Tag Archives: #PRR

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Mountville on the Columbia Secondary

Of the railroad lines radiating from Lancaster, Norfolk Southern’s Columbia Secondary represents a photographic challenge. This short former Pennsylvania Railroad electrified line connects Lancaster and Columbia, Pa., but lacks the scenic splendor, open vistas, and historic structures that have aided my photography on other lines in the area.

On a warm evening, Kris and I were approaching Columbia on South Front Street when I heard the sound of EMD diesels working in Run 8. When we arrived at the grade crossing near the old Philadelphia & Reading freight house, Norfolk Southern freight H-19 from Enola was crawling through town, ascending the grade as it climbed away from the Susquehanna River.

We jumped onto Route 30 and drove east to Mountville, where I had previously scoped out a few potential locations. We arrived several minutes ahead of the train. As it passed, I made these images using my Nikon Z7-II with a 70–200mm zoom lens and a Nikon Z6 with a 24–70mm zoom. The freight totaled more than 80 cars, including several flatcars carrying structural steel.

It was a good show!

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Norfolk Southern at Peach Bottom.

Over hill and dale, following directions supplied by Google Maps, we set out on our first attempt to chase a train between Safe Harbor and Peach Bottom. There were plenty of twists and turns, but we made it!

And finally, after nearly a year of occasional visits—checking the light and sun angles in autumn, winter, and spring—we scored a daylight freight at Peach Bottom.

Hooray!

Crude oil rolling along the Susquehanna.

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PRR Station Columbia

Ample ambient streetlight makes the old Pennsylvania Railroad station in Columbia a suitable situation for nocturnal railroad imagery.

Even on the inkiest of evenings there’s just enough light to stop a train.

In this photo, Norfolk Southern freight H19 is westbound from Lancaster, Pa., on its return to Enola Yard led by three SD60Es with 78 cars in tow.

Exposed using a Nikon Z6-III with Nikkon 50mm f1.4 lens set to its widest aperture, 1/320 second at ISO 12800. Image processed with DxO PureRaw5 to minimize noise.

One month ago, Norfolk Southern H19 is seen passing the old Pennsylvania Railroad station at (left) in Columbia, Pa.

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Have a Ball at Cape Charles!

Sometimes you just stumble onto something cool.

We were driving north on Highway 13 in Virginia when Kris said, “Let’s take a left here.”

“OK.”

So we did, and we drove into the village of Cape Charles, where we found an unlikely railroad museum.

Among other things, it featured a replica ball signal—illustrating the early use of such hardware on the Delmarva Peninsula—a Bay Coast GP10 (an ex–Illinois Central Gulf Paducah rebuild), plus a selection of railcars. All are static displays.

We also discovered the Cape Charles Brewing Company, a beach, and vestiges of the old Pennsylvania Railroad, which at one time operated Chesapeake Bay car floats from the local harbor.

On the downside, we found that, apart from the museum, there’s not much railroad remaining on the Delmarva Peninsula in Virginia.

I made a few slides with my dad’s Leica M4. These are my digital photos as the film is still in the camera.
Site of the former Pennsyvlania Railroad yard at Cape Charles, Virginia.

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Keystones Pass at Speed!

In the early evening, Amtrak Keystone trains 651 and 656 are scheduled to stop at Parkesburg just a few minutes apart.

I’ve been aiming to catch a meet between these trains for more than two years. Often, however, one train runs a little behind schedule, and they pass at different times.

The other evening, the stars aligned. Both trains were delayed. I was in position at Christiana, Pa., and they passed right in front of me.

I made this rapid-fire image sequence using my Nikon Z7 II with a 70–200mm lens.

Catching both trains in the sunlight required strategic use of the camera’s ‘motor drive’.

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My Photo Class: From PRR to PC to Conrail

At 9am, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, my third railroad photography class of the Spring season convened at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pa.

I had enthusiastic participants. Following a brief introduction, by Museum Director Pat Morrison, I gave a concise 15 minute slide presentation, and we adjourned to the Museum to make photographs.

To make use of the fine Spring weather, initially we all went outside into the yard to photograph the locomotives and rolling stock on exhibit there, and to observe construction of the new roundhouse that is being built toward the west end of the Museum’s grounds.

Afterward, we returned inside, where Pat and I spoke with participants. I answered questions and made a variety of photos.

