As I’ve mentioned before, I had the privilege of attending the first DLWS trip to Yellowstone. Fountain Flats was our first stop of the first morning. The contrast between the steam and snow vs the silhouettes of the bison made for a great black and white image.
Helmstetter’s Curve on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
Photographing steam locomotives in the snow is one of my favorite things to do. The snow acts as a giant reflector bouncing light into the running gear, allowing you to really see all of the detail and textures that is often missed. The cold weather also allows long white exhaust plumes to hang in the air.
During the night shoot at a Lerro Productions photo charter at the Reading and Northern, a family happened to walk by to see what was going on down at the station. Pete talked them into posing for the photo line in a Polar Express like scene. Just one of those happy accidents that occurs from time to time during photo shoots.
Since we’re in the middle of a heatwave here in the mid-atlantic region, I thought I’d share one from winter’s past. This one was taken on a private photo charter on the Durango & Silverton back in February 2011. Enjoy and try to stay cool out there!
This past February I attended a photo charter at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad hosted by Lerro Productions. The charter included a full day of photography on the railroad plus a night session at Cumberland Station. With 734 almost out of operating days before a required major rebuild, the charter sold out quickly as many photographers wanted to spend one more day with one of their favorite locomotives. As it turns out, due to a landslide on the line a couple of weeks after the charter, this would be the last time 734 ran all the way to Frostburg.
After lunch the clouds rolled in, so rather than shoot in poor lighting, a couple of us elected to head back to the caboose and ride with the brakeman for the rest of the afternoon. This turned into a portrait shoot since this particular crew member takes great pride in accurately dressing the part for these photo shoots.
Finally, 734 was parked in front Cumberland Station for one last night session before her rebuild. What made this on unusual is that she was turned facing East when most night sessions had her facing West to take advantage of the water spout at the other end of the station.
It will be a few years before 734 is running again since the railroad is focusing on restoring C&O 1309. Current reports indicate that the WMSR’s “new” steam locomotive will be running next year. As always in the world of steam preservation, “it’ll be done when it’s ready.”
734 simmering at Cumberland Station while waiting for permission to proceed down the line – or more accurately, 734 is parked at the station for a night session during a photo charter hosted by Lerro Productions this past February. Stop back next Tuesday for the trip report.
As I mentioned last week, Lerro Productions hosted a two day photo charter in February on the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern featuring their steam locomotive, Reading & Northern 425. This was the railroad’s first real photo charter and by all accounts, it was a very successful trip. The first day featured snowy weather and took us from Port Clinton to the Lehigh Gorge and then back to Jim Thorpe for a night session. The second day started in Lehigh Gorge and then back to Port Clinton. While it rained almost the entire second day, the rain hitting the snow created an awesome ground fog which made for some interesting photos. Here’s a few of my favorites:
Glen Onoko Rock Cut
Independence Bridge
Tamaqua Tunnel
Independence Signals
Jim Thorpe Station
Hunter Street Tunnel
King Coal
As always, the Lerro Productions crew put on a great event and the railroad put on a great show. Hopefully this is the first of many charters on the Reading & Northern.
While killing time before the night session on the Reading & Northern photo charter I attended in February, my friend Matthew challenged me with a photography lesson. His instructions were to “take an interesting blurry photo.” After struggling for a bit I came up with this – an out of focus train with snow flow streaks in focus. Both parts blurry but in a different way. I think it works pretty well. Thanks again for the lesson, Matthew!
Stop by Tuesday for the Reading & Northern trip report.
Here’s another one from my railroad photography trip this past February. This time we’re at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for a Lerro Productions photo charter, the last one with Locomotive 734 to go all the way to Frostburg due to a recent landslide on the line. Hopefully scenes like this will be possible again soon.
Last week, I attended a two day photo charter on the Reading & Northern Railroad hosted by Lerro Productions. The weather was an interesting mix of cold and snowing on Monday and slightly warmer and rain on Tuesday creating opportunities for shots with great atmosphere. Above is one of my favorites from the event. Look for a more detailed trip report in a couple of weeks.