{"id":37911,"date":"2023-12-25T06:33:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T11:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=37911"},"modified":"2023-12-23T00:03:45","modified_gmt":"2023-12-23T05:03:45","slug":"christmas-convergence-at-west-cressona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/christmas-convergence-at-west-cressona\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Convergence at West Cressona"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I like it when I can tie several themes together. This post is special because it ties together many loose threads in one neat knot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catching CNJ 0-6-0 passing through the former Reading yard at West Cressona a few weeks ago is a perfect example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in 2015, on a trip to photograph 113 in Christmas train service with photographer Pat Yough, I met photographer Oren Helbok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This seasonally-themed train was working the prototype rails that had inspired my HO-Scale Wee Reading Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researching the Reading in November 2021 led Kris and me to Pennsylvania, and it was a significant factor in considering our move to the state earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March 2022 on visit to Pennsylvania to explore the Strasburg and Harrisburg areas, Kurt Bell introduced us to author\/photographer and fellow Trains correspondent Dan Cupper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October, Dan Cupper and I had visited West Cressona to photograph a Reading & Northern local with a pair of EMD SW8 diesels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, both Dan and Oren encouraged Kris and me to photograph this season’s trips with 113.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During our photography of the 113 trips, Pat Yough had phoned to say that the elusive Reading & Northern SD38 2003 was in the yard at West Cressona. (See earlier posts on Tracking the Light, including: http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/reading-northern-sd38-2004\/<\/a>and http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/the-solomons-gap\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After catching 113 passing Becks, Kris and I made our way to the yard, which had been a feature of my model railroad, and caught 113 working its way through the historic trackage and passing 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in 1986, I had photographed 2003 in an earlier incarnation as Grand Trunk Western 6253, which had arrived in my old haunt of Palmer, Massachusetts on a fiber-optic cable laying train. This stuck in my mind because it was the first time I’d ever seen a six-motor diesel on the Central Vermont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
My now-defunct Wee Reading Company HO railway. This was my interpretation of West Cressona Yard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
This angle was the inspiration for the model. I first stood here in 2014. This photo was made a couple of weeks ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Central Railroad of New Jersey 113 works past Reading & Northern 2003 at West Cressona, PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Reading & Northern 2014 was at the back of the Santa excursion. In 2014, I made first visits to West Cressona and Minersville to photograph 113.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And there is the elusive 2003!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Central Vermont cable laying train at Palmer, Massachusetts in August 1986. I made my first photos of Palmer from this location in September 1977.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Merry Christmas from Tracking the Light!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I like it when I can tie several themes together. This post is special because it ties together many loose threads in one neat knot. Catching CNJ 0-6-0 passing through the former Reading yard at West Cressona a few weeks ago is a perfect example. Back in 2015, on a trip to photograph 113 in … Continue reading Christmas Convergence at West Cressona<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6060,10,6108,48],"tags":[7756,6621,6616,7701,7702],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/CNJ_113_Santa_Train_West_Cressona_PA_\u00a9BrianSolomon_DSC_0822.jpg?fit=1800%2C1198","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2BVuC-9Rt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37911"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37911"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37928,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37911\/revisions\/37928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}