Dragging coal. The coal drags on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad of the early 1950s are re-created for the cameras in February of 2023 as Class H-6 Mallet Locomotive #1309 charges across a small steel trestle, with a string of hoppers and gondolas in tow.
For just a few days, the recently-restored 1309, now in tourist service on Maryland's Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, was re-lettered in the livery of her original owner for a series of special charters, organized by Lerro Photography and attended by groups of about 40 photographers from all around the world. The 1949-vintage Baldwin 2-6-6-2 is pictured here crossing the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Bridge #2 at Mile Marker 180.4, just about a mile and a half from Frostburg, MD. This particular spot has been a favorite location for photographers for several decades, but in recent years, when steam has not been running on the line, the trees and brush had really grown up here. It was only through some very labor-intensive, cooperative efforts of volunteers from both the Trains Magazine and Lerro Photography teams, that the brush has been cleared, making this location once again useful for action shots such as this one.
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.
