{"id":1173,"date":"2013-01-26T21:29:47","date_gmt":"2013-01-27T02:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=1173"},"modified":"2013-01-29T08:22:57","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T13:22:57","slug":"amherst-railway-societys-big-railroad-hobby-show-january-26-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/amherst-railway-societys-big-railroad-hobby-show-january-26-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Amherst Railway Society\u2019s Big Railroad Hobby Show; January 26, 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Amtrak_822_1_IMG_0512<\/a><\/p>\n

This weekend (January 26-27, 2013) is the annual Big Railroad Hobby Show<\/a> sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society<\/a>. It fills four buildings at the Eastern States Exposition grounds at West Springfield, Massachusetts and attracts tens of thousands of visitors. For railway enthusiasts it\u2019s an epic event and an annual pilgrimage. The show is the living testimony of the late Bob Buck\u2014long time show director and proprietor of Tucker\u2019s Hobbies. Through clever marketing, unceasing persistence and a life-long passion for trains of all scales, Bob built the show from a small railroad hobby event into a massive one. Although Bob passed away in October 2011, the show remains one of his legacies. Last year the society\u00a0honored Bob with\u00a0a minute of silence before the show opened; I’m told \u00a0you could hear a pin drop across the exposition grounds.<\/p>\n

\"Rich<\/a>
Rich Reed proudly displays a Bob Buck pin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My interest in the show is a direct result of my friendship with Bob. Not only was he one of my most enthusiastic supporters, encouraging my photography from a very young age and promoting my work (and later my books), but also he urged me to photograph the show, sometimes commissioning me to make both publicity and documentary images.<\/p>\n

\"EL_2557_IMG_0501<\/a><\/p>\n

For the photographer the show is a visually intense and challenging image making opportunity. Thanks to Bob I\u2019d been photographing the show for more than 30 years. In my younger days I\u2019d fumble through the day and churn through 6-8 rolls of 35mm black & white film, and then try to find a half dozen useable images.\u00a0 While digital photography is a godsend, it hasn\u2019t got that much easier. What\u2019s the difficulty? Thousands of people are packed into the grounds all jostling for views of layouts, while haggling over boxcar kits, rummaging through back issues of magazines and regaling one another with tales of the year\u2019s events. At every step you are confronted with someone bumping you, standing in your way, or thrusting an elbow into your lens. Garish and harsh artificial lighting makes for odd contrast and peculiar color balance while inserting unwanted highlights all over the place. The disparity of scale between the spectators and railway models presents a depth of field nightmare. For the casual viewer the show is pure sensory overload. For the photographer it\u2019s chaos.<\/p>\n

Yet, I always bring my cameras. These days I primarily aim to make photos of my friends, my heroes, and the model trains that catch my eye. It\u2019s a complete contrast from my efforts working with \u2018prototype\u2019 trains. Yet, when photographing scale trains, I apply many of the same techniques that I use for the larger ones. Here\u2019s just a sampling of today\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n

\"Highball_Productions_IMG_0465<\/a>
Highball Productions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"CNR_2-6-0_IMG_0402<\/a> \"CNR_Pacific_IMG_0400<\/a> \"Crescent_Limited_IMG_0504<\/a> \"Dan_Howard_IMG_0487<\/a> \"Emmet_w-ATSF_F_unit_IMG_0476<\/a> \"NYC_Alco_PAs_IMG_0405<\/a> \"NYC_Caboose_IMG_0483<\/a> \"NYC_caboose_w_Martins_Creek_viaduct_IMG_0487<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Slice_of_Light_IMG_0457<\/a>
Slice of Light photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Steaming_Tender_IMG_0444<\/a>
Promoting the Steaming Tender; the region’s favorite railway themed restaurant (located in the old Palmer, Massachusetts Union Station).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tuckers_IMG_0479<\/a>
Tucker’s Hobbies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Chester&Becket_IMG_0430<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Brian's_Book_IMG_0481<\/a>
My North American Locomotives is dedicated to Robert A. Buck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Reviewing<\/a>
Reviewing Bob Buck’s work in North American Locomotives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Master<\/a>
Master photographer George C. Corey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"B&O_E6A_IMG_0490<\/a> \"Bill_Sample_IMG_0470<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"American_Flyer_PAs_for_Sale_IMG_0407<\/a><\/p>\n

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