Among the benefits of the class is that we can take down some of the steel barriers to allow for unobstructed photography of key exhibits. In addition, Pat opened up several locomotives for exploration, photography and for use as viewing platforms.

I discussed photography, cameras and technique with many of the participants, while exposing dozens of photos using my Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras.

Among the lenses I worked with was my old Nikkor f2.0 135mm ‘defocus’ prime telephoto.

Although I’ve made dozens of visits to the Museum, everytime I go, I make different photos, and that is one of the points of the classes: ‘learning to see.’

Nikon Z6 with Nikkor f2.0 135mm prime telephoto-focused manually.
Roundhouse construction.
Nikon Z6 with Nikkor f2.0 135mm prime telephoto-focused manually.
Nikon Z6 with Nikkor f2.0 135mm prime telephoto-focused manually.
E44 detail.
Museum Director Pat Morrison with GG1 4935. Exposed with Nikon Z6-III with Nikkor Z-series 24-70mm lens.
Nikon Z6 with Nikkor f2.0 135mm prime telephoto-focused manually.
Nikon Z6 with Nikkor f2.0 135mm prime telephoto-focused manually.
Exposed with Nikon Z6-III with Nikkor Z-series 24-70mm lens.

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GP40s in the Lead!

July 30, 1987 was a good day.

I’ve previously posted to Tracking the Light some of my favorite photos exposed on this day on the former Pennsylvania Railroad at Bennington Curve.

In this view, exposed in the early morning light, a set of GP40s lead an uphill train. The roar of the 16-645E3 diesels was intense and it made for memorable drama.

Conrail was really busy railroad in those days. In addition to parades of eastbound and westbound freights, there were light helper moves and a few Amtrak trains.

In 1987 my choice film was Kodak T-Max 400, then a relative new emulsion. After more a year of work with T-max, I returned to using older emulsions such as Kodak Tri-X, which I felt produced better results. However, modern scanning techniques have allowed for pleasing interpretations of this almost 40 year-old negative.

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Pin-Connected Truss at Whitford

Among the surviving vestiges of the infrastructure-intensive Pennsylvania Railroad is the pin-connected truss over the Main Line at Whitford, Pa.

This was part of a grade-separated freight cut-off built when the railroad was America’s largest and the most intensive freight hauler in the United States. This arrangement underwent a transformation during the Conrail era. Today, the PRR’s main lines east of Harrisburg are largely passenger routes.

I made these photos with my Nikon Z6-III fitted with a 24–70mm Z-series zoom. Until recently, I’ve largely used my Z6-III for low-light photography; here I’m working with it in bright sunlight.

NEF RAW files were adjusted for color and contrast using Lightroom.

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Glint at Gap

Years ago, my late friend and fellow photographer Brian Jennison described this effect as ‘around the corner light’.

I stood in the shadows under a tree at Gap, Pennsylvania looking west. The sun was setting in the tangent between Gap’s two restrictive curves. I centered Amtrak Keystone 656, led by ACS-64 no. 600 David L. Gunn, as it leaned into the near curve.

He doesn’t know what it’s all about, but Seamus-the-Dog was sitting the back seat of the car to watch the train roll by.

Exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm Z-series Nikkor zoom lens.
Greatly enlarged portion of the lower image.

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Details

Tuesday morning, I delivered my class on Steam Locomotive Photography at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

As part of the class, students were encouraged to wander among and photograph the museum ‘s exhibits. I’d organized with Museum Director Pat Morrison to temporarily remove a few of the protective barriers around key steam locomotives in order to allow for better photographic access.

I chatted with members of the class, offered advice on equipment and discussed details of locomotives and photography. I also made these detailed photos using my Nikon Z mirrorless digital cameras.

My next class at the museum is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

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Evening Adventures in the Fog with the 36A

The other evening, mist blanketed the Susquehanna Valley.

Kris, Seamus-the-Dog, and I went out looking for trains.

The signals at Washington Boro were lined for an eastbound on the Port Road Secondary. A distant rumble indicated an approaching train, and all the pieces of our adventure came together. Norfolk Southern 36A (Enola, Pa., to Edgemoor, Delaware) appeared, its headlights piercing the evening fog like the eyes of a primordial beast.

We followed the rolling mass down the valley and arrived at Safe Harbor with ample time to watch the freight pass beneath the immense viaduct that one carried the Atgen & Susquehanna Low Grade.

I made these photos using my Nikon Z6-III. NEF RAW Files processed using DxO PureRaw5.

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Picture Perfect—Almost.

Soft sunday-afternoon over-the-shoulder sun; classic railroad station and trackside village; plus gently sweeping curve; and a locomotive-hauled train of vintage Amfleet cars. Am I mistaken, but aren’t these the elements for a perfect railroad photo?

Pity the engine wasn’t clean. Unfortunately, the conditions of late winter lead to a thin film of grime and mud gently coating just about everything on the railroad that moves.

Exposed at Christiana, Pa., using a Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens.

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Raspberry Sunset at Safe Harbor.

The cold evening air was thick with particulates which made for a rosy red sunset.

Kris, Seamus & I drove west toward Safe Harbor, since I thought there might be some opporunties to silhouette the former Pennsylvania Railroad trestles against the raspberry sky. On the way we passed some deer by the side of the road.

I was in luck and the sky was lit with shades of magenta and violet when we arrived. To make the most of the light, I set my white balance to ‘daylight’ rather than ‘auto’, since the latter has the tendency to neutralize the reddish tones of sunset, which would have countered the effect I was trying to capture.

In addition to a selection of digital photos, I also exposed a few Ektachrome slides.

I kept wondering what it would have been like to catch a pair of PRR P5 electrics grinding across the bridge in silhouette with a heavy freight. Perhaps, someone, somewhere had the same idea as me, but back in the day when P5s ruled the line!

No P5s for me; not even a couple of ten-speed bicycles—which about as good as it gets on the Low-Grade these days!

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Metroliner and the Subaru

Here’s a compositional challenge.

I wanted to feature three subjects: the old Pennsylvania Railroad station structure, the passing Keystone with Metroliner cab car leading), and the shiny new Subaru.

I faced some difficulties. There was a narrow shaft of light illuminating an area immediately beyond the station that was needed to light up the cab car. I was positioned on a old sidewalk which offered some elevation, but I’d reached its end, and so I couldn’t effectively back up any further without losing the elevation necessary to make the photo work.

Also, I only had my ‘Fast Fifty’ (50mm) lens, which restricted my ability to adjust the field of view, and I hoped to feature both the station and the automobile in their entirety, which limited space to the left of the building.

While I managed to capture all the essential focus points all in one image, my compostion is unbalanced and the front of the train is very close to the left side of the frame. Further complicating matters, the brighter illumination on the right-hand side of the station has the effect of drawing the eye to the right, away from the other central elements of the image.

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Parkesburg at Twilight

Amtrak’s Parkesburg, Pa., station facilities are a curious anomaly.

The train service is very good, but the platforms are short and shelter is minimal, both representing surviving vestiges of another era.

But, in addition to its role as a passenger station, Parkesburg was once an important interlocking where Pennsylvania Railroad’s Atgen & Susquehanna Low Grade route connected with and the mainline. Portions of the junction remain as a hint at of something greater.

The other evening we paused at Parkesburg so I could document the atmosphere of this place in twilight.

I wonder what will become of these old station facilities? What will it look like in years to come?

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PRR Station at Christiana: Santa & Mrs Claus viewed with a 135mm lens.

Christmas decor at the preserved former Pennsylvania Railroad station in Christiana offered a suitable seasonal opportunity to test out an unusual nocturnal camera lens combination.

My 1990s-vintage Nikkor f2.0 135mm ‘defocus’ lens is a heavy piece of glass. I’ve used this occasionally with my Z6 mirrorless camera to make digital images, and this lens offers a distinctive quality that allows for classic railroad telephoto views.

Coupling the traditional lens to the Z-body requires a Nikon FTZ adaptor.

I’ve been waiting to try the fast 135mm lens with the new Z6-III to see how it works with the more advanced sensor and see if it is sufficiently sharp.

I set up the Z6-III on my 3Pod tripod and exposed several images. This one was made at f2.0 (wide open) at 1/13th second at ISO 400. Upon inspection, I found the photo is sharp. More to the point, if I were to set the ISO to 6400, I could use a 1/250th of second shutter speed, which is fast enough to stop a moving train . Focusing will be a challenge.

That will be a test for another night! Stay tuned . . .

NEF RAW file scaled to JPG for internet presentation without cosmetic alteration. (No adjustments for exposure, contrast, color balance or color temperature).
Greatly Enlarged portion of the above image.

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Northern Central at Railroad Park—December 2025

The former Pennsylvania Railroad Northern Central route passes Railroad Park in the appropriately named borough of Railroad, Pa.

Kris, Seamus-the-Dog & I, revisited this iconic location last weekend to withness the passing of Northern Central Railway’s Santa Express holiday train.

This was powered by a former Pennsylvania Railroad GP9, one of only a few to survive into the modern era.

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Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania—Focus on the Details

On Tuesday November 18th, I gave my fifth Railroad Photography 101 class of the 2025 season at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

For the class-room portion, I focused my presentation on digital image processing using Adobe Lightroom. Specifically, I demonstrated using a series of steps how I prepare an image for print-presentation by adjusting highlight, mid-tone and shadow areas using Lightroom’s slider controls.

The second part of the class was an open photography session in the museum’s main hall. Museum Director Patrick Morrison opened some of the locomotives for students. During this part of the program, I answered questions and made detailed photos of the locomotives on display using my Nikon Z6 mirror-less camera.

My next class at the museum is scheduled for Saturday December 13, 2025. This will feature a holiday theme.

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Well Timed Visit to Columbia

The other evening we arrived near the old Pennsylvania Railroad station in Columbia, Pa., just as the signal displayed slow-clear for a westward movement at Cola from the Columbia Secondary onto the Port Road Branch.

Within a minute we could hear a train whistling for crossings up the line.

I set up my tripod and opted to experiment with my Nikon Z7-II fitted with my f2.8 70-200mm lens for action rail night photography. The last time I made photo here I’d worked with my 24-70mm and made a wide angle view with the full moon. This time I’d compose view tightly on the approaching train.

Just as I got the camera set up the level crossing signals started flashing, the gates came down, and the rail glinted from the lights of Norfolk Southern’s H19 local.

I adjusted the ISO on my camera to 25,600 and set the aperture to f2.8.

Once the autofocus had locked on to the lights of the lead engine, I switched the focus to ‘manual’ so the headlights wouldn’t confuse the focus setting; then I made this series of images.

The camera’s NEF RAW files were processed using DxO PureRaw to created DNG files, which I then imported into Lightroom for adjustment.

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Pennsylvanian in Three Quarter Sun

During midday, Amtrak 42 and 43—the eastward and westward Pennsylvanians—pass Lancaster within a few minutes of each other. Unlike the electric Keystone services these trains are diesel-hauled.

Shelley Lane abuts the railroad and makes for classic location to rollby trains.

I made these views with a 24-70mm lens set to its 24mm wide angle wtih a 1/2000th of second shutter speed as train 43 worked west in early afternoon with a classic P42 Genesis diesel leading.

I think, it would have been neat to stand here 60 years earlier to catch a Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 passing at speed with tuscan red passenger cars in tow.

One of these day’s I hope to time a rolling meet here. So far, I’ve come very close.

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Banking into the Curve at Gap

Yesterday evening, I set up at Gap, Pa., on the former Pennsylvania Railroad to wait for Amtrak Keystone 651.

This is a great time of year for the light at Gap as the low evening sun illuminates the sweep of the curve, while leaving a textured dark backdrop.

When I saw ACS-64 626, I smiled. If there was one of these electrics that I could claim as a favorite, it would be old 626.

I was so fixated on the leading engine that I didn’t even notice the second ACS-64 at the back of the consist until it hummed by.

Exposed using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.

Exposed using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm Z-series zoom.

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In the Ink of Night Something Blue Blurs By

Kris wanted to go for an evening drive.

Amtrak Keystone 653 from Philadelphia was running behind the advertised. I figured we could drive against it and catch it passing Gap, Pa.

We arrived with a few minutes to spare. I had time to set up my 3Pod Tripod and framed up a scene with a tree by the former PRR Main Line.

I exposed a couple of test photos to check exposure and focus.

Before long, I heard the squeel of steel wheels on steel rails. I made this series of time exposures. To my surprise, Amtrak ACS-64 621 wearing the Crayola-blue advertising livery was working the back of the consist.

Wow! That was neat! Trailing, eh? Hmmmm.

It did little for the photos, except add an ever so slightly blue tint to the second image in the sequence. But, I knew what I’d be after the following morning! Stay tuned . . .

When we spied the blue ACS-64, Kris smiled and said to me, ‘You’re welcome!”
Wow that really was cool, even if didn’t mean much in the photo, just a fleeting hint of blue.

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Roundhouse Groundbreaking

Yesterday (July 29, 2025), I attended the Roundhouse Groundbreaking ceremony at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.

Work has begun on the long-planned six-stall roundhouse that will be used to house six former Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotives that are in the museum collection.

Museum Director Patrick Morrison led the ceremony with an introductory speech, followed by speeches by several key dignitaries, including former Museum Director David Dunn who, many years ago, got the ball rolling for the roundhouse construction.

Afterwards the assembled group was invited outside to see the site for the new structure and to ceremonial move some earth. I missed the earth moving as I was chatting with other guests, but I did make a few photos of the gilded shovels and other proceedings.

It was a landmark day in Pennsylvania railroad preservation! (Capital ‘R’ optional on ‘railroad’).

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75 degrees and Wheels Rolling at Safe Harbor—click the link and read to the end.

Since 2009, I paid more than a dozen visits to the former Pennsylvania Railroad trestles at Safe Harbor, Pa.

I’ve visited in the morning, midday, and evenings. I’ve gone on weekdays and weekends. I’ve climbed the steps to the rail trail at least ten times. I’ve walked the trail across the top of the bridge and scoped locations.

We’ve sat in the parking lot on the dam side of the trestles. Last summer we saw coal empties rolling through Port Deposit and raced ahead to Safe Harbor only to watch the sunset without a train pass.

The other morning I woke at 5:15am. I motivated, hoisted myself out of bed, dressed and drove to the Safe Harbor bridges arriving there at 5:45am. It was already 75 degrees and the humidity as thick as a rain forest.

I climbed the steps to the top of the bridge on the old Enola Low Grade, only to see that the signals were all red for a westward movement. Not a promising sign. Worse, the humidity immediately fogged the front elements of my Nikon.

Condensation on the front element made for a foggy photo.

I walked across the bridge; I gazed down at the Safe Harbor Dam, I read the signs at the west of the bridge that tell of its construction & etc. I walked back. I bird watched. I shared my thoughts in my notebook.

I read the rules of the rail trail, and at 6:30 am I gazed once again at the signals. Still red. So I read the rules again for amusement. Finally, I was about to give up and walk back to the car. The camera lens had finally un-fogged. And . . . wait . . . did the westward signal just clear to green?

It had.

I walked back out on to the bridge and waited. At 6:45, I heard the distant chug of a GE Evolution diesel. Wow!

I gazed down river toward Pequea. At 6:46, I spotted a northward train on the move. Gradually the sound grew louder. I framed up my photos. I made a test shot. At 6:54am the train came into view and I exposed these photos.

Finally! I’d scored a train on the move at Safe Harbor! This was probably Norfolk Southern’s 37A from Edgemoor, Delaware.

When I got back to the car just after 7am it was more than 80 degrees. I was home for tea 15 minutes later. It was all worth it!

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View from a GG1

During my class last week at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Museum Director Patrick Morrison offered to open up some of the locomotives. I asked if we could visit former Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric 4935.

I made these fireman’s side views with my Lumix LX7.

It was pretty neat to explore the steam-era streamlined electric locomotive. While at the museum I bought my dad a GG1 4935 T-shirt which I delivered to him in Massachusetts a couple of days later.

On January 1, 1980, Pop, my brother Sean and I photographed this classic machine together at New Haven, Connecticut.

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Up Close with an E44 Electric

My third Railroad Photography 101 Class was a success!

This was held at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania last week.

While the first part of this 3rd session was conducted outside, the last part of the class was held inside the Museum in the main hall.

Museum Director Patrick Morrison asked if we would like to explore some of the restored locomotives and cars on exhibit in the hall and offered to open up a few of the museum’s gems for photography.

This was a wonderful idea, and soon the students and I were climbing in and around the exhibits.

I had never before been on a Pennsylvania Railroad E44 electric, so it was a thrill for me to take a look inside and sit in the engineer’s seat. These boxy high-horsepower electrics were built by General Electric and share a resemblence with GE’s diesel-electrics built around the same time.

My photos for this exercise were exposed using a Nikon Z7-II with a 24-70mm Nikkor Z-series zoom lens.

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18 Years and Three Views at Irishtown Road.

In 2007, I was researching a book at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. The museum’s Kurt Bell suggested that I make some photos at Irishtown Road in nearby Bird-in-Hand, which was one of the few remaining grade crossings on Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line, the former Pennsylvania Main Line via Lancaster.

Working with a Canon EOS-3 and 24mm lens, I made several Fujichrome color slides on a warm evening.

Since moving to Lancaster County, I’ve revisited Irishtown Road on several occasions. The public crossing was closed a number of years ago and the road redirected.

Below are three comparision photos. While these are all exposed from the same approximate vantage point, in my recent images I’ve not tried to exactly replicate the light and angle of my 2007 photo.

Amtrak’s westward Keystone passes Irishtown Road on 25 September 2007. An Amtrak AEM-7 works at the back of the three-car consist. Since this photo was exposed, Amtrak closed the crossing and removed the grade crossing signals. The road on both sides of the crossing was relocated.
Irishtown Road with an Amtrak Keystone in June 2004.
Amtrak Keystone 664 works east behind ACS-64 656 at Irishtown Road on 17 May 2025. Nikon Z7-II photo.

In 1963, my father also made photos near this crossing. In those days, Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 and E44 electrics were the rule of the day. Working with scans from his old slides, I may try to replicate his images at a later date.

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Closing the Gap near Christiana

We were on our evening drive after work.

I was watching the ASM.Transitdocs.com app to monitor the progress of east and westward Amtrak Keystone trains.

My aim was to catch both 656 eastbound and 651 westbound within a few minutes of each other.

As we drove east on Highway 30 passing Bird-in-Hand and Paradise, I noticed that both trains had fallen behind their advertised schedules, so I kept pushing east.

Initially, I was aiming for Gap, Pa., but at the last minute continued to Christiana.

I arrived in time to set up at the old PRR freight house that the Lancaster Chapter NRHS has set up as a viewing platform.

Moments after I arrived, train 656 came into view. Westward 651 was delayed about about ten minutes, but with a total elapsed time of only 12 minutes, I’d caught both trains.

Train 651 had a bonus; this was led by Amtrak ACS-64 670, the highest in the series. This engine has been a bit elusive for me. Although I photographed it on film a couple of days earlier, this sequence at Christiana represents my first satisfying digital photos of the locomotive. A small victory in the bigger picture, but these days I’ll take it.

Amtrak Keystone 656 passes Christiana, Pa., led by a former Metroliner cab control car.
Trailing view of Amtrak Keystone 656 at Christiana, Pa.
Amtrak ACS-64 670 leads Keystone 651 westbound at Christiana. I’d been watching this train’s westward progress on the ASM.Trainsit.docs ap.

These photos were exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm lens.

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Port Road at Washingtonboro, Pa.

Kris asked, ‘Is there some train that you’d like check out tonight?’

Yes, yes there is. I’ve been hoping to catch another move on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Branch near Columbia, Pa. This line is the former Columbia & Port Deposit line, which in its heyday was a key route for Pennsylvania Railroad and an electrified line.

Conrail discontinued electric operations in the early 1980s, but the catenary supports largely remain in place. Owing to a curfew on the Northeast Corridor, Norfolk Southern’s operations are largely nocturnal. However, since we are moving into the longer days there are opportunities to catch trains at dawn and dusk.

We tried to find a train on the move few weeks ago without results. So we repeated the exercise by driving to Washingtonboro along the Susquehanna River. First, I checked the intermediate signals for a westward move (toward Harrisburg) and concluded that nothing was lined in that direction. However, when I observed the signals for an eastward train, I was delighted to see that the No. 1 track had been cleared for a movement; the signal was displaying ‘yellow over green’, which indicates Approach Medium. This was the clue I’d been seeking.

I said, ‘We are in luck!’

And we were.

Working with my Nikon Z7-II, I made these photos of an eastward carload freight, probably symbol freight 36A that runs from Conway Yard to Edgemoor, Delaware. Kris filmed the train with her phone.

Our patience on the old Port Road paid off.

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Amtrak 650 at Gap

In recent years, many of the lineside signals that once governed train movements on Amtrak’s Harrisburg line have been removed.

The old signal bridge at Gap is now devoid of the Position Light signaling hardware that had controlled train movements since the days of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Last week, I framed up Amtrak Keystone 650 as it passed beneath the old signal bridge. In the lead was a former Metroliner car, now one of Amtrak’s cab control cars. Like the signal bridge, this is a surviving vestige of the late, great Pennsylvania Railroad. And like the signal bridge, this car is a shadow of something greater.

I exposed this view using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm Fujinon lens. To achieve a low angle, I was working with the camera’s adjustible rear-display panel and held the camera near to the ground to make the most of foreground detail.

A former Metroliner car leads Amtrak Keystone 650 eastbound at Gap, Pa.,
Amtrak Cities Sprinter 639 was situated at the back of the consist.

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Far and Near—Coal Empties on the Move

With relatively little warning a westward Norfolk Southern freight came into view. Dappled sun illuminated Tuscarora Mountain in the distance.

Poised at our location at Underpass Road near Mexico, Pa., I worked with my pair of Nikon Z-series cameras to expose this series of photos of the passing westward empty coal train.

As the train drew closer, the clouds parted and bright afternoon sun illuminated the scene, which made for a more satisfying photographic adventure.

Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens set at 200mm f4.0 1/1250 sec, ISO 200
Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm lens set at 92mm f4.0 1/2000 sec, ISO 200
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set at 28mm f4.0 1/2000 sec, ISO 100.
Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set at 68mm f4.0 1/640 sec, ISO 100.

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Crosslit at Rockville Bridge

We paused at the famous Rockville Bridge just long enough to roll by Amtrak 42 The Pennsylvanian on its daily run east from Pittsburgh.

I made this crosslit view from the Marysville side of the Susquehanna as the train crossed the magnificent row of arches over the water.

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Cover of Spring 2025 Milepost

The cover of the April 2025 Milepost—a magazine published by and for the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania—features my photograph of Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-0 class D16sb 1223.

I made this image using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens during my Railroad Photography 101 class in February. The museum will be hosting more of my classes, with one scheduled for May and another in June.

The museum is promoting the classes:

“Session two will be held on Tuesday, May 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and will emphasize technique and the approach to indoor light. Session three will take place on Tuesday, June 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and will focus on composition and the approach to outdoor light, weather permitting. ” See:  RRMuseumPA.org 

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Topped and Tailed at Bird-in-Hand

On our way back from Gap, we pulled into the old PRR freight house location at Bird-in-Hand, Pa., to roll by Amtrak Keystone 656.

We didn’t have long to wait when the train raced by with ACS-64s on both ends of the short consist. Number 600-class leader named David Gunn was on the leading end; 655 on the trailing end.

I made these photos using my Lumix LX7 compact digital camera.

Leica Vario-Summilux f3.5 1/1600 sec, ISO200.
Leica Vario-Summilux f3.5 1/800 sec, ISO200.

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The Last Train to Parkesburg

As an allusion to the old Monkees song, I made this series of Amtrak Keystone 657 making its evening station stop at Parkesburg, Pa.

On weekdays this is the last train of the evening to stop at the old Pennsylvania Railroad station in Parkesburg, Pa.

I made these photos with my Nikon Z6 mounted on a 3Pod tripod, the camera was set to ISO 16000. In post processing, the Nikon NEF RAW files were converted to DNG format using DxO Pure Raw and adjusted in Adobe Lightroom.

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Sunset on the Pennsylvania Railroad and No P5s for Me.

During our forays along the old Pennsylvania Railroad, I sometimes like to imagine what it would have been like to witness the passing of the railroad’s great electrics.

Although I never saw them pass Gap, I remember seeing the GG1s, and to a limited extent, PRR’s E44s on other portions of the electrified system.

My father made photos of PRR’s P5 boxcabs, streamlined ‘P5A modified’ electrics, among the more obscure types that worked under wire more than a half century ago.

Last week as the late winter glow colored the evening sky in Christiana, Pa., I looked to the west as headlights illuminate the rails. As the train approached, I was expecting one of Amtrak’s ACS-64 electrics to pass me in a flash, but wondered what it would have been like to see a pair of the P5/P5A electrics pass with a freight. That really would have been cool.

Photos exposed using my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm Nikkor Z-series zoom. Files exposed in NEF RAW format, converted to PNG format using DxO PureRaw, and adjusted for final presentation with Adobe Lightroom.

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