Standing in the roundhouse in June of 2018, as I took this photo of a sunbeam illuminating #16’s pilot, I never thought I’d see the day that a steam locomotive would move under its own power at the East Broad Top Railroad.
Happily, I was wrong. On Wednesday February 1st, 2023, Locomotive #16 moved under its own power for the first time in 67 years! Congratulations to the entire team at the East Broad Top Railroad on a job well done!
Happy Friday!
More Steam and Snow from the archive. This time from a 2016 charter on the Reading and Northern. Heavy snow on Saturday turned to rain on Sunday which gave us some great atmospheric effects, including the ground fog seen outside the tunnel.
This past June I had the privilege of attending the Mid Atlantic Air Museum’s WWII Weekend with a couple of friends who always inspire me to be a better photographer. To Pete, Matthew, and Mark, thank you for allowing me to shoot with you for the weekend. Also thanks to John for saving me a seat on the flight line for the airshow. Last but not least, Thank you to Dave for inviting me to hang out in the Cafe.
Photographing people is not something that comes naturally to me. But I learned a couple of things from following Pete, Matthew and Mark around for the weekend. First, for the candid shots, it’s all about being in the right spot at the right time. Anticipating the moment is going to take some practice. Second, reenactors are incredibly kind people. When it comes to posed shots they’ll usually say yes when asked.
I finally editing all the photos from last June’s WWII Weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum. Look for a trip report on Tuesday.
Happy Friday!
Reflections of Scranton Lace taken a little over a year ago. One of many places I wish I had more time to explore.
Happy Friday!
I was exploring the French Village at Mid Atlantic Air Museum’s WWII Weekend this past June and stumbled upon this little vignette. With nice lighting, I had to stop and make a photo.
Happy Friday!
As I mentioned Friday, I had the incredible opportunity to attend a photo shoot with Doc, one of the two flying B-29 Superfortress’ this past June. The original plan was to shoot one of the B-24’s out on the hot ramp, but an afternoon thunderstorm resulted in the protective covers being installed on the B-24’s which nearly derailed the shoot. Thankfully, Doc’s Friends were willing to allow us to photograph Doc on short notice.
We started with crew and civilian shots on the ground:
And then we moved inside for some cockpit shots:
It was a great shoot, and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again some day. Thanks again to Doc’s Friends and Brett for being awesome hosts and to Pete and all the reenactors who made the shoot possible!
One of the shots from the photo shoot with Doc that I was invited to participate in back in June. This was a challenging shot to get, involving carefully holding the camera in the air at the top of a monopod and a lot of guesswork on composition. The unique angle, featuring the bombardier through the window of the B-29 was worth the effort.
More from this shoot on Tuesday.
Happy Friday!
Earlier this year, I made a goal of photographing more people at the events I attend, particularly the railroad events, and I’m glad I did. Doing so has helped me get to know some of the folks who maintain the locomotives that I love to photograph so much. One of those people was Richie Maggs. The picture above was taken during the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s 2018 WWII Weekend at the Cafe in the French Village where Richie was a reenactor.
Last weekend I received the news that Richie had passed away unexpectedly. I only knew him briefly, but I know he was a great guy who lived life to the fullest and truly enjoyed his career in steam railroad preservation. My deepest condolences go out to his friends and family.
Highball, Richie! Rest easy.
Sunset at Hazlett’s Battery on Little Round Top, Gettysburg, PA.
Happy Friday!