Christmas Trains

I was reading about some different photo techniques for some Christmas pictures. I saw a couple articles about using a shallow depth of field to throw the background out of focus. Specifically a background of lights, even more specifically - Christmas lights.

So, I had a technique, but I needed something for the foreground. Something appropriate for the holiday season.  It didn't take me very long to get some ideas. There's not much more appropriate than model trains to create a nostalgic atmosphere.  My father worked for railroads all his life, so we grew up with real and model railroads. I've had model railroad engines and cars as long as I can remember.

I grabbed some of the pieces in my collection and headed for the living room, where the tree was available as a backdrop.

I started with a Western Maryland Railroad steam engine.  I like this picture so much that I've made it my desktop on my home computer.  A model steam engine with blurred Christmas lights - I am really happy with this foray into a new skill. Particularly since my father retired from the Western Maryland at the end of his career, this is a special photo for me.

I also got a picture with the coal tender.

From there I moved onto something a little more modern from the Baltimore and Ohio line. My father didn't work for the B&O, but is was part of the Chessie System that also included the Western Maryland.  This is a classic look from a lot of old movies.

And with a second diesel engine attached.

These are all HO gauge, but I do have 2 O gauge (the size of Lionel trains) that were gifts from my mother after my father retired. The two O gauge cars are from the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M&St.L) and the Great Northern. These were both railroads where my father had worked.

Well, I grabbed the Great Northern boxcar and tried the new technique on a larger (and brighter) subject.

I guess I need a larger tree for the backdrop - but it still is a neat picture to me.

Last summer, Gloria and I found a Lionel set of Chessie System equipment in an antique shop. I tried it out last summer (with Gloria's permission) but I couldn't get it to work.  So I didn't know if it would run, and I had promised not to get into it until Christmas, so I didn't know if it worked, and wouldn't know until Christmas.

I did some research online about what might be the problem and possible solutions.  Christmas came and I had to wait until the middle of the afternoon to be able to play with my train set.  At first it didn't work. I tried a couple possible fixes, but it still wasn't working.  I was running out of options, but still had a couple more things to try.  I was finally able to get it running and had to get pictures. But pictures wouldn't capture enough, I had to get a video of the train moving.

Be sure to watch this to the end (it's only 49 seconds) to see the blooper reel at the end. In the blooper you can even see the engine making smoke. (Don't worry, it's the smoke that the train is supposed to make - there must still be some residual of the smoke mix in the smokestack.) 

So the Christmas trains have had a very eventful holiday season.