briansolomonauthor
Brian's Tracking the Light
Railway photography discussions with Brian Solomon
3931 posts
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Last Seen Blogs
robatland-blog
Untitled
gawaininred
so this sword in the stone huh
sufferingsokkatash
"Pretty stupid."
hookcrux
HookCrux Crochet
Text
A Vision of 1930s Modern Railroading
Two weeks ago, I visited the preserved Power Directors Office (PDO) located within the Harrisburg, Pa., station.
This historic former Pennsylvania Railroad facility is a vestige of its grand late-1930s electrification to Harrisburg, that consisted of Mainlines and connecting routes
This office was used to control and balance the distribution of high-voltage alternating current electricity to…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
Amtrak & Pink Tree Blossoms—Fail!
Spring in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is a beautiful time of year.
Beautiful blossoming trees can be seen all along the roads and highways.
Finding trees near the tracks is more of a challenge, but not far from our apartment are some of the most rail-proximate photographable specimens .
Sometimes what seems so easy, proves difficult.
Last Monday, I planned to catch a westward Amtrak Keystone…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
Double Stacks rolling west off the old Reading
The Harrisburg area is a maze of trackage, which is alive with freight and passenger movements. Among the of the busiest lines is Norfolk Southern’s former Reading Company route (operated as its Harrisburg Line), which joins the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line route (operated as NS’s Pittsburgh Line) near Amtrak’s former PRR passenger station in Harrisburg, PA.
This route carries the…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
Great Northern Railway 131 at Connolly
After dozens of visits to Ireland over a span of 26 years, I finally witnessed former Great Northern Railway 4-4-0 number 131 under steam on 24 March 2024.
This also was a reunion with many of my old friends at the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI), Irish Rail and Irish Railway Record Society. And, it was Kris’s first trip behind steam in Ireland!
Many memorable photos were exposed…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
NS Reflections in a Pond
Last week, following days of rain, we had a crisp, clear, bright morning in Lancaster, PA. The grass was iridescent and the trees blossoming.
I timed my morning errands to bring me to the Greenfield Road crossing just about the time that Norfolk Southern’s New Holland local heads east on the old New Holland Branch.
Knowing the freight was on the move, I drove to Jefferson Drive, where the…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
Green Grass at Cherry Hill & Old 89 under steam.
At the end of March, having completed much travel, Kris and I paid a short visit to Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road. There we caught former Canadian National 2-6-0 number 89 leading an afternoon excursion on its return from Leaman Place.
I made these views using my Nikon Z7-II with 70-200mm lens.
It was nice to green grass growing in the fields!
Tracking the Light Posts Everyday!
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
A brief look at the old Lebanon Valley Branch.
The portion of the former Reading Company’s Lebanon Valley Branch/Crossline running between Reading and Harrisburg, PA is now operated by Norfolk Southern as the western end of its Harrisburg Line.
Since the Conrail-era, this route has hosted the lion’s share of through freights moving east of Harrisburg toward the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.
This heavily built line is signaled…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
Riding the Bangor Line on Cloudy Day
We thought about traveling to Derry, but it was a dreary day and we had evening plans, so instead I suggested we take the train toward Bangor.
And, no, we were not in Maine!
So, Kris and I traveled from Belfast Great Victoria Street Station aboard an NI Railways train, and got off the train at Cultra to visit the Ulster Transportation Museum.
The museum has some of the finest preserved railway…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
Final Photos of Great Victoria Street?
NI Railways present Belfast Great Victoria Street station is a 1970s creation. Functional, but not pretty, this is a busy city centre station.
The new Belfast Grand Central Station is under construction nearby. Over the coming months this modern facility will replace the older station.
I made these views of Great Victoria Street during our visit to Belfast at the end of March.
Although it…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
Keystone with Blossoming Trees
Sunday afternoon, Kris & I went for a wee drive. This was neatly planned to coincide with the passing of a westward Amtrak Keystone at Jefferson Drive in Lancaster.
For a week, I’d been eyeing the Spring blossoms on decorative tress along Jefferson drive, but was discouraged by the ‘Irish’ weather we seem to have brought back with us.
Since Sunday was bright and clear, I recognized the time was…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
NI Railways—Vistas from Downhill Demesne.
The weather was rapidly changing when we walked across the grassy plateau of the Downhill Demesne located west of Castlerock, Northern Ireland.
Although it was bright and sunny, we could see dark clouds over the Foyle estuary to the west.
NI Railways operates an hourly service between Belfast and Derry, and one of our objectives was to capture views of these trains running along the coast. For…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
Tracing the old Burma Road
The disused Irish railway that runs from Claremorris, Co. Mayo via Kiltimagh and Charlestown to Colloney, Co. Sligo is known as the ‘Burma Road.’
This last saw trains in the mid-1970s, yet much of the track and right-of-way remains intact.
A railbike operation is based at the old station in Kiltimagh.
After St. Patrick’s Day, Kris and followed a portion of the Burma Road on our drive toward…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
The Elusive Timber Train
Irish rail freight is comparatively scarce today compared to my visit years ago.
While visiting county Mayo, I’d hoped to catch one of the several freights that still routine grace the rails there.
On the advice of an old friend at Irish Rail, Kris and I paid our second visit to Manulla Junction on a rainy Monday March morning. After passage of the morning Dublin-Westport passenger train, we…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
Vestiges of a Railway Long Gone
Clifden is located on the western periphery of County Galway. Between 1895 and 1935, it was served by a lightly traveled branch of the old Midland Great Western route.
In mid-March, we stayed at the Clifden Station House Hotel. The hotel included the Signal Bar & Restaurant, located across the carpark in the old Clifden Railway Station. This was decorated with antique signaling equipment,…
View On WordPress
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
2006 & 2024-Changes at Manulla Junction
Irish Rail’s station at Manulla Junction exists to serve as a remote transfer point for passengers to/from the Ballina Branch.
Passengers are afforded a cross-platform connection between Dublin-Westport trains and the Ballina Branch local. There is no sanctioned public access from nearby roads.
In 2006, Dublin-Westport services were typically provided by Class-201 hauled Mark III sets,; while…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
View from Dreamliner's Tinted Window
Yesterday, I made this view from the window on an American Airlines’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The window was given an artificial bluish hue after takeoff. This served to reduce the light in the cabin-area of the plane while flying between Dublin and Philadelphia.
The mechanism for achieving this effect is beyond my knowledge-base, but it contributed to an interesting photograph.
I made this…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
200mm View Departing Cork
We had several excellent tours of Kent Station Cork, thanks to our friends at Irish Rail.
Working with my Nikon mirrorless Z7-II, I made this 200mm telephoto view of a two-piece Irish Rail 2600-series Railcar departing platform 1 at Kent Station.
The telephoto lens compressed the perspective which helps to bring in the station facilities behind the train, while effectively squashing the view of…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note