FL9

Last night was very pleasant with clear skies, comfortable temperatures, and no breezes.  It was so nice that John Briggs, Chris Palmieri and myself decided to work on our digital night shot skills.  I got us clearance to wander around FWWR Hodge Yard in order to stay out of the clutches of Homeland Security, and relax as we conducted our experiments.  Outfitted with tripods and electronic cable releases for our digital cameras, we first set up for a shot of GP50 #2010 shut down at the east end of the fueling tracks.

For fill-flash purposes, I use a poor man’s Lumedyne system consisting of three old Vivitar model 3900 AA-battery powered units.  I walk around during the exposure and alternate the units as they recharge to paint in the scene with light in the shortest amount of time possible.  This worked pretty well on the #2010, my only problem being a flare from the yard light just out of view to the right.  Next up we moved down to the west end outside the new locomotive servicing shed to photograph GP50 #2012 and GP38-3 #2000 as they rested up between assignments.

Nearby on the west leg of the Wye sat GP7 #103 and two more GP38-3’s waiting to go back to work.  Here we used the fill flash in addition to requesting the headlight and ditch lights be turned on for a few seconds.  This engine has seen a lot of miles since it started its career as New York Central #5601.

Now it was after midnight, so lastly we moved to the east end of the rip track where GP7 #1500 sits alone these days with a blown piston, awaiting disposition.  In the background the Mechanical Department’s night shift has turned on all the big lights in order to service the operable units for the coming day.

I can remember several years ago when #1500 was the only engine on the railroad, and the nights were quiet.  Not anymore though, as three jobs arrived back in the yard and one was preparing to leave during the time we were there.