Nostalgia & History > Photo enhancement, 1910-style

Among the 6x8 glass plate negatives at the Western Railway Museum Archives are a set that appear to depict the Western Pacific "press special" that departed Oakland, CA eastbound on the evening of August 17, 1910.  The trainload of officials and newspapermen arrived at Salt Lake City, UT on the 19th, in time for the departure of the first official westbound WP passenger train to run all the way through from SLC to Oakland. 

Before the eastbound special left, it posed for photos at WP's new Oakland ferry pier, the water side of which was the subject of the photo in this old thread:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4088784

Most of the glass plates in the set are untouched other than for the dings and discolorations that come from 106 years of varied storage and occasional relocations, but the one below appears to have been "enhanced" for publication.  Someone who had clearly done this sort of thing before very carefully gouged the emulsion to put some texture in the smoke plume and highlight the features of the smokebox and headlight on 4-6-0 #73 that were obscured by escaping steam.  The results are...uh...well, hopefully it looked better rendered in murky ink on pulp paper than it does in electrons and liquid crystal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/16 00:49 by Evan_Werkema.

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Somebody else present that day had a panoramic camera that exposed film strips about 4 inches wide by 13 inches long.  Not sure exactly why the photographer thought this scene called for a panorama other than just for the gee-whiz fisheye gimmick.  Widening the view to include some flatcars of construction materials is probably not what WP had in mind for showcasing its new passenger service.

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Note the position of the Engineer, who is looking rearward, and the Valve Gear radius rod is 'down in the corner' in the link, so the train is about to back into the 'Mole' building.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

It is always interesting to see photos of that era (or older) that have been modified in some manner.  Retouching was quite a thing back then.  The most famous example I can think of is the William H. Jackson photo of the Mountain of the Holy Cross in Colorado, where versions of the photo printed before and after he straightened out the right side of the cross are available.  The "after" image went on to serve as the source for the famous Moran painting of that same mountain that hangs in the Gene Autry Museum today.

Kit Courter
Menefee, CA
LunarLight Photography



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/16 03:40 by CimaScrambler.

> Note the position of the Engineer, who is looking
> rearward, and the Valve Gear radius rod is 'down
> in the corner' in the link, so the train is about
> to back into the 'Mole' building.

The engine's in forward gear.

Whoa !!  It was too late last night when I was reading the Valve Gear Setting.
I stand corrected.
It is at the upper end of the link for the reverse setting on Walschaerets.

Anyway, I really prefer 'Baker' Gear (G)

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA