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Looks like Tim is very busy with Thanksgiving Eve.  Maybe no one is thinking about trains today.  I was headed out the door about sundown tonight and my wife hollered from deep in the kitchen, "And where do you think YOU'RE going, buster!"  The way she said it, it wasn't a question.   I ended up helping her around the house, and all thought of sitting out in the snow by the tracks quickly melted away.

 

Anyway, I do have a few, just a few, shots for this week but it is something a little special.  I've been wanting to use my favorite camera, my Chamonix 045n 4x5 field camera, for some night shots.  Black & white film, ISO 400.  Old school, baby!  O. Winston Link mostly used a 4x5 Speed Graphic for his shots (and sometimes a Rolleiflex 6x6).  For me it would be the ultimate challenge!  The camera itself is drop dead simple, but there are many steps to getting an exposure.  I.e., many places for a scatter brain like me to goof up.  Plus, it takes about an extra 20 minutes to get it all right.  Could I pull it off?  The first shot I tried I forgot to cock the shutter.  The engines went by as I frantically tried to figure out what went wrong.  Cocked the shutter, and got a shot of the D&I pulling a GREX slot train at Fairfield SD, bound for interchange with UP at Sioux City IA.  I went back a few nights later and tried again.  Train went by, popped the shutter, and went home feeling pretty good.  Turned out the film holder was empty!  Went back the next night, set everything up the same way, and popped the shot as the train went by.  The engineer on the train said over the radio, "Back again for the same shot?"  I replied, "Yes.  This time I put film in the camera."  I found out later that's become a running joke with the D&I guys.   The final shot I tried was about two miles from my house, near 26th Street in Sioux Falls SD.  The local BNSF train was coming back from the Chancellor SD ethanol plant and a couple of small local elevators.   I caught them coming down the grade as they headed for the yard.  Film was Ilford HP5, ISO 400.  It was a lot of fun and I really like the classic look.  I'll try again tomorrow night or Friday night.

 

 

Kent in SD

SlotTrainM

DAIRfairviewM

BNSF26stM

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Images (3)
  • SlotTrainM
  • DAIRfairviewM
  • BNSF26stM
Last edited by Two23
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On Saturday, 11/21/15, I attended the model train show held at the Brunswick, MD. VFD hall. A little after 11a.m., I departed and went to the nearby CSX yard. I visited here frequently from 1988-2003, but had not been here since 12/2011, when the last x-B&O CPL signals were dropped, and WB tower closed.
On arrival, PO30, the Capitol Limited sailed through with Veteran's unit #42, however I could only get a grab shot.
Thanks to Gerry Putz for train ids and info.
CSX would then unleash 2 hours of almost nonstop action which included a variety of consists and ladings.

GEDC0519

GEDC0521

GEDC0525

GEDC0528

005

GEDC0526

GEDC0529

GEDC0533

010

GEDC0534

GEDC0539

012

013

016

022

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Images (15)
  • GEDC0519: Amtrak PO30 eastbound
  • GEDC0521: Q373 westbound
  • GEDC0525: 2 GEs, 2 EMDs
  • GEDC0528: U832 eastbound under MD 17 bridge with 124 coal loads
  • 005: E732 westbound
  • GEDC0526: E732
  • GEDC0529: Q226 eastbound autorack
  • GEDC0533: K975 westbound with all EMDs
  • 010: K975 westbound to Stephens City,VA on Shenandoah valley line
  • GEDC0534: empty limestone hoppers with MTIX reporting marks
  • GEDC0539: K157 westbound with 2 BNSF GEs, note CSX MOW truck on left
  • 012: Empty oil empties
  • 013: BNSF GEs #7970 and 4961
  • 016: Q415 eastbound after being recrewed
  • 022: D789 helper set proceeding east to Point of Rocks
Last edited by Borden Tunnel

Last October, we, as we always do went to Oakland Maryland for their

wonderful Autumn Glory Parade, a feature of the Autumn Glory celebration

weekend there.

We visited all day, so we had good light in the morning and in the evening

for these two photos of the pretty old B&O Depot there.

This building is wonderfully restored, thanks to the former mayor of Oakland,

Asa McCain. I me him at the Depot some years ago, and he wanted to get

the B&O museum at Baltimore involved, and they have to some degree.

A nice place to visit, the station is full of Baltimore and Ohio artifacts.

Here in these two photos is one of E Francis Baldwin's examples of his

works.

 

Ed

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Images (2)
  • Front side of Oakland Depot
  • Track side of Oakland Depot
Originally Posted by Ed Mullan:

Last October, we, as we always do went to Oakland Maryland for their

wonderful Autumn Glory Parade, a feature of the Autumn Glory celebration

weekend there.

We visited all day, so we had good light in the morning and in the evening

for these two photos of the pretty old B&O Depot there.

This building is wonderfully restored, thanks to the former mayor of Oakland,

Asa McCain. I me him at the Depot some years ago, and he wanted to get

the B&O museum at Baltimore involved, and they have to some degree.

A nice place to visit, the station is full of Baltimore and Ohio artifacts.

Here in these two photos is one of E Francis Baldwin's examples of his

works.

 

Ed

 

 

Wow, that's a great depot!  Not too big, not too small, and very Victorian.  Don't have anything like that around here.

 

 

Kent in SD

Originally Posted by Two23:

I've been wanting to use my favorite camera, my Chamonix 045n 4x5 field camera, for some night shots.  Black & white film, ISO 400.  Old school, baby!  O. Winston Link mostly used a 4x5 Speed Graphic for his shots (and sometimes a Rolleiflex 6x6).  For me it would be the ultimate challenge!  The camera itself is drop dead simple, but there are many steps to getting an exposure.

Kent in SD

Kent, I had a Speed Graphic and later a Crown Graphic 4x5 press cameras.  The Speed Graphic, with its focal plane shutter, allowed use of longer than normal lenses, but the slow speeds of the large shutters limited me to using nothing longer than 6 inches (normal focal length) on the Crown Graphic.

 

Are you using a blade shutter on the lens or a focal plane shutter on the camera body?

Originally Posted by Number 90:
Originally Posted by Two23:

Kent, I had a Speed Graphic and later a Crown Graphic 4x5 press cameras.  The Speed Graphic, with its focal plane shutter, allowed use of longer than normal lenses, but the slow speeds of the large shutters limited me to using nothing longer than 6 inches (normal focal length) on the Crown Graphic.

 

Are you using a blade shutter on the lens or a focal plane shutter on the camera body?

 

 

As you mentioned, the Speed Graphic has two shutters.  The "main" shutter is the focal plane shutter, which allows for speeds up to 1/1000s, maybe even a little faster (Can't remember--never owned one.)  The second shutter is the one that the lens is (usually) built into.   The Chamonix 045n I used has no focal plane shutter--it is a field camera.  I use the leaf shutter on the lens.  These are Copal No.1 and have a top speed of 1/500s, and I can sync the flash to that speed.  The focal plane shutter has a MUCH slower sync speed, I think something like 1/30s (although this is a guess.)  My Nikon D800E, like all DSLR cameras, also has a focal plane shutter and it's top flash sync speed is 1/250s.

 

 

Kent in SD

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