T.G.'s Photography Blog

UP Big Boy X4006 - Kirkwood, MO While I have not managed to see Union Pacific Big Boy 4014, the newly restored and running Big Boy steam locomotive, I have managed to see and photograph two other Big Boy locomotives on static display. One of the two is Union Pacific Big Boy 4006, which is on display at the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Missouri. Kirkwood, is a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Front of UP Big Boy X4006 - Kirkwood, MO About Union Pacific Big Boy 4006 Union Pacific 4006 was built by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in September 1941. In total, Alco built twenty-five Big Boys for the Union Pacific Railroad, with the first ones being delivered in 1941. The locomotives have a wheel arrangement of 4-8-8-4, and are articulated type steam locomotives. This means that the two sets of eight driving wheels move separately from each other, allowing the steam locomotives to navigate tighter radius curves. Overall, the locomotives and thei...

Pulpit - Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal This side pulpit at the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal (Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal) caught my eye while I was touring the basilica. I found the stairway leading up to the pulpit to be very intriguing. The stairway seems such an ornate design, with its wood banisters and railings twisting up, around, and even under itself. In the below photograph, the view is looking past the side pulpit's stairs toward the main altar of the basilica. Pulpit stairs and alter - Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal About the images Tripods and flashes are not allowed to be used inside the basilica, and the church is extremely dimly lit. So, I had to set the ISO to 6400, and hand hold the camera, shooting at 1/60th of a second, at F/4, for both photographs. Post processing was done in Adobe Camera RAW and Adobe Photoshop, utilizing the Nik Collection's Silver Efex Pro and Dfine (to reduce the noise a bit). Photographs taken: July 1...

Rocky Mountain National Park While driving along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park , this line of trees caught my against the mountains behind them. I like how the cloud passing overhead and casting its shadow on the mountain between the trees and the far mountain allows the trees to stand out a bit more from the background.  This photograph was taken approximately six to seven miles (9.65 to 11.2 km) north of the Kawuneeche Visitor Center along Trail Ridge Road (US 34). The Kawuneeche Visitor Center is north of Grand Lake, Colorado. Photo taken: September 4, 2013, at Rocky Mountain National Park.

WAMX 2005 - Santa Fe Junction - KC, MO In the late afternoon light of a fall day, WAMX 2005 leads a quartet of light running engines south at Santa Fe Junction. The string of engines has come down from the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, and were making their way to the lower deck of KCT’s Highline Bridge. The Highline Bridge is just out of view at the bottom, left corner of the photograph. Behind WAMX 2005, are MWLX 2017, WAMX 3855, and WAMX 3852. The locomotives are about to cross the Kansas-Missouri state line from Kansas City, Missouri, to Kansas City, Kansas. The state line is about 300 feet to the west (left) of the locomotives. WAMX 2005 - Highline Bridge - KC, KS   Above, the engines are now crossing over the Kansas River on the KCT's Highline Bridge, using KCT Main 4. The engines are nearing Adams Street Interlocking, where they will swing to the southwest and head back home to Mill Street Yard. About the engines The WAMX engines are owned by Wat...

NS 9360, NS 8699, and NS 9108 - Santa Fe Junction Norfolk Southern (NS) 9360, NS 8699, and NS 9108 are seen here making a light engine movement through Santa Fe Junction, after having come off the lower level of the Kansas City Terminal's (KCT) Highline Bridge. The train is heading north through the junction on KCT Track 330, as it makes its way toward the West Bottoms area of Kansas City. The locomotives would make their way from Track 330 to either Track 79 or Track 80 for the run north to the West Bottoms. The foreground track, next to Track 330, is Track 79. Highline Bridge approaches In the background of the photograph is the eastern approach to the upper deck of the Highline Bridge at Santa Fe Junction. The Highline Bridge crosses over the Kansas River at Kansas City, Kansas. The upper deck of the bridge allows trains making their way between Kansas City Union Station and BNSF's Fort Scott Subdivision, to the east (left) of the photograph, and Union Paci...