A Photo Contest...

Yep, you guessed it. Another train post. The next one will have nothing to do with railroads, I swear...*

Anyway, the Hostlers Model Railroad Club hosts a train show annually at the Utah State Railroad Museum, and sponsors a photography contest as part of the attraction. This field being my cup of tea (if you haven't already figured that out), I entered two of what I consider my best works.

I found this first one, which I call "Of Man and Machine", rather intriguing. It depicts Union Pacific 844, the only steam locomotive in the United States to never be retired, when it visited the Utah State Railroad Museum last December. I liked it because, primarily, it is a juxtaposition of a hard steel machine, and the living creature that created it, man. There is also the unique monochromatic aspect of the shot, with the Union Pacific employee adding a splash of color as he inspects the engine before leaving for Cheyenne. It is also very horizontally linear, which adds a sort of restful feeling to it, as opposed to the next picture.

Now this one I titled "Gleaming Brass" for no reason other than I was required to name it when I entered it. I'd prefer to leave it nameless and to the imagination of the viewer. This angled shot of Union Pacific 119, at the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summit, just screams of motion, which is what steam locomotives are designed to do - move. And that's kind of funny, as it was sitting still at the time. The brass, I found out, is laquered annually to prevent tarnish but it also adds a nice glossy finish that reflects the blue sky and brown mountains of the Promontory Range. It also reflected my image, but I didn't realize that until after printing.

Another interesting comparison, UP 119 and UP 833 represent almost 100 years of locomotive development. The 119 was one of the first locomotive purchased by the UP in the 1860s, and the 844 was the last steam locomotive built for that railroad in the 1940s.

Enjoy,

Josh

*Wait, I don't swear, it not being appropriate for this setting. But I promise. Really, I do.