Random Ramblings -- I Hate Cords!

Back in July 2010 I had just purchased four Alien Bees strobes for doing synchronized night photography of moving trains. The Bees arrived just before I headed out from New Jersey to Milwaukee, where I was giving a presentation to the National Model Railroad Association. I had purchased only one battery to power the Bees, which meant I had a ton of extension cords so I could spread the lights around.

After working locations in Ohio on the way out, I had dropped down into Illinois on the return trip, heading for the Illinois Railway Museum. One target I wanted to get was the large coaling tower that still straddled the former Chicago & North Western at Nelson. I pulled into Nelson later than I wanted to on July 16, at about 10:00 p.m., and started setting up the strobes. Unfortunately, my extension cords had become hopelessly tangled, and when a westbound train rolled through at about 10:30, I was still trying to get cords straightened out. Not to worry, though -- this is a fairly busy main line and there would be another westbound shortly. Or not.

Midnight came and went without any trains at all. I was beginning to think about calling it quits when an eastbound train (the wrong direction) came by. Still thinking about calling it quits, I snapped the last car on the train to get some idea of what my shot would look like if a train came from the proper direction -- and it was really good. Okay, that decides it -- I have to wait it out.

Finally at about 2:00 a.m. a westbound finally showed up. Click! Success.

Union Pacific; Nelson, Ill.; July 16 (technically 17), 2010

While tearing down, an eastbound coal train wandered by. It had a Distributed Power Unit (DPU, a locomotive attached to the back of the train for added power) on the rear. I was well into putting away my lights, but I broke out the tripod and took a going-away shot of the train under the coaling tower.

Union Pacific; Nelson, Ill.; July 17, 2010

My extension cords misadventures cost me about four hours of sleep that night. Needless to say, I went out and purchased a second battery which, with judicious light placement, has cut down on my extension cord needs by about 80%. Still, the results were worth the lack of sleep. But I still hate cords.

Cool Chromes -- Pounding Around The Curve

Cool Chromes is a semi-regular feature where we look at some slides that have just gone through the scanner.

Back when I lived in southern New Jersey, the Southern Railway Steam Specials (and later the Norfolk Southern Steam Specials) came within a one-day trip from the house only on one of their departure points -- Alexandria, Virginia, was three hours down I-95 and trips departed there bound for either Charlottesville or Front Royal. I chased many a trip to both places.

In August 1982 I had chased Southern's ex-Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 No. 2716 to Charlottesville (2716 was a magnificent locomotive, but sadly only served in the Steam Specials for a little more than a year when mechanical issues sidelined in permanently). I knew the locomotive would put on a spectacular show climbing Fairfax Hill on the last leg of its northbound trip, but I didn't know where to go. Marc Balkin of Custom Steam Productions (he was producing audio tapes then; video was still not available) clued me in on a great spot on a curve on the hill. Fairfax Station Road winds its way out of the town of Clifton, and a few miles out of town it turns left at a T intersection before turning right again and heading into Fairfax Station. But turning right at that T put you on Colchester Road, which went under the tracks. At the underpass, there was a good location if you walked up the hill. And it was good.

On that first visit in August 1982, a freight train left Manassas ahead of the steam special. It was a Chessie System freight running on trackage rights over the Southern.

Chessie System (on Norfolk Southern); Clifton, Va.; August 1982

A few minutes later, the 2716 came pounding past with the steam special.

Southern Railway 2716; Clifton, Va.; August 1982

And as soon as the steam special cleared, another freight could be heard growling up from Manassas, this time led by diesels in Southern's attractive "tuxedo" black and white.

Norfolk Southern; Clifton, Va.; August 1982

If my slide mounts are to be believed (someday I'll pull out the notebooks and verify this), I was back on Fairfax Hill about a month later to witness the newest locomotive in the NS steam program. Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 came pounding past on this day.

Norfolk & Western No. 611; Clifton, Va.; September 1982

I wouldn't get back to the curve for a steam special for another five years, but in August 1987 (I think -- the date on the Kodak-processed slide mount is pretty much unreadable) I chased Norfolk & Western Y-Class No. 1218 to Front Royal and back. Once again, a freight departed Manassas ahead of the steam special. And despite the Southern's merger into Norfolk Southern over half a decade earlier, this train was led by a pair of units still showing that Southern Serves the South.

