{"id":4967,"date":"2014-01-05T05:55:33","date_gmt":"2014-01-05T10:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=4967"},"modified":"2013-12-16T13:14:28","modified_gmt":"2013-12-16T18:14:28","slug":"daily-post-black-white-scrapbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/daily-post-black-white-scrapbook\/","title":{"rendered":"DAILY POST: Black & White Scrapbook"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nScans of Prints Showing Limerick Junction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Irish<\/a>
A Dublin bound train has the starting signal to depart Limerick Junction. In the lead is a Class 201 General Motors diesel number 215 (again!). Limerick Junction North Cabin is at the left. Exposed with a Rollei model T on black & white film.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On May 16, 2001, I was on my way from Dublin to Kilarney by train. Rather than take the most efficient route, I aimed to wander a bit on the way down.<\/p>\n

I changed trains at Ballybrophy for the Nenagh Branch to Limerick, then traveled from Limerick to Limerick Junction where I\u2019d time my arrival to intercept the weekday 10:34 Waterford to Limerick cement train.<\/p>\n

At the time I was making good use of my Rolleiflex Model T to document Ireland and Irish railways in black & white.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d process my negatives in my Dublin apartment and make 5×7 proofing prints at the Gallery of Photography\u2019s darkrooms at Meeting House Square, Temple Bar. Often, I schedule one day a week for printing.<\/p>\n

Over the course of a half dozen years, I exposed several thousand black & white images, and made hundreds of prints. Sometimes I\u2019d give prints to friends on the railroad. On more than one occasion I\u2019d later visit a station or signal cabin and find my work displayed on the wall.<\/p>\n

However, most of the prints remain stored in boxes. While this may help in their preservation, it doesn\u2019t allow people to enjoy the images.<\/p>\n

Here I\u2019ve displayed just a few photos, where instead of scanning the negatives, I\u2019ve scanned prints and this shows both my cropping of the image and the borders. I developed a distinctive border style for my square images that I felt worked well with the format.<\/p>\n

In the dozen years that have passed since I exposed these photos, Limerick Junction and the trains that serve it have changed dramatically. The semaphores, cement trains and Class 121 diesels are all gone.<\/p>\n

\"Irish<\/a>
Irish Rail 133 works the Limerick Junction-Limerick push-pull set as the train departs the Junction on May 16, 2001. After this train departed, the signalman in the cabin gave the waiting cement train the signals to cross the Cork line (at right), then reverse into Limerick Junction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Here<\/a>
Here a pair of Class 121s leads the 10:34 Waterford-Limerick empty cement across the ‘square crossing’ at Limerick Junction. In America, we’d probably call this the ‘Diamond at Limerick Junction’. Although this image was exposed as a square, I cropped the negative in printing to better focus on the railway infrastructure. The top third or so of the original negative just show clouds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Cement train crew gets off the engines after stabling the train in the sidings. After exposing these photos I boarded a train for Mallow and Tralee.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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