Tag Archives: #FL9

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

Grab Shots on the Old Kings Highway

We were finishing up lunch at Seafood Sam’s in Sandwich, Massachusetts, when we heard Cape Cod Central’s returning Luncheon Train sounding for a nearby crossing. (In Sunday’s TTL post, I wrote about it crossing the marsh in Sandwich).

That was our signal to hit the highway.

We headed east again on Route 6A (aka Old Kings Highway). Luck was with us: the road was soon clear of plodders who impaired our progress.

East of East Sandwich, the highway crosses the railroad. We’d overtaken the train a half mile back and made it to the far side in time for me to juggle a couple of cameras as the train came into view.

Don’t be fooled by the results. These were grab shots; there was no elaborate planning behind them. And, soon we were on our way again!

(There’s more to come!)

Tracking the Light Posts Explores Railroad Photography!

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.

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography daily!

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

When 2026 was 2007!

New Haven Railroad FL9 2007 is seen working a westward passenger express through Stamford, Connecticut on June 28, 1958.

My father was on the platform to record the scene with his Kodak Retina 3C loaded with Kodachrome film. FL9 2007 was still a relatively new machine back in 1958.

On a visit to Cape Cod last year, Kris and I traveled behind 2007, (now Cape Cod Central 2026—dressed in retro New Haven Railroad paint),

I doubt that Pop could have imagined back in 1958 that 67 years later that same locomotive would still be hauling passengers on former New Haven trackage. Just think, 67 years earlier you could have witnessed a fast New Haven 4-4-0 steam locomomotive whisking an express train from Boston through Stamford. Not much chance of seeing that today.

However, the last time I saw an FL9 work under wire was in 2007.

It’s all relative.

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Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Rolling with 2026!

Cape Cod Central’s 2026, former New Haven Railroad FL9 2007, rolls west through West Barnstable, Massachusetts with the Lunch Train.

Bring on 2026!

Exposed using a Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm Z-series zoom set at 24mm.

Tracking the Light anticipates a productive year of Rail Photography!

photography, Tips and Technique

Five Angles on an FL9

Over the years, I’ve photographed hundreds of locomotives, on scores of railways, in dozens of countries.

Occasionally I’ve opted for the classic ‘three-quarter’ roster angle. More often I’ve opted for various more dramatic, interpretive, or dynamic views.

A long time ago I learned that when I find some equipment resting in a accessible location, to photograph it from a great variety of different angles, because you never know what might suit a book or magazine article later on.

Two weeks ago on our visit to Cape Cod, I had the opportunity to make a sequence of photos of this former New Haven Railroad FL9 that now works for Cape Cod Central and was assigned to the west end of the Polar Express at Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

I have countless photographs of FL9s in various schemes when they worked for Amtrak, MTA, CDOT and Metro North, so this was an opportunity to do something a little different.

Perhaps the FL9’s most distinctive external attribute is the A1A Flexicoil truck at the rear of the locomotive.

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