One Last Look

[br1078lum]

I shot this during an open house for Norfolk Southern employees of the East End Shops in Roanoke, VA.  The premis for the event was the coming turnover of the Class A #1218 steam locomotive to the Virginia Museum of Transportation.  I took a whole roll of pictures that day, mostly subjects of a technical matter, as this is the shop where they rebuild wrecked and worn out deisel locomotives.  NS provided the space for the cosmetic conservation of the 1218, and some of the employees of the shops helped in putting back all the pieces that had been removed for storage (for theft prevention).  The next day it was transported to the museum, where it now resides with the famed Class J 611, and numerous other engines and rolling stock of the various railroads that operated in Virgina.  Taken with a Yashica Electro GTN.


1218_16_2 by br1078phot, on Flickr


PFM

[LarryD]

Don't put the URL or IMG code with BBC code.

[wlewisiii]

Nice image though. I didn't remember that was a compound class.

[Julio1fer]

Very impressive machine!

[radiophoto]

Petey like choo-choo!

[br1078lum]

Larry, I am an old fart getting more forgetful every day.  I was offline for a few days, but I knew what I had done wrong as soon as I couldn't get back to it.  Eeets feexed now.

Lewis, the 1218 is a simple articulated, it just looks like a compound due to the perspective in the photo.

[br1078lum]

Well, only two comments so far about the subject of this photo, but no critiquing.  Come on, I had to have done something that could be improved on.  Let me know.

PFM

[Bill Salati]

Well, only two comments so far about the subject of this photo, but no critiquing.  Come on, I had to have done something that could be improved on.  Let me know.

PFM

I say excellent use of camera in hand. You were certainly limited by available space and the Yashica's 45mm lens. While you didn't get the full face of the locomotive in the frame, you've reinforced the impression of size of a very large piece of equipment. Exposure and detail considering available light are excellent. I'm sure the couple looking on are recalling the days when these monsters ruled the rails from Norfolk to Sandusky.

[LarryD]

I was a child when the last steamer was refitted and sent out west in the U.S.A. I think it is still in use in Montana or Canada from the town I lived in. Many though were still being worked on and sent over seas as though the U.S.A. went to diesel many of those old things were headed to Canada and even at the time areas in Vietnam etc.

 They would steam out of what was known as the round house then head 2 miles down river to be loaded on barrages to heat down the Mississippi and to where ever they went.

 They still have one sitting there in the old River view park that the city bought for display by selling shares of stock in the short line railroad. That was the short strip of rail the engine and coal card sits on.

 I have no Idea what type it is but I do remember my friend John's dad who was an engineer used to talk about that when he drove them that even that kind was considered old.  

[br1078lum]

Thanks Bill, it was probably the best shot of the day, and I had little time to get it as there were a lot of folks milling about.  Some shots I took definately relate the size of the loco to it's surroundings, but either the feeling was missing or someone was in the the frame that really gave no interest to the shot.  I think this was a retired employee of the shop who may have actually worked on this class of engines when they needed repairs.  They didn't stay long, and I was lucky to get just them in the shot, along with the engine number board.  I did run it through Photoshop Elements5 to get the contrast up some as I was not pleased at all from the scans I got back from the developers.  Some day I'll fire up my old Minolta Dual III and scan them myself to see if things improve.
PF