Norfolk Southern; Clifton, Va.; August 1987

Shortly thereafter, the massive 2-6-6-4 came pounding up the hill. Roll on, eighteen wheeler!

Norfolk & Western 1218; Clifton, Va.; August 1987

With Norfolk Southern operating the new version of the steam specials, Steam In the 21st Century, I'm hoping that eventually trips will be run northward out of Manassas. If they are, I will return to my favorite curve and listen for the whistle at the end of the day.

Happy New Year?

NJ Transit; Peapack, N.J.

Okay, so I've been a little bit lax in posting entries this year. Looking back, I made it through two entries before travel and other distractions broke my concentration. So even though we are mere hours from May Day, let's reset the clock and give 2013 a semi-official start. With that in mind, today's blog entry takes us back to New Year's Eve 2012.

I had reservations to ride the New Year's Eve streetcar charter, an annual event hosted by the Friends of the Philadelphia Trolleys in the City of Brotherly Love. The trip begins at 10:00 p.m., and the new year is brought in while riding the rails. This was the first year I could make the event. Thus, during the afternoon of December 31, 2012, I headed south through New Jersey.

I knew that New Jersey Transit's new dual mode locomotives were being used on the Gladstone Branch in the central part of the state. Being able to operate as a conventional diesel-electric or as an electric-only from overhead wires, the locomotives were purchased to run on lines where electrification catenary didn't reach the end of the route (for instance, trains from New York City run out of wires in Dover, even though the tracks -- and diesel service -- extend beyond to Hackettstown). The Gladstone Branch is electrified for its entire distance from Hoboken to its namesake town, and thus these dual-mode locomotives were not intended for Gladstone service. However, Hurricane Sandy put much of Hoboken under water, and even nearly four months later the damage to electrical substations at Hoboken kept the wires at the terminal de-energized. Thus, the dual modes were pressed into service, feeding off the wire from Gladstone to Broad Street Station in Newark, where the locomotives were switched to diesel to continue into Hoboken.

On this New Year's Eve, cloudy skies were present, so I decided to go for a shot that is never properly lit when the sun is out. There's a through truss bridge over the South Branch of the Raritan River between the towns of Far Hills and Peapack, and westbound trains immediately enter a man-made tunnel under Route 512. I used the top of the portal for a perch to get the train running under wire.

With that shot done, up next was a visit to the New Hope & Ivyland in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Even though it was a week past Christmas, old St. Nick was still riding the rails on the incredibly popular Santa Claus Specials. I met Mike Burkhart at the small community of Hood, located just outside New Hope, and we plotted how we would light the train. While plotting, the homeowner who has the property on the west side of the deck girder bridge at Hood came out to check his mail. We got into a conversation with him, and he graciously let us use his property to get the train from an angle neither one of had gotten before. As darkness moved in, Santa and his train showed up and we were able to light the train and about half the houses at Hood.

New Hope & Ivyland; Hood, Pa.; December 31, 2012

Mike went home to take his wife out for New Year's Eve, while I headed down to Philadelphia, meeting up with the organizers of the charter at the Callowhill streetcar and bus depot in the western part of the city. Kawasaki streetcar No. 9022 had been decorated for Christmas by SEPTA streetcar operator Gary Mason, and it would be the car used for the charter (with Gary doing the honors as operator). Most of the patrons would be boarding at the loop at 63rd & Malvern Streets, so with a nearly empty streetcar I rode up from with Gary and photographed him just as he waited for traffic to clear so he could guide the car into the loop.

SEPTA; 63rd & Malvern, Philadelphia, Pa.; December 31, 2012

With passengers on board, the streetcar headed for the Sugar House Casino at the east end of SEPTA's Route 15 on Girard Avenue. The plan was to shoot the streetcar with fireworks at midnight. Not coincidentally, Mike Burkhart and his wife had chosen the Sugar House as their New Year's date destination, and they came out to join us. The fireworks didn't quite line up with the streetcar, but we brought in the new year right -- by photographing a trolley! Once the fireworks ended, Mike and Jen went back into the casino and we continued on our way.

For the rest of the night we wandered the streets of Philadelphia, stopping occasionally for photos. One location, popular with charters, was in front of the Gables Bed & Breakfast, which is always well-decorated for the holidays.

SEPTA; Philadelphia, Pa.; January 1, 2013

Soon we were back at Callowhill Depot sometime around our 2:00 a.m. scheduled arrival. It was a great New Year's Eve! And with that, I'll wish you a belated Happy New Year and raise a toast to more blog entries on a more regular basis as we continue through 2013!

Random Ramblings - An Evening At Hyndman

Chessie System; Hyndman, Pennsylvania; December 1986

Back in December 1986 a group of us went to Sand Patch Grade, located in southern Pennsylvania. It is located on the former main line of the Baltimore & Ohio, but by the time we visited it was run by Chessie System (today it is part of CSX Transportation). Heavy trains heading west from Cumberland, Maryland, would need extra power for the run up the Allegheny Mountains, and after crossing into Pennsylvania they would stop at Hyndman to have locomotives added to the rear for a push.

Hyndman had an operating signal tower, one of several still active along the old B&O, and the operators were generally friendly. On this particular evening, we parked in the employee parking lot for the tower, walked across a railroad bridge, and ascended the tower steps. We wanted to do night photos of the power stationed at Hyndman, and we knew our flashes would attract attention. The operator was understanding, and said there were no train movements in the area and sent us on our way. "When you're done," he said, "stop back here. We just got a new shipment of B&O baseball caps."

We took several night shots of the helpers, a pair of yellow SD50s (at the time these were big engines) and just as we were wrapping up I saw a set of headlights coming up the tracks from the east. Not a train headlight, but truck headlights from a rail/highway hybrid "hi-rail" truck. Now, even though we had gotten "permission" from the operator we were still technically trespassing (we weren't even supposed to go in the tower), and I hoped no one in charge was in the truck or we could be in a heap of trouble. We moved our tripods off the tracks and the truck rolled up and stopped next to us. Much to my dismay, a guy in a white hard hat -- a supervisor -- was in the truck. We were in trouble.

"Hey, you guys," he yelled out the window. "When you get finished taking pictures, go up in the tower. We just got a new shipment of B&O baseball caps if you want to buy one." And with that he was gone.

Random Ramblings - To Wedge Or Not To Wedge

Burlington Northern & Santa Fe; Prewitt, New Mexico; September 30, 1999

In 1999 I was in New Mexico following the former Santa Fe transcontinental main line across the desert (at the time of the trip it was known as the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe, and since has become simply BNSF Railway). I was with a group of friends, and it soon became apparent that we had different shooting goals. They wanted to wait by the tracks and shoot every train that came by in the standard three-quarter wedge shot, then move when there was a break in the action. The problem is, the Santa Fe is one hopping railroad, and breaks in the action are few and far between. Meanwhile, we were in the heart of The Mother Road country, along historic Route 66, and I wanted to pull back from the tracks a bit and get some iconic Route 66 imagery into the scene. It became readily apparent that sticking with them was going to result in getting a dozen trains in the exact same location from the exact same wedgie angle. But they are friends, so I decided to hang with them.

Finally there was a break in the action and we decided to move. I was in my own car and pulled away first, looking for a new angle. Their driver was slower, and soon some cars separated us. Finally, I saw a shot I wanted and pulled off the interstate -- but they missed me turning! In this time before cell phones I had no way to get ahold of them, and a futile attempt to get back on the interstate to catch them didn't work (okay, maybe I didn't try all that hard). But suddenly I was alone and free to make my own decisions. I set up at the Tomahawk Bar in Prewitt for a shot (something none of the rest would have even considered) and captured several more away-from-the-tracks angles along Route 66. I didn't catch up with the gang again until we hit our reserved motel later that evening. 

They caught about 30 trains during the day from about three locations. I caught far fewer, but quantity isn't the name of the game. On this day, I was in a non-wedge zone.

Cool Chromes - Fall on the Monongahela

Cool Chromes is a semi-regular mini-feature looking at some slides that have recently passed through my scanner.

