Saturday’s Danbury Railway Day was a great event, and had perfect weather… hopefully you were all able to make it! I know I saw a few people I knew there :D I spent the day taking far too many pictures (and possibly getting in the way of Eric’s photos), and hanging out at the members picnic that was held afterward (for which I made railroad cupcakes).
I’m a member of both the Danbury museum, and the Transit Museum in the city… and spending a day at the museum in Danbury you get to see how different these two places are. Unlike the Transit Museum, where employees are on the MTA’s payroll, everyone at the museum in Danbury is a volunteer. They don’t have nearly the funds of what the Transit Museum has, but they make up for it with their tenacity and sheer devotion. Some of those volunteers spend their every weekend, if not more, working there – restoring the old trains in the railyard, or even giving talks on Wednesday evenings.
I know I am so bad at processing photos (which is why I still have Japan and Canada photos I haven’t posted yet), and I am so anal about it. It takes me just about forever. But I worked hard Sunday to get all of these ready. Out of the hundreds of photos I took on Saturday, I narrowed it down to around 40 of the best… I did take some video as well, but that will have to be for another day! If you didn’t get the chance to make it to Danbury Railway Day, the museum is still open during normal hours, and is a great place to visit.
The Danbury railroad station — the lovely old one, now a museum, not the new one, a characterless commuter stop — was a featured location in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train”. Both the movie and the museum are worth a look.
Great pictures (as usual) though it was strange to see the phrase “processing photos” in this digital age (though of course I know what you mean). It’s hard to believe that, not too long ago, you had to worry about wasting film and had to wait for the pictures to come back from the drugstore.
I’ve added the Danbury museum to my “to do” list. Years ago there were plans to build “Steamtown” near here (where I live). I think it ended up near Scranton.
Lol, yeah, processing photos was what I hated about film photography… I kept thinking of some price in my head, each picture I take costs x amount, from the roll of film, and for paying for the developing. I never wanted to take too many shots, since it felt like wasting, and I was poor. Now with digital though, I go out and shoot a million versions of the same thing, from different angles and such. I get better pictures, I don’t feel like I’m really wasting anything, but it does take a lot longer to get through everything.
But yes, add the museum to your to do list! It is a great place.
Hi, great pictures! Do you use a fish eye lens? Sone of the wide pans are fantastic.
I’m a Hitchcock fan and film buff, plus my kids love Thomas, so we’re headed to DRM today. Looking forward.
Great blog!
Steve
Enjoy the DRM! I don’t use a fish-eye, the distorted effect is just from stitching multiple photographs together in photoshop.