Steam & Excursion > BB: it's amazing how many shots he got with the rods down!

Bruce Black didn't hesitate to ask for crew help in getting a shot, and the many steam shots he shot sure had a lot with the rods down. Of course that was when crews would, if circumstances allowed, help out a photographer.

Here's CN 4-8-4 #6200 @ London, ON on June 12, 1958.

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I know, it's mighty hard nowdays to get Engineers to park diesels with the rods down. They just give me weird looks... :) === === = === JLH

I know "rods down" was always considered the preferred situation for steam roster shots, but I never quite understood why. I suppose it looks more "balanced" - is there another reason?

Beautiful image.
Bob

I don't get what the appeal of rods down is. It looks nice, but I don't know why it's so preferred. Anyone care to educate me?

up3985 Wrote:
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> I don't get what the appeal of rods down is. It
> looks nice, but I don't know why it's so
> preferred. Anyone care to educate me?

You can usually see more of them in the down position. If they're at 3 or 9 o'clock, it's just a line of stacked rods. Personally, I think they look best all the way up in photos, even if parts of them are blocked by appliances or valve gear. But, I think we can all agree they look best when moving!

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As a youngster living near trackside and observing the Rock Island 5000 and 5100 4-8-4's I seemed to prefer the rods down (balanced appearance), but then I knew they would soon resume moving and the humungous counterweights then overwhelmed me, that is, until these "beautiful monsters" were finally replaced with the GM-EMD diesel-electric FT's, F2's, F3's, F7's and eventually Alco FA's.
Regardless, I loved any steamer's rod position when they alive and breathing!

I asked Bruce about that once. His reply was rods down, preferably on the fireman's side "opened up" all the rods, valve gear linkage and driver counter weights. Bruce learned this from roster shooters he traded negatives from. The epitome was to get a rods down action shot at speed.

Rods down results in a more balancde image but a rather static one. Quite a number of railroad artist paint their enginea with the rods up, giving it a more dynamic look when the engine is painted as being in motion. Rods at 3 and 9 just don't look as pleasing.