Steam & Excursion > A Noted Steam Railroad Photographer Takes A Self Portrait!

This still has to be one of my all-time favorite steam photographs.  What makes it special is not just the unique Shay locootive that was captured during a Sunday rest at Camp, but that this view was taken by noted Southern Pacific locomotive engineer H.L. Arey as a self-portrait on his day off as well.

During the teens through the early 30's of the last century, Arey was assigned to the SP's Tillamook Branch.  He primarily worked helper engines during these years.  This asignment gave him the abiity to bring his camera to work and as he waited in sidings for his next train that need a helper to arrive, he would often capture the othe trains on glass plates or on film.  On his days off, he would wander up into the logging camps that connected with the SP to photograph the Shays, Climaxes and Heilsers of these small loggers.

On this particular Sunday in 1924, Arey is in the Sunset Logging Co. Camp out of Timber, Oregon and he has found Sunset's Shay #8 to pose with.  Arey  took the time to set up his glass-plate camera and wit until the light was just right before setting the self-timer to make this classic image.  This photo captures #8 before she was converted to burn oil for fuel.  Her elaborate spark arrestor shows the effort that Sunset Logging has gone to inorder to try and capture the wood cinders while she still burned wood for fuel.

Alas, both Arey and this Shay are with us no more.  However we still have this glass plate to remind us when the both stood proudly for this portrait of steam railroading back nearly 100 years ago.

Martin



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/19 03:27 by LoggerHogger.

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Wonderful image by Mr. Arey.  He must have had quite the camera set up for those days.  Interesting spark arrester on the Shay.

Thanks for sharing another backwoods railroading gem.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/19 04:04 by cozephyr.

Love them-Shay’s “horns’....

Why “glass plate negatives”....wren they ‘wet’ , like in the 1860’s?
Shirkey, they had Speed Graphics, and film by this time, eh?

​W.

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> Love them-Shay’s “horns’....
>
> Why “glass plate negatives”....wren they
> ‘wet’ , like in the 1860’s?
> Shirkey, they had Speed Graphics, and film by this
> time, eh?


Arey continued to shoot both Glass plate negatives and film negatives into the 1920's.  Like many photographers back in the day, he had multiple cameras and used the one he thought best for each situation he found himself shooting in.  Just like in olater years when color slides became more common, some photographers would still shoot B&W along with some color.

Martin

Did he make his own glass plate negatives, Brady-style, or could you buy them, prepared?
I guess the glass plates made a more perfect substrate for the emulsion, than celluloid?  
For better enlargements...I suppose.

​W.

Glass plates are like any other film in one regard.  The skill of the photographer is key in how well the final product turns out.  I have seen some glass plate negatives that are ezquisit and others that don't hold a candle to film negatives from the same time period.

Martin

Martin and all.....I for one always shoot b&w film along with color slides and 16mm movies.  But, I confess, that I have given up on 4x5 and 5x7 Speed Graphic cameras, for 120 roll film with a Pentax.

The quality and presentation of the picture is great to say the least would make a great wall hanging in a train room.