s NHSE didn\u2019t show up, I\u2019d head off elsewhere.<\/p>\n
After selecting my spot by water level, and after Amtrak\u2019s Bankers went south, I was rewarded by a pair of SD40-2s leading a very long NHSE. The light was nearly perfect and I exposed several frames of Kodachrome 25.<\/p>\n
When the slides came back I was sorely disappointed. These had two flaws: the color had shifted red (often a problem with Kodachrome that was too close to its expiry date); but worse, the images were off level (tilted). The second problem was especially galling because I\u2019d featured the river so prominently.<\/p>\n
Into the \u20183rds\u2019 bin! At that time I could go back to Windsor on any given day and repeat my effort. Except that I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Years went by. I remembered the morning of the photograph and I recalled exposing the slides. In searching, I\u2019d found slides of NHSE from other days. But this image was missing, as were quite a few other images from the same period.<\/p>\n
Finally, I found it again, and quite by accident. In looking for photos for a book project (Conrail, probably), I opened the big box of \u20183rds\u2019 to see what was inside . . . and, isn\u2019t it amazing to see how slides improve with age?!<\/p>\n
Now with desktop scanning and post-processing technologies, the job of adjusting color balance and cropping to improve level are remarkably easy.<\/p>\n
And there’s a lesson in photography (well two, really).<\/p>\n
\u00a0Tracking the Light<\/a>\u00a0posts\u00a0new\u00a0material\u00a0every\u00a0morning.<\/strong><\/p>\n Please share\u00a0Tracking the Light<\/a><\/strong>!<\/strong><\/p>\n http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I considered leaving out the second \u2018Connecticut,\u2019 but for the sake of clarity I\u2019ll risk sounding redundant. The real topic is the\u00a0nearly tragic tale of the photograph itself. I\u2019d pulled this Kodachrome slide from my old box of \u20183rds\u2019\u2014 my category meaning \u2018just above garbage\u2019. In otherwords, if I got tight for space, I\u2019d pitch … Continue reading Conrail Crossing the Connecticut at Windsor Locks, Connecticut.<\/span>