I remember when posterization was a three day process in a wet darkroom. Along comes digital and you just grab several spots on a histogram and pull them max and min and you have a posterization. What's the world coming to.       j

                                          'Alco RS-3 in Electric'

Thanks Tom for contributing'...

                                   Yes, it's a little ERIE'  

In the seventies and eighties this stuff was hot and you could not yet do it on a computer. Art directors would pay my day rate for me to go into the darkroom for the two or three days it took to make a complex posterization. They could be as many steps as you were willing to suffer through and the more steps the finer and lacier the effect.   Today I had this roughed out in about two minutes and tinkered with it for about thirty minutes.  The OGR forum site compressed it quite a bit so it looks flatter here than in my computer.  The original shot was made in Birmingham AL. in 1976.  One night about 10pm I heard a steam whistle off in the distance towards down town B'ham so I gathered up the wife and camera drove towards the sound.    Nikon Scan4 software though any software with a histogram will work.      j

Having grown up using, viewing and processing B&W photography I find myself returning to that format. It is so easy to do with the click of a mouse :

Dad took the pic of the Santa Fe station at Grand Canyon, Az and I probably processed that enlargement. Nothing will ever replace the magic of watching an image form on a sheet of photo-paper soaking in the tray of Developer.

Lew

How true Gey, And there is still nothing as good as Kodachrome 64 ASA... Thank you for your contribution'..

Nice work JohnActon'...Thanks for contributing'.. 

Oh yes! Kodachrome 64 ASA forever! I have my Dad's 35mm [mostly] Kodachrome slide collection. When he started it was ASA 10. You needed a bright day because unless you were wealthy your camera lens was small and thus not too great at gathering light. I know there are Kodachrome slides in there of Espee Daylights. One of these days I'll start going through them.

Lew

  The 765 in a different light...

TOM: LOVE those Andy Warholesque switchers! BRILLIANT!

geysergazer posted:

Oh yes! Kodachrome 64 ASA forever! I have my Dad's 35mm [mostly] Kodachrome slide collection. When he started it was ASA 10. You needed a bright day because unless you were wealthy your camera lens was small and thus not too great at gathering light. I know there are Kodachrome slides in there of Espee Daylights. One of these days I'll start going through them.

Lew

Hey Lew, do you remember the Kodak 620 camera with the fold out bellows?  I used to deliver news papers, age 12.  One my customers on my route gave me one as a tip.  It used a 8 picture gigantic roll of film.. a very low ASA.  But boy, it was a heck of a solid camera...  Wish I still had it'...

I shot more movies than stills though I had a nice darkroom with a 4x5 enlarger. Also a Speed Graphic 4x5 camera. This was my movie camera. Bolex converted to double super 8. I had a Bolex anamorphic lens for shooting wide screen with matte box. Loved that camera. Wish I shot some trains with it. Don

scale rail posted:

I shot more movies than stills though I had a nice darkroom with a 4x5 enlarger. Also a Speed Graphic 4x5 camera. This was my movie camera. Bolex converted to double super 8. I had a Bolex anamorphic lens for shooting wide screen with matte box. Loved that camera. Wish I shot some trains with it. Don

Luckily you had a great “Sound Man.”

                                               ELECTRO LINERS'

This is a very young guy by the name of Don with an early Betacam camera. That's Mother Teresa giving me a small cross. Don

When posting, can everyone mention the software they used to create their images?  That would help the wanna-be's (like me) to make it a little easier to recreate some of these great images.

Dale

Most of the photos can easily be done with PhotoShop. You can rent Photoshop now by the month. It's cheap. Don

Hi  Pennsylover, I am not using Photoshop. I am only using what came installed on my Laptop.  If you look at the top icons when you want to send an email, you'll see an Icon, Insert. Next to it  should say picture.  Click on that icon.  

Now your photo file will open.  Pick out a photo.  Click and will go into you blank email page.  Now look at the top and there should be icons to edit the photo you just placed in the email.  Click on those icons and menus will open, to change the photo's color, size, background, and all kinds of things....   Give it a try... Your computer may have different settings or names for the icons..  But they all do the same things...

                     PSYCHEDELIC 70's PEOPLE'... 

1/4 gauge, this should keep you up at night. Don

That's cool Don'... a rolling fish eye'''...

Here’s a few photos of our layout altered to look like a watercolor painting.

Gred, my first one. Very cool thread!

The Challenger, using the Zeke filter that came with my PC.

Wow, Gadyer', the water color effect is just beautiful.  Excellent illustrations'... I love it.  You have a terrific layout'... 

Ed, Jay Jay, and Brian',  nice additions  to the thread'... THANKS very much for contributing'...    

Quarter, one more.....

Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

geysergazer posted:

Oh yes! Kodachrome 64 ASA forever! I have my Dad's 35mm [mostly] Kodachrome slide collection. When he started it was ASA 10. You needed a bright day because unless you were wealthy your camera lens was small and thus not too great at gathering light. I know there are Kodachrome slides in there of Espee Daylights. One of these days I'll start going through them.

