A rainy day above the Arctic Circle

[Vliegende Hollander]

Do you really need sunshine and clear blue skies on order to take railway photos?

I took these three photos in Björnfjell (Norway) early in July 2012 while it was raining cats and dogs. Björnfjell is located along the Ofotbanen/Malmbannan, which has been built for transporting iron ore from the large deposits near Kiruna (Sweden) to the ice-free harbour of Narvik (Norway).

At the first photo it almost appears if the diesel motor Class Y1 “Loke” is seeking shelter for the rain in the snow shed at the eastern end of the Björnfjell station.

At the second it is tiptoeing out of the the shelter back out into the rain.

And at the third is out in the open again.

These Y1 diesel motor cars where intended for branch line service in Sweden, some still are in use for that purpose in Sweden, some others wandered to railway companies in the former Yugoslavia, while others, like this one, went to track maintenance companies which use these get staff to remote locations without road access.

Enjoy,

Gijs

 

[Pat]

Do you really need sunshine and clear blue skies on order to take railway photos? Gijs

Only if you want to post on Railpictures. But rain is part of railroading too.

 

[Vliegende Hollander]

As to Railpictures: I do not have that ambition. But is seems for some it is a kind of holy grail to have photos accepted by Railpictures.

Any how, in my opinion good photos can be taken under all weather conditions, provided you know the effects and can incorporate these in your photos.

The first two posted photos I used a long exposure to have the rain visible and the telelens adds to the effect. Yep I am not from the 50mm club either!

Gijs