{"id":9090,"date":"2014-11-27T02:26:33","date_gmt":"2014-11-27T07:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=9090"},"modified":"2014-11-22T10:51:36","modified_gmt":"2014-11-22T15:51:36","slug":"western-new-york-in-the-1980s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/western-new-york-in-the-1980s\/","title":{"rendered":"Western New York in the 1980s."},"content":{"rendered":"

Should I head to the mainline (Conrail\u2019s water level route) or explore branch lines? Do I stick with Conrail or seek out a short line? These were among the quandaries facing my photographic choices when I had some time off from college.<\/p>\n

As a photography student at the Rochester Institute of Technology, I had a full schedule of classes, labs, and projects. I was a \u2018work-study\u2019 student, which implied I had to spend about 25-30 hours a week toiling for peanuts on top of classes, assignments & etc.<\/p>\n

My point is that I had very little free time, and rarely a full day off, and so when I made\u00a0time to make railway photos, there were\u00a0tough choices (like mainline versus branchline; Conrail versus those other outfits).<\/p>\n

Now and again I\u2019d cheat. (I don\u2019t mean on exams). A bright sunny day? Now who will miss me in class?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately on a glorious\u00a0October day, one RIT\u2019s photo professors and I had the same idea. We were both photographing the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville freight. We crossed paths at Avon, New York.\u00a0We knew that each of us should <\/em>be someplace else, and we knew where that was. He said to me, \u201cI won\u2019t say anything . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\"October<\/a>
October 26, 1987 was a clear and bright day. Conrail’s WBRO-15 had 37 cars for the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville. I didn’t go to class. Kodachrome 25 exposed at Avon using my Leica M2 with 50mm lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Often I\u2019d head to the mainline.\u00a0My time was short and I wanted results, and Conrail rarely disappointed. Sometimes I\u2019d select a known good spot, and work through my exhaustive reading list while waiting for a headlight to appear.<\/p>\n

Other times, when the sun was out, I\u2019d take a more aggressive approach and select my locations purely based on photographic merit and move from place to place as suited the action and the light.<\/p>\n

\"On<\/a>
On January 8, 1989, a rare Conrail C30-7 (one of only ten on the roster) leads a westward empty coal train through Rochester, New York. I exposed a sequence of photos using my Leica M2 with a 200mm Telyt fitted to a Visoflex. In retrospect that was a bizarre and awkward camera-lens combination for making moving train photos. But I used it all the time with great results. A thin layer of high cloud softened the sun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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