{"id":3468,"date":"2013-08-08T06:32:01","date_gmt":"2013-08-08T10:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=3468"},"modified":"2013-08-08T09:55:39","modified_gmt":"2013-08-08T13:55:39","slug":"irish-rail-gray-077-leads-ballast-train","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/irish-rail-gray-077-leads-ballast-train\/","title":{"rendered":"Irish Rail Gray 077 Leads Ballast Train"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Rare Move to Catch in Full Sun.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As a follow-up to my post Irish Rail Ballast Train at Islandbridge, Dublin, April 16, 2013<\/a> , I offer these views of a ballast train at the same location on August 2, 2013.<\/p>\n

\"Irish<\/a>
Irish Rail 077 leads the empty HOBS at Islandbridge<\/a> Junction on August 2, 2013. The iconic Wellington Testimonial in Dublin<\/a>‘s Phoenix Park<\/a> looms above the train. Canon EOS 7D photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So far just three of Irish Rail\u2019s 071 class are operating in the new gray livery. So catching one on the move in sunlight can be a challenge. Ballast trains operate infrequently, and standing at this spot for a month of Sunday\u2019s might not guarantee an image such as this. It helps to live near the line.<\/p>\n

The cars make up what Irish Rail calls a \u2018High Output Ballast\u2019 train which is known on the railway as the HOBS. Using my Canon EOS 7D, I exposed a series of photos of the train on the curve from the Phoenix Park tunnel at Islandbridge Junction.<\/p>\n

The combination of elevation, iconic backdrop and the orientation of the tracks and curve allow for one of the best morning views in Dublin for a westward train. As the sun swings around, many more angles open up down the line.<\/p>\n

\"Irish<\/a>
A landscape view of Irish Rail’s HOBS at Islandbridge Junction near Heuston Station in Dublin on August 2, 2013. Canon EOS 7D photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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