landscape West coast

[elsa hoffmann]

It's not often I do landscapes - and this time of the year - there isn't much left on the West Coast now that the Flower season is over - but if there is a will - there is a way.

The train is tricky - it's 4km long so only in my dreams can one shoot the whole thing. It carries iron ore and is called the Sishen-Saldanaha line. It is known as the longest working train in the world (not the longest) So this is just a middle piece shot from a bridge (just posted for interest's sake

[HCS]

While the first 2 are really nice, i like the third one best of the bunch.

It sure shows the length of the train without showing the entire train. It also gives a very good feeling of repetition in the repeating train cars.

It reminds me somehow of a line in the Dire Straits song 'Telegraph road': "Then came the mines, then came the ore".

[Akira]

The first one is simply amazing.  But a 4km-long train?  That's simply unbelievable!  At first, I didn't understand what you were talking about!  Thanks for sharing the images and story!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Andrea and I observed trains more than 5 km long crossing the SW US deserts. Using interlinked locomotives, up to 6 in front and 4 in the rear. The rumbling noise they made was spectacular.

[elsa hoffmann]

thank you all for commenting.
The Sishen-Saldana line is (I understand) privately owned and was built for carrying iron ore from Sishen and surrounding areas. Incidentally, my family farm was the main farm where the mine was built a decade or 2 ago. Anglo American held the prospecting rights on the farm since something like 1911. Eventually they purchased the farm and bought the mineral rights and the mine was built, along with the railway line and the rest is history. The area produces a very high grade or iron ore, but the bottom fell a bit out of the bucket since China had a hick up importing the huge amount of the iron ore. I don't recall all the details. Obviously I feel a bit "attached" to the whole thing so for me it is interesting.

it is understandably difficult to show the length of the train - I have no clue what the best way would be to capture it properly. It has 8 locomotives. I also like the sound of the train

[Akira]

it is understandably difficult to show the length of the train - I have no clue what the best way would be to capture it properly. It has 8 locomotives. I also like the sound of the train

Thanks for the details, Elsa.  Maybe it's time to investigate the drone?

[elsa hoffmann]

Akira  - that ain't happening. I assume the flying rules and restrictions over the globe is also fairly tight - or getting tight, as here in SA.
Thats thing is a costly thing. But I have to admit I have seen some really good stuff.

[Erik Lund]

Very nice images! the first ones have a dreamy rendering.

Re train: I would if at all possible find the tightest curve and shoot it with a wide angle up close to the wagons from inside of the bend

[elsa hoffmann]

Thanks Erik for commenting. Thats a good suggestion - thank you!

[elsid]

Nice pictures Elsa. I agree with Erik about the first 2.

[elsa hoffmann]

Thank you Elsid. I wonder what a fisheye would do in a bend

[Erik Lund]

Yes! Even better really up close,,, here I was too far away but yes here Forth Bridge 2,467 meters of train/bridge, You probably need to go to Flicker and look at the original size image to see the train

_EGL3221 by Erik Gunst Lund, on Flickr

[elsa hoffmann]

oh ye that looks cool!! Isn't your horizon  a tad skew hahaha

[armando_m]

Nice images Elsa, fantastic colors on 1 & 2

And regarding the train we do not need to tell you that  a wider lens would give a sense of a longer train , my guess is that you shot at the widest setting available at the moment

[elsa hoffmann]

Thanks Armando

I unfortunately (?) had the 200-500 on the body and just did a quick stop on a bridge where I photographed from. from this vantage point I couldnt see more of the train anyway - but next time I will try and plan for a better point to shoot from. Hard if the thing is so long and gets so drawn out (unless like Erik says you shoot in a bend)