Steamscape: Mt. Clay, Mt. Jefferson and the Great Gulf. The exhaust plume darkens as Fireman Mark "Cookie" Sodergren continues to shovel soft coal into the torch-like firebox of Mt. Washington Railway Company Locomotive #2, "Ammonoosuc", just about a third of a mile from the summit station. The D-Section of the 4PM passenger train continues to transit the Homestretch section of the line, with some breathtaking scenery as a backdrop. The two mountains behind the train are part of the Presidential Range in New Hampshire's White Mountains, although that name is a bit of a misnomer, as several of the peaks were named for people who were never US Presidents. The closest peak is Mt. Clay, named for Henry Clay. Beyond it is Mt. Jefferson, named for President Thomas Jefferson. The massive abyss on the very right side of the image is called the Great Gulf, and is indeed a spectacular canyon, albeit in deep shadow here. On this particular evening, Mother Nature provided a little bonus to this scene by providing an undercast....a layer of puffy clouds below the mountain peaks, which are being illuminated by the setting sun to the west. The wooden trestle supporting the tracks adds even more contrast to this scene as the bare wood glows in the low-angle sunlight. As I watch this scene through my camera lens, I can't imagine another place that I'd rather be right this moment.
Of note to long-time Cog Railway fans, the long pieces of wood that you see trackside are actually discarded timbers which used to support the 25 lb. rail that had been used on this line for more than a century, bringing the railhead even with the center cog rail. Recently, the railroad replaced all of that steel with 100 lb. rail, which is tall enough to be level with the cog rail and no longer needs the support timbers. Unlike in days of old, when virtually all wood replaced on this line was simply left trackside, the railroad today is very meticulous about cleaning up after construction, so all of that stuff has since been removed.
Landscape photography is difficult due to the challenge of combining good light and good scenery. Good railroad photography enters another level of complexity since it requires the first two while there is a train in view.
