Heading west to Prairie City. With morning servicing complete, W.H. Eccles Lumber Company Heisler #3 heads west out of McEwen with a short mixed train, bringing loggers to their camps in the nearby hills. Behind her, Sumpter Valley Railway Mikado #19 holds the siding at the tank, awaiting her orders to move. She's going all the way to Prairie City with a couple of carloads of freight as well as some loads of fresh logs.
The images in my latest series were all made at the Sumpter Valley Railroad's annual "Fall Photo Train" event, which is held each year, in the middle of October. In my very humble opinion, this event is a very worthwhile one that every steam enthusiast should attend at least once. It is a real hidden gem. The 2018 edition was my 4th time on the Fall Photo Train, and my 5th visit overall to this railroad. The line is more or less built on original right-of-way and is operated by a very motivated group of volunteers. They have two operable steam locomotives, both of which are indigenous to the line. In addition, they have a great selection of freight cars, as well as some nice infrastructure (yard, water tank, 2 depots). Although most of the ROW is dredged land, and doesn't look very appealing on Google Earth, it photographs very well. The scenery changes continuously along the 5-mile length of the re-created line, so you can move 100 yards and get a totally different shot. The fall event features 2 trains each day, both of which face east on one day, and then west the following day. The cost for the entire weekend is typically less than the cost of a single-day photo charter organized by an independent charter operator. The railroad is located about 25 miles west of Baker City, Oregon and is about a convenient, 2-hr drive from the airport in Boise, ID, where I usually arrive.
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.
