To find the location of this photograph, I used Google Earth to match the terrain.  I had some idea where this might be, so it makes the search easier.

This is Milepost 240, 2 miles east of Horseshoe Curve.  L1 #22 is eastbound, drifting downhill to Altoona.  Smoke or dust from braking engulfs the string of box cars.  Note that the L1 has a passenger-style slat pilot.  L1's were sometimes used on passenger trains during and after WWII.

Late 1940s, Wayne Brumbaugh photograph.  Bob's Photos.

Black and White

I have nothing against color photography, but there is something about classic black and white photographs.  The essense of tone, composition, form, and texture seems to make for stronger graphic images in black and white than in color.  It may be a case of less is more.  Although most of my own photography is in color, I did spend time in high school and college dark rooms working in black and white.  I do have some envy when I see contemporary photographers working in large format black and white.

For the Pennsylvania Railroad, black and white photographs convey the massive forms of the locomotives, the textures of the landscape, and the qualities of light.  Railfan photographers of the 1940s and 1950s often shot in black and white not for artistic reasons, but for more practical ones.  For those wishing to get published, black and white was still the state of the art in magazines and books.  Color film and slides were available, but were more expensive and generally had slow speeds that made photography of moving trains impractical.  The early railfan photographers may not have used black and white for artistic reasons, but we can certainly enjoy the artistry of these photographs today.

For those with an appreciation of good black and white photography and an interest in the Pennsylvania Railroad, my book Philip R. Hastings - Portrait of the Pennsylvania Railroad is still available from the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society at:
http://www.prrths.com/Lewistown%20Archives/13%20LIST%20AVAILABLE%20BOOKS.pdf

As the Juniata River cuts its way through the Appalachian ridges, the Middle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad uses these ancient cuts on its way to reach west.  This a classic Pennsy portrait of an M1 locomotive crossing a distinctively PRR stone arch bridge.  The low trail of steam and smoke speaks to speed.  The flat car behind the locomotive appears to be a spacer car for a massive steel bridge beam.

This is from a small collection of PRR photographs by Wayne Brumbaugh, a train dispatcher for the New Haven Railroad.  I will post other photographs from this collection.  They are apparently all taken during the late 1940s (1946 to 1949).  There are no diesels in the photos and they provide a good look at the PRR in the years following World War II.  The effects of the war and heavy traffic are still evident on the locomotives and rolling stock.

Wayne Brumbaugh photograph, Bob's Photos.