Does anyone know where there are any Civil War era trains on display outside? In addition to postwar Lionel, I am a working Civil War wet-plate photographer and I would like to be able to photograph an original train on display.
What is your favorite Train museum?
Thanks
Terry Thomann Fredericksburg, Virginia That is me on the left. My brother got the train TCA 09-64381
I don't know whether you'll find one outdoors; but the Southern Museum at Kennesaw (formerly Big Shanty), GA, has the General on display indoors: http://www.southernmuseum.org/great_locomotive_chase.htm
Bob Nelson
I would guess that locomotives that old are keep indoors, undercover. Some are rolled out and even "fired up" for special shows, watch for ads.
You have two of the greatest Railroad Museums within driving distance. The State of Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg PA has post Civil War equipment. The B&O Museum in Baltimore, originall built by the B&O Railroad has much Civil War and Pre-Civil War equipment on display. It was the B&O Museum that furnished the working 1850s locomotives for the Walt Disney movie "The Great Locomotive Chase".
The B&O Museum is on the tour list for the TCA Convention in Baltimore this summer.
Don U. TCA 73-5735
a couple years ago a friend of mine was planning a trip to Georgia. He's a big Civil War Buff. I asked him if he was stopping by to see The General. He didn't relize it was going to be near him. He was like a kid on Christmas morning when he came back and told me about it. I got to touch The General!
Dave
It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody from Toy Story)
May have hit paydirt. I contacted the B&O museum. They have 3 Civil War Locos. The only problem may be that they are in the roundhouse. Exposure times could be up to 10 minutes. It will take some experimenting to get it right. If it works, I'll post a couple of images.
Since you already have their contact information, you could try to arrange a "special" viewing and go about an hour before official opening to set up your gear and snap the shot. It may be hard to do with crowds....Good luck.
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
You do know that the TEXAS is also on public display here in Atlanta, don't you? It is on display indoors at the Cyclorama, an attraction located next to the Atlanta Zoo. The Cyclorama is a must see for ivil War buffs. Odd-d
lionelsoniI don't know whether you'll find one outdoors; but the Southern Museum at Kennesaw (formerly Big Shanty), GA, has the General on display indoors: http://www.southernmuseum.org/great_locomotive_chase.htm
So that's where the General ended up. My family and I went to the Chattanooga Union station in August '61 to see it, but we were told it had been moved, with no further details.
Curious, I looked for more background just now, and found some here:
http://ngeorgia.com/ang/The_General
An exposure time of 10 minutes? What kind of camera/digital/film are you using? The roundhouse is well lighted and 10 years ago when the lighting was less than it is now I had no problem taking pictures of any of the engines and cars - I was using ASA 200 film and the f-stops were in the 4.5 range. With today's digital it should be a very easy matter to find settings that allow you to do nothing more than the basic point and shoot.
To the other post about asking permission. I'd do this and I'd also recommend doing something else - go out and get a piece of white styrene plastic. Cut it to 1 inch wide and 12 inches long and add a couple of pieces of masking tape. Get permission to touch the engines and cars and position the plastic in a logical position in each shot (in many cases you may just be able to position the plastic - no need for the tape). The end result will be a built in calibration in every picture - it will definitely help when you go back to those pictures for later reference.
mersenne6 An exposure time of 10 minutes? What kind of camera/digital/film are you using? The roundhouse is well lighted and 10 years ago when the lighting was less than it is now I had no problem taking pictures of any of the engines and cars - I was using ASA 200 film and the f-stops were in the 4.5 range. With today's digital it should be a very easy matter to find settings that allow you to do nothing more than the basic point and shoot. To the other post about asking permission. I'd do this and I'd also recommend doing something else - go out and get a piece of white styrene plastic. Cut it to 1 inch wide and 12 inches long and add a couple of pieces of masking tape. Get permission to touch the engines and cars and position the plastic in a logical position in each shot (in many cases you may just be able to position the plastic - no need for the tape). The end result will be a built in calibration in every picture - it will definitely help when you go back to those pictures for later reference.
Read "Civil War's" first post. He is using Civil War period equipment with Glass Wet Plate negitves.
I would think the Museum would want to take a photo of him photographing the locomotives with the correct era camera equipment.
Sorry, slow on the uptake. I caught the bit about interest in Civil War wet plate but I didn't make the connection between that and specifically photographing a museum train with the gear.
This raises a whole new set of questions - what I know of wet plate technology is that you had to have your wet lab set up for both pre and post exposure work. If that is still true then the bigger issue may be one of getting permission to set up everything given that you are essentially asking to set up a chemical production facility on the premisis (yes, I know photographic chemistry isn't that big a deal but this day in age you never know what is going to make someone nervous) - that coupled with the time exposure would almost demand some kind of crowd control. I don't know what the current administration is like at the B&O museum but, as was noted in an earlier post, the better bet would be that of getting permission to do the photography before opening or after closing.
It is really not all that difficult. I have a field dark room. It is about the size of a large suitcase where I prepare the plate and develop the image. I do events in the field all the time. We are discussing this with the museum and plan to make an event out of it. I will be giving a lecture on Civil War photography and taking several images on glass plates including stereo. Most of the field images taken during the Civil War were stereos. I'm sure they can control the crowds during the exposure time. Civil War film was very slow. In my studio, using modern lighting, I can make an image in about 14 seconds. Outside in sunlight it dropps to about 3 seconds. I just don't know what the lighting will be in the roundhouse, so am estimating 10 minutes. It might be as short as 40 seconds. I just wont know untill I try a test shot. I hope to be doing that later this month. My recollection of the roundhouse is that the light is pretty good.The actual event will be scheduled in April or May. So far they seem very interested and helpful. I would really like to be able to do it outside, but moving these engines out of the roundhouse will probably be impossible. It should be a fun and educational event. I'll post details on it as they develop.
Both the original General and Texas can be visited in a single day. The Atlanta History Center has the Texas and the General is located at Big Shanty GA.
Here is an image I took of a friend's Model T using wet-plate photography
Nice image and unmistakenly a beautiful "period" shot. Bet the museum will want some of your shots.
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
Civil War Here is an image I took of a friend's Model T using wet-plate photography.
That is a beautiful truck and a beautiful photo of it. I collect and use vintage 35mm cameras (the newest one is from 1952) myself, so I can appreciate at least some of your desire to work with period technology. I'd like to see more of your work.
I am getting way off the topic of toy trains, and I hope I don't get the boot for doing so but you asked for another of my images. This one I took last fall at a county fair. It is of a Civil War era baseball team. It was a difficult shot due to the bright sunlight. I need to put up a gallery of some of my images on my web page. Too many things to do but will get to it one day soon.
Civil War I need to put up a gallery of some of my images on my web page.
Now this is what I am talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLE9u4kvGoE&NR=1
I wonder what happened to the train from the 1960s show "The Wild Wild West" starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin. OOOOPPPPSSSS! Here we go: http://www.ask.com/wiki/The_Wild_Wild_West#The_train
Jack
Here is the Inyo in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeEgN_jLq0U&feature=related
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