Western Railroad Discussion > a summer solstice quintet

The first day of summer has always been a symbolic day for us railfan photogs. According to the scientists, at 10:54 AM on June 21 we experienced Summer Solstice. The day with the maximum amount of sunlight! Even though the day-to-day incremental changes between winter & summer daylight are a couple of minutes at the most we still note event.

I fondly remember June 21 back in 1979. Good buddy Dave Franz & I were down in the Chase County Flint Hills shooting our employer’s endless parade of trains. It was only a Thursday, so we didn’t shoot any record number of trains like we might have on the weekend. It was just the symbolism of a couple of Santa Fe train service/railfan buddies being out shooting on the Summer Solstice. I didn’t go this year out because it was June 21. I live on the KP where a shooter often has to be happy to bag one, and if luck is good a couple of trains. This year I got a tip and went out to shoot a UP train that happened to have both a BNSF leader & DP unit.

And the fact that I caught it approaching sundown on the Summer Solstice was even better. Sunset silhouettes on the longest day of the year, KP style…

1. 2. & 3. BNSF 9236 leads an eastbound UP coal train at the NW Valencia Rd crossing just west of Silver Lake, KS.

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4. & 5. Two more shots of the coal train passing Ruby Yard, taken from the Lower Silver Lake Rd crossing in Topeka, KS.
(5 photos taken on the Summer Solstice, June 21, 2019)

Thanks for the tip!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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You had it dialed in with this series. Great work.
John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/19 11:33 by jmbreitigan.

Mr. Lance, you be the king of the sunrise, sunset and low light photos.

Don Winslow
Glendora, CA
http://www.donwinslow.net/Railroads



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/19 13:06 by DonWinslow.

Thanks guys! But hey Don, I be standing right next to YOU with shooting in Mama Nature's low light condidtions! A point you will no doubt agree with, all a shooter really needs to do is be willing to go ahead and shoot. Digital & photo-editing technology can work wonders with low-light exposures...

Lance

santafe199 Wrote:
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> Thanks guys! But hey Don, I be standing right next
> to YOU with shooting in Mama Nature's low light
> condidtions! A point you will no doubt agree with,
> all a shooter really needs to do is be willing to
> go ahead and shoot. Digital & photo-editing
> technology can work wonders with low-light
> exposures...
>
> Lance

Lance, what makes your photos stand out is your planning, the subject, location and the light source. Ain't nobody gonna catch ya on those things.

Don Winslow
Glendora, CA
http://www.donwinslow.net/Railroads

Nice pics!!