Tag Archives: #Cape Cod Central

photography

An FL9 with an ad with an FL9.

Yes, that’s correct.

I was attracted to working the Cape Cod Central advertisement into a photo of their train.

Although I could have featured the FL9 in the ad photo in my photo with the ad, instead I opted this broadside view.

This allowed me to present the FL9 broadside demonstrating both its unusual length and its non-standard B-A1A wheel arrangement. While this was not unique to the 60 New Haven EMD Fs, it is a distinctive characteristic of the locomotive that is often not obvious in the classic nose-prominent three-quarter view, such as that in the ad photo.

In my EMD F-Units Locomotives published by Specialty Press in 2005, I described the FL9’s asymetrical wheel arrangement as follows, To spread the weight of steam boiler and added electrical equipment and keep locomotive axle weight in compliance with the Park Avenue Viaduct stringent weight restrictions, the FL9’s rear truck uses a three-axle Flexicoil truck with an A1A arrangement—whereby only the two outside axles are powered—instead of the typical two-axle Blomberg truck typically used on Fs. 

Tracking the Light Explores the Pecularities of the New Haven FL9.

NOTE: Owing to a complicated server/host/computer problem TTL has been delayed and this my first photographic post to Tracking the Light in about a week. The problem seems to have been resolved, and I hope to resume Tracking the Light’s normal daily posts! 

photography

Luncheon Train at Sandwich

I’d been hoping to find a location on the railroad that captures the marshy coastal character of Cape Cod.

With this in mind, we were following Cape Cod Central’s westward Luncheon Train. Near Sandwich, Massachusetts, we turned onto a side road where we found this broadside view. So we pulled in and waited. We arrived about five minutes ahead of the train.

I made these images with my Nikon Z7-II mirrorless digital camera, but also finished off a roll of Kodak Ektachrome with my dad’s old Leica M2.

It wasn’t all about photography. Not long after the trailing former FL9 passed the marsh, Kris and I were on our way to one of her favorite Cape Cod eateries, Seafood Sam’s, where we ordered . . .

Fish & Chips!

We had time to enjoy our lunch before a distant whistle signaled that it was time to head trackside again to catch the Luncheon Train‘s eastward return.

Tracking the Light Explores Sandwich Options!

photography

FL9s with or without Wires.

And, no, I’m not writing about high-voltage catenary.

Kris and I were set up at West Barnstable, Massachusetts, to photograph Cape Cod Central’s Luncheon Train, powered by classic New Haven Railroad FL9 diesel-electric/electric locomotives.

I’ve been photographing these relics since I was a child. They have at least nine lives. But it’s still neat to catch them on the move in retro paint.

Anyway, I’d set up my photograph from the elevated platform at the old passenger station. Upon examining the image, I found that the electrical power cables along the highway made for an objectionable distraction. To correct this problem, I created a version of the file cropped to eliminate the wires from the scene.

An alternative, perhaps more complicated and morally controversial, solution would be to use AI tools to artificially excise the wires from the scene.

I opted against that. For now.

Full frame, showing the electrical cables crossing the line at the grade crossing.
This is the same file as shown at the top, but with the wires cropped out. Nothing fancy, just a simple crop using Lightroom.

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FL9-Compare and Contrast

Clear sky and bright sun at Hyannis, Massachusetts made for an opportunity to expose some comparative photos.

We had just arrived on Cape Cod Central’s midday excursion train, and I’d ambled to the headend to make photos (as you do).

Below are a couple of examples. The first photo is an Ektachrome E100 color slide; the bottom three are variations of a digital image.

There’s no right and wrong here, just some comparatively contrasty photos.

E100 Ektachrome slide exposed using a Nikon F3 with f2.0 35mm lens. Slide scanned using a Nikon Cool Scan LS-5000 slide scanner.
Exposed using a Nikon Z6 mirrorless digital camera with 24-70mm Nikkor Zoom. NEF RAW file without corrections.
Lightroom work window showing the same file as above before corrections.
Lightroom work window displaying a range of corrections to the NEF RAW file. Notice the positions of exposure and contrast sliders at the left of the work window panel.

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Ektachrome Save at Sandwich!

Using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens, my intention was to expose a trailing view of Cape Cod Central’s outbound midday passenger excursion as it passed the Sandwich, Mass., station.

As the train rolled by, I framed up my photograph, but unexpectedly, my Z6 locked onto an imaginary focus point. The image in my viewfinder was completely out of focus. My rapid repeated efforts to get the camera’s auto focus to work were unsuccessful. In a few instants I would be out of time . . .

So, I reached for my Nikon F3 loaded with Ektachrome E100 and exposed this color slide.

Saved by the slide! Although I was frustrated with the Z6, my stalwart Nikon F3 saved the day.

The film came back last week and I scanned the slide for presentation here.

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Rare Diesels Cross the Cohasset Narrows

A clear blue dome at Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts made for picture-perfect conditions.

Cape Cod Central’s Polar Express consist was led by a vintage New Haven Railroad FL9, while at the back of the train was a sister FL9 and an even rarer GP59.

The FL9 was created by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division for New Haven in the 1950s to allow passenger trains to run directly from Boston to New York City’s electrified terminals without a need for a locomotive change. Just sixty of this model were built between 1956 and 1960.

Where the FL9s have been widely photographed, EMD’s model GP59 has gone comparatively unnoticed. This is a much rarer locomotive, with just 36 built. For decades these worked for Norfolk Southern in relative obscurity.

One of these unusual locomotives was acquired by Mass-Coastal earlier this year. Finding a GP59 in passenger service is very rare and I was delighted to see this cranberry colored machine in action!

In addition to these digital photos, I also made a few color slides on Fujichrome Provia 100F. Those images remain latent on the roll of film in my Nikon F3.

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FL9 2011—Variations on a Theme

Friday, November 24, 2023, marked the beginning of the Polar Express season on Mass Coastal Railroad/Cape Cod Central Railroad.

Since we were in the neighborhood, Kris and I checked in on Cape Cod Central and located the excursion train-set that was being prepared for the day’s “Polar Expressing” near Mass Coastal Railroad’s HQ in East Wareham, Massachusetts.

Low November sun made for some nice light to photograph the static set. Working with my various cameras, I made a series of photos.

I’ve presented several variations of the same basic image. I have my favorite, which I’ve indicated in the caption below.

This is my favorite. I feel that this best puts the train in its setting, while balancing a variety of compositional elements. I’ve used selective focus with a shallow depth of field to focus interest on the the front of FL9 2011. Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z series zoom; ISO 100, 125mm, f4 1/1250 sec.
This version is from a slightly lower angle. I’ve cropped extraneous elements to the left and right of the train set. While this version is more dramatic and focused on the train, I don’t find its as interesting as the top image. Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z series zoom; ISO 100, 130mm, f4 1/1250 sec.
In this version, I’ve taken a more traditional angle and used greater depth of field. Also, the railroad has positioned its festive wreath on the front of the engine. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z series zoom; ISO 80, 58mm, f9 1/160th sec.
I took a more broadside angle for this photo. Exposed using my ‘Wee Lumix’ (Panasonic Lumix LX7). I made this before the wreath was hung on the front of the engine. Notice that the Lumix has a different color palate and this handles the red-orange differently than my Nikons.

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photography

Cape Cod Central’s Polar Express

On our Cape visit, the Cape Cod Central’s Kaylene asked if we would like to travel on their Polar Express.

Silly question.

She asked Kris and me, if we would take a few photos of the experience.

Of course we did.

And these are just a few of Nikon Z6 digital images I made that night.

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Christmas Lights at Buzzards Bay

Kris and I went to see the Cape Cod Central on Satuday evening. The railroad had decked out the former New Haven Railroad station and signal tower with an elaborate display of Christmas lights for their Polar Express excursions.

Working with my Nikon Z6 set at high ISO, I exposed this series of handheld night photos.

24mm; f4, 1/50th of a sec. Photo scaled from in-camera JPG
33mm, f5, 1/50th of a sec.
Photo converted from NEF camera RAW.

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photography

Evening Light on an FL9 and an RDC

Last week was warm with sunny skies. Unseasonably warm.

One evening while exploring Cape Cod, Kris Sabbatino and I paid a visit to the Cape Cod Central at Hyannis where I made these views of a former New Haven Railroad FL9 (painted to resemble its as-delivered appearance) and an old RDC built for Boston & Maine.

In an earlier Tracking the Light post, I speculated if Conway Scenic Railroad’s former New Haven Railroad RDC 23 Millie ever visited the NHRR line that once extended to Provincetown.

So far my investigations have determined that while NHRR 23 almost certainly visited the New Haven stations at Hyannis and Woods Hole, which were regular destinations for NHRR’s RDC runs, it is far less likely that it strayed as far as Provincetown, because NHRR RDCs rarely went that far.

In a similar line of inquiry: did the former B&M car pictured here ever work Boston & Maine’s North Conway Branch? Many of B&M’s cars had visited North Conway over the years, and some even worked over Crawford Notch!

I’m curious to know more.

Exposed digitally using a Nikon Z6 mirrorless digital camera and processed with Adobe Lightroom.

Exposed digitally using a Nikon Z6 mirrorless digital camera and processed with Adobe Lightroom.

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