Lew

Hey Lew, do you remember the Kodak 620 camera with the fold out bellows?  I used to deliver news papers, age 12.  One my customers on my route gave me one as a tip.  It used a 8 picture gigantic roll of film.. a very low ASA.  But boy, it was a heck of a solid camera...  Wish I still had it'...

   

That was Dad's usual camera for many years (30s, before Kodachrome)! Then he bought a folding 35mm camera that had these weird film canisters. That was the camera he used for years of 35mm Kodachrome slide shooting. It became my first camera. I had to hand load film in reused cartridges because Kodak had long since dropped support for that product. That was OK because Dad was buying 35mm B&W film in bulk. You learned manual dexterity measuring, cutting and loading film in the dark. The old Kodak 620 camera became the core of his homemade enlarger. In later years he bought (used) a Beseler enlarger. 

Lew

lew, it sure was a different world.  Just about everything required some manual dexterity.  I think this is the reason us "Baby Boomers" appreciate things and have sentimental values.  Something I don't see much of in today's times from the younger elements....

When I turned 13, my Dad saw I was using the old Kodak , but not getting great results. So for my birthday he bought me an Agfa Gevaert 35 MM rangefinder  camera from Germany.  I loved that camera even though it was a low end, it was cool and took decent pictures.  I've loved photography ever since'... and now days have a different camera for every occasion'...

scale rail posted:

Quarter, one more.....

Hey Don, I haven't partaken, but from what I've heard, this looks like a train ride on LSD'...(LOL).....

                                       Oil paint illustration 

Here are two different effects I used from Photoshop.

1)   I added a simple spray to the UP weed sprayer.

2)   This effect is called color fade vertical and it looks to me like the train is coming out of the past into the present.

TJ

          " ALL ABOARD "...  the  "margetta ville  express"...

                                                         sounds like a fun train excursion  "QG  48"...

 Okay Brian, All aboard the squiggly express to margetta ville'.. Very cool' thanks for posting' your contributions'...

          think I was seeing things this morning after that train ride last night...

No smoke and only mirrors.  I use mirrors to allow added depth to parts of my layout. 

I enjoy taking photos at ground level allowing the photo to be viewed just as if one were standing there in person. 

          great shots Patrick

briansilvermustang posted:

 

 

          think I was seeing things this morning after that train ride last night...

 

 

 Wow Brian,  that is a very cool picture'.. Is that a photo shop configuration'?

Nice to see the thread getting some TRACTIVE  EFFORT'.. Thanks Brian and  Trumptrain for your terrific  photos'..

                                                      A little art work'.. 

Please click the arrow'..

Brian, I see what you did there. 

Wabash Cannonball on the Rock Island Line!

Nice Brian'.. thanks for keeping the thread going'....

 No smoke and mirrors just some lighting and composition 

Al

 Nice shots Albert'... Thanks for posting'..

As Albertstrains said - just lighting and composition - Roanoke, Virgina - night signals, night moves.

I realize that we’re supposed to have shots of our trains but my roundhouse is not quite ready lol

Al

Photographed basic diorama on my kitchen counter.
Software: Corel Photo-Paint/Draw (ver. 8 IIRC – it’s been about 20 years).
“Painted” sky/stars/moon, steam, snow, misc.
Used for our Christmas card.

The themes are turning to NIGHT MOVES'.  Okay, Night moves under a blue moon'..                                                                                                                          

                                       Change Up in Motive Power'..

                               Okay, let's try this again'

This isn't a night shot, but just a little Photoshop magic...

This image was shot on Gayle Rotsching's layout for OGR Run 229.

VERY cleverly done, Rich. I would not have been able to tell that was photoshopped!

Thanks, Nick.

If you can tell that an image was manipulated in Photoshop, then it wasn't done very well.

Nice work Rich'!  Thanks for posting'.. Are the two flags photoshopped as well?  That's a nice touch on a locomotive'...

The flags were already on the locomotive. Look at the original image and you’ll see them.

 Nice shots Brian'... and Roo.  Thanks for posting'

 Beautiful work Rich'.  Mike, those pics are great'... Thank you both for your contributions'...

I hope we can keep the thread going'...  We need more contributions'''..

Isn't this why we put lights on our layouts?

My first layout...mountain in the back...I sometimes think this is still my best effort to date.

RSJB18, & Ed, BEAUTIFUL photographs Gents'''... This is what we want to see'.  THIS IS why we install lights in our buildings and on our layouts'...

  THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO POST YOUR GREAT PHOTOS'....

A scene from my current layout...the working corner

Passenger train lighting up the snow.

 Wow, Brian, Ed, Kevin, Dave, BarGP7, and PRRMP4'.. Now we are really high balling'..those are all beautiful shots of your terrific work and beautiful models'... Thank you so very much'.. for posting'... This is becoming a wonderful thread' with all your contributions'...

I'll just throw one more in for good measure.. Floodlights in the Yard.

They certainly  are bright flood lights'.  That yard is well lighted, and safe for the employees'... and too bright for any would be thieves''''.....

Beautiful work!

These are repeats, but fit the topic on lighting... 

