Back in November 2023, I had one of my Nikon Df cameras (my older black one) modified for infrared shooting. The company who modified the camera also sold me two special filters – a chrome filter (for replicating the Kodak EIR / Aerochrome look) and a second filter that blocks light up to 720nm (for replicating the Kodak HIE / Efke 820 IR look).
I spent that weekend shooting various events … and then went in for several surgeries.
Six months later … I grabbed that modified Nikon Df camera, and went for a journey to the Adirondacks.
See, the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railroad – the tourist excursion that travels several miles from Corinth to Greenfield Center and Lamothe Landing and back – gets one day a year where, instead of heading south, it heads north – to Hadley. The trip is part of the SC&H’s participation in the “Maple in April” festival in Hadley, and a good time is always had by all.
In journeying to Hadley, the train must cross a long trestle bridge that spans the Sacandaga River. I’ve photographed trains that used this route in the past, back when the Saratoga and North Creek Railroad made weekend excursions there. But due to current track rights and other bureaucratic red tape, the SC&H can only do this Sacandaga River crossing during the Maple in April festival.
Well, I’m not missing that for anything.
I took pictures last year at the crossing, but the weather was miserable. Cloudy skies and just ugh conditions. This time, I get sunny skies and partial wispy clouds in the distance.
Okay. Nikon Df infrared modified camera, with the Kolari Infrared 720nm filter strapped to a Vivitar 19mm f/3.8 ultra-wide lens. Mounted on my Vanguard Tracker 4 tripod, with a Nikon cabled shutter release tethered to the camera.
This is how it looks BEFORE the train arrives.
Yes, when they modded my Nikon Df camera, Kolari Vision gifted me a new camera strap. It’s corporate branding, don’tcha know. And at least it helps me determine WHICH of my Nikon Df cameras are infrared-modded. Well, yeah, and my un-modified Nikon Df camera has a silver chassis and a Nikon strap, but hey.
As I set up my gear, I noticed at least one photographer / railfan / foamer trying to find a good location to get his images. That one photographer eventually became two, then three, then a dozen or more. All sorts of cameras in play – Canons, Sonys, a couple of drones in the air. Hey, we get one day to do this. Let’s make that day count.
And at approximately 9:00 a.m., the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railroad train slowly crossed the trestle. For railfan nerds, the SC&H used their Delaware and Hudson 3021 “Radio” locomotive to pull the trains to Hadley, and you can see it here in the photo.
Holy …
And I thought back to all the infrared film shots I’ve taken, off and on, in the past decade. Ship the film off to get developed. Hope it wasn’t spoiled by age or that I messed up the exposure. Get the film back a week or two later, and be satisfied with one shot and disappointed with the rest.
But with this infrared modified camera … I can get the shot right on the button and see the results immediately afterward – and with a little touching here and there in PhotoShop … I can get that cool Efke IR 820 look as you see above.
Now, as I said, the SC&H’s D&H 3021 “Radio” locomotive pulls the train to Hadley, while the SC&H’s primary engine, ALCO-5, will draw the train back to Corinth. Oh, and this trip actually features the restoration of the SC&H’s Palmer Falls dining car, which you can see between ALCO-5 and the gondola car.
I don’t know about you … but this photo, for me, is total droolsville. It’s going to be a toss-up between whether to enter the ALCO-5 photo or the 3021 “Radio” image in Competition Season 2024. It’s one or the other, for certain.
I then went to the Maple in April festival, where the crew of the SC&H posed for photos on their historic trip to Hadley.
Oh yeah, and I picked up some treats at the Maple in April festival – a couple of maple-flavored cheesecakes, a jar of pickles, some SC&H souvenirs (you can never have too many fridge magnets or ballpoint pens).
Then it was time to go home.
But on the way home … I still had an itch to test out my modified Nikon Df.
And I knew just the spot.
There’s a little clearing off Route 9N, and in that clearing are several abandoned and rusted-out cars and trucks. One of those rusted pieces of junk is an old beat-to-shit 1981 Chevrolet Camaro. Yeah, not thrilled seeing a classic Chevy treated like