{"id":45369,"date":"2026-11-09T06:27:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T11:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=45369"},"modified":"2026-11-06T20:37:19","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T01:37:19","slug":"a-three-quarter-horse-irony-and-ye-olde-locomotive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/a-three-quarter-horse-irony-and-ye-olde-locomotive\/","title":{"rendered":"A Three Quarter Horse: Irony and ye Olde Locomotive."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was conducting signaling research at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania when I recognized its whistle in the morning: Strasburg Rail Road 4-8-0 475 was working the excursion train. It was a perfect October day, so I opted to catch the noon return run at Carpenters on Black Horse Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the locomotive worked toward the crossing, I aimed my Nikon Z6-III, fitted with a 24-70mm zoom, to frame this vertical 32mm view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, I like to freeze steam locomotives in the classic \u2018rods down\u2019 position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the engine approached, it sounded its warning for Black Horse, evidenced by a burst of steam from the brass whistle. I watched the drivers, planning to release the shutter when the rods reached the \u2018down\u2019 position. However, I was also keeping an eye on the edge of the frame. I made a \u2018test\u2019 shot when the locomotive was perfectly positioned compositionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I made another photo with the engine\u2019s rods down. No doubt, someone may observe the non-standard treatment of the firebox in the latter view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracking the Light Examines Rail Photo Composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of Irony Horses, in case you wondered what Chaucer would have said about my compositional challenge, I procured this modern-day ‘translation’ from the realm of AI, in an effort to support the new age:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of Whistles, Steem, and Ye Rodes Down: A Tale of the Iron Horse<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilom, as I pursued my studie of signalynge at the Railway Museum of Pennsylvania, I herkened in the morwe a whistle most familiar unto myn eeres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lo! It was the Strasburg Railway’s mighty 4-8-0, number 475, that laboured upon the excursion train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day of October was fair and bright, as though Nature herself had donned her fairest cote. And so I chose to await the return passage at twelve of the clok, at Carpenters upon Black Horse Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As this noble engine drew nigh unto the crossing, I raised my Nikon Z6-III, armed with a lens of 24-70mm, and framed a portrait in the vertical manner, at 32mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forsooth, I have ever held that a steam engine is most comely when caught with her connecting rods in the downward position, as is the custom among those who pursue the art of railway photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And lo, as the engine approached, she sounded her warning unto Black Horse, and from her brazen whistle there burst forth a cloud of steem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watched the great driving wheels, with intent to loose my shutter at the very instant when the rods should descend unto their proper station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet was I also mindful of the edge of my frame, lest some unwelcome mischief should intrude upon the composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so I made a trial photograph when the iron beast stood in perfect accord with my chosen framing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second image followed, wherein the rods were indeed down, as I had wished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certes, there may be some among ye who shall remark upon the uncustomary treatment of the firebox in this latter portrait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there endeth my tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracking the Light Examines the Craft of Railway Photography!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of Whistles, Steem, and Ye Rodes Down: A Tale of the Iron Horse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"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":[10],"tags":[8834,8836,8835,7122],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2BVuC-bNL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45369"}],"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=45369"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45374,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45369\/revisions\/45374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}