East of Strasburg Saturday night, blasting by in the darkness.

Bob

All beautiful shots Gents'..... Keep em coming'....

Here are a couple more from the. roundhouse

Al

 Thank you! Lee, Zeke, and Albert',  these are all excellent photos'.. The thread is getting some nice tr-active effort'..

ToledoEd posted:

A scene from my current layout...the working corner

I should have noted that the lighting you see in the background in my Backshop is fluorescent lighting.  I really like the "industrial look" those lights provide.  On my list of things to do, is to install them in my Harley-Davidson Dealer building.  Lighting is just another of those fun things this hobby allows you to experiment with and enhance the visual value....  You can find them at: (Miller Engineering)

https://www.microstru.com/Flourescents.html

Lighting structures, apparatus and rolling stock certainly creates drama. These pics are repeats but they group together here nicely.

I tested this Lionel Gantry Crane with one light and I think I'll add another behind the right front leg.

A bit of serendipity in this pic. I didn't realize I had caught lights reflected by the windows until someone here pointed it out.

Okay, it's not 3-rail but here are some of my favorites:

I added another light under the Gantry Crane: 

😁 Ed, Lee, Brian, and Lew',  All beautiful entries'... Thanks for posting and keeping the thread going'...🤓 

Hello members'  fall is here and time to for some action on this thread'.. two years next month since the last post.  Let's see what new cameras, and software programs have come along... And your night shots.. Locos, buildings, layouts, and passenger trains and stations... And of course, Imagineering train photography'.... 📸

Thanks Ted, and here's another....This is one of the coolest trains on the planet!....

Messing around with a simple oval in the living room.

The Yard'

Here's a smoky night shot of my K-Line EP5 on my (since gone) layout.

Sam is working late in the Bristow yard’s welding shop.

In

Night in my city -

-

Hi Ted,  Night in  my city.

It's always night time in a subway tunnel.

Wow'.. Some excellent night shots going on here.  Thank you for posting, Ed; West Side Joe; Lee; Strap hanger; Alex; Logan, and Joel, Your city looks like a real one.  Now if we could get Alan Arnold, to post his fantastic City, we'll really be making progress on this thread'... Nice posting everyone'...

Just a reminder,  this is important, Lets stay within the Forum Terms of service and keep commentary conducive to the thread.... and the posted photos.. Please, no personal history experiences..😏  in relation to the photo... THANK YOU'  in advance  for your cooperation'..👌

Night Owls'

Late night on the platform.

Here's a couple of night shots of SP Daylight in the station.

Southbound Daylight 4415 preparing to leave the station. Northbound passengers waiting for the Northbound Daylight.

Conductor announcing, "All aboard", the southbound Daylight is leaving in 5 minutes"! Baggage guy is wishing those bags were lighter!

Baggage guy checking out his hair in somebodies mirror while organizing the luggage.

The yard at night.   Photo taken in natural light. Transition era ... old about to pass the new.  

Power plant operation 24/7

Thanks for your contributions, Patrick; Franktrain; Western Pacific 2217; BNSF Mat'. These are excellent photos'... Nice Shooting'..👍

A full moon provides the illumination as MOW workers Luke Karns and C.W. Moss review their time on the clock.  In just a few minutes the pair will both jump into Luke's new 1950 Mercury and head home.  

              The new radio station celebrates their first broadcast'

Neato

Love the look of the smoke mixing with the light at night:

Neat pictures in this thread.

Closing time and waiting for the trolley.

Lionel 3 Rail Scale Pennsylvania Railroad train yard, inspired by O. Winston Link.

Evening rush at Patsburg Commuter Station.

Excellent photographs and videos capturing the dramatic essence of the night'.. time model photography'..👌 Thanks to Arnold; Joe; Erik C; Paul K;  Patrick, and Zach.

                                                 Late evening stroll'

Outstanding lighting, everyone! Very realistic shots!
Artie

@@T1Titan_ZachF posted:

Lionel 3 Rail Scale Pennsylvania Railroad train yard, inspired by O. Winston Link.

Zach,

Nicely done. If you like The Pennsy, you might want to consider joining the PRR Technical & Historical Society.

Tom

@PRR8976 posted:

Zach,

Nicely done. If you like The Pennsy, you might want to consider joining the PRR Technical & Historical Society.

Tom

Thanks, Tom for the compliment and recommendation to join the PRRT&HS. I will look further into the Philadelphia Chapter!

AT&SF waycar with porch lights on:

On a cold winter night we have three sections of the Oblivion Limited waiting to make the midnight run from Ophir.

Nice work everyone'  Thanks for posting.  Let's keep going... Up to four pages..👍😁 Randy, great layout shots.. Bob, very dramatic... I Love the smoke and stacks'...

Night cap anyone'...'🍸

Quarter Gauger (Ted), how about some “imagineering” video just before the break of dawn?

@Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

Night cap anyone'...'🍸

Love this scene.

Strap Hanger, All I can say is'

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW👍😁

Arnold, here is another pic for you..  Typical realistic NY City scene..'.😏 Some where on 7th Avenue...

The seedy side of town....