Monongahela Railway; West Brownsville, Penn.; October 1993

The Monongahela Railway was built to haul coal. Heading south from West Brownsville, Penn., the railroad was a joint operation of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie (New York Central) and the Baltimore & Ohio. When the PRR and NYC merged, new railroad Penn Central controlled two-thirds of the operation. By the time of this visit in October 1990, the Penn Central share had gone to Conrail while the B&O's third was controlled by successor CSX. In 1993 the Monongahela vanished entirely into Conrail.

The railroad's headquarters was at West Brownsville, where we found a set of the railroad's "Super 7" locomotives, B23-7R's rebuilt by General Electric from units that worked for Western Pacific (above).

The railroad actually consisted of two separate lines heading south from West Brownsville. The railfan favorite was always the westernmost line, which was actually fairly new below Waynesburg, Penn. Officially the Waynesburg Southern (a subsidiary of the Monongahela's controlling railroads), the line opened into West Virginia in 1968. Prior to that, the railroad only went as far south as Waynesburg. A train is seen passing the mine at Waynesburg as it heads onto the Manor Branch (below).

Monongahela Railway; Waynesburg, Penn.; October 1990

If the Waynesburg Southern was the railfan favorite, the brand new Manor Branch was the favorite favorite. Due to its newness, it presented wide open vistas. The small town of Time became quite the place to shoot, as seen by this set of Super 7s pushing a northbound train through (actually above) the small town on a fill.

Monongahela Railway; Time, Penn.; October 1990

I couldn't decide which shot I liked better, so here's the same train in the same location a couple of seconds later in the S-curve.

Monongahela Railway; Time, Penn.; October 1990

If one got tired of Super 7s (like that was going to happen), the train to watch for was the unit coal train operated by Detroit Edison. DE operated its own train from Michigan to the coal fields using the utility's own GE-built diesels. We see a set crossing a small bridge just south of Waynesburg before diverging onto the Manor Branch.

Monongahela Railway; Waynesburg, Penn.; October 1990

And we chase the train out onto the Manor Branch to catch it at Time.

Monongahela Railway; Time, Penn.; October 1990

Heading back to Waynesburg and continuing south on the Waynesburg Southern, we come to the town of Rogersville. I'm sure I was mad at the time when the car showed up just as the train was heading over the bridge, but in retrospect the car's headlights accentuate the bad weather we were fighting on this day.

Monongahela Railway; Rogersville, Penn.; October 1990

And with that we'll wrap up this edition of Cool Chromes. Thanks for coming along!

Random Ramblings - Here Comes Thomas!

There was nothing quite like the glory days of Michigan steam in the 21st century -- yes, the 21st century -- when two Berkshire locomotives from the Lima Locomotive Works were stomping through the state. From 2007-2009, Michigan's own Berkshire, Pere Marquette No. 1225 based out of Owosso, would be joined on and off by Nickel Plate Road No. 765, visiting from Fort Wayne, Ind. Photo charters by both Lerro Productions and Historic Transport Preservation, plus Train Festival 2009, all made Michigan a grand place for steam.

Nickel Plate Road 765; Carland, Mich.

The grain elevator at Carland made for a favorite photo prop on many charters, and not unexpectedly we were once again at Carland on October 10, 2009, for a charter sponsored by Historic Transport Preservation with the 765. While there, a mother and her young son happened to pull up to watch the runbys. The kid was obviously a budding railfan, decked out in complete Thomas the Tank Engine garb. Well, we just had to get the kid into a photo. Mom was dressed in 21st century clothing, but we asked her if her son would mind posing with two of our "actors" during a photo runby. She said it wouldn't be a problem, so Kelly Lynch of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society took the lad by the hand and posed him in front of the photo line. Christopher Pitzen knelt down next to the kid.

Now 765 is a loud locomotive, especially during photo runbys when smoke and noise are a part of the show. With a grade crossing just behind the photo line (and the need for 765 to whistle loud for the crossing) I was positive the kid would bolt for his mom halfway through the runby. Christopher, however, pointed down the track and kept telling the kid "Here comes Thomas! Here comes Thomas!" The noise was incredible, the ground shook -- and the kid held his ground. As the locomotive blasted (and "blasted" doesn't begin to convey the experience) past, the kid turned his head and followed the engine with his eyes, smiling a huge smile. That's an experience that will stick with you for a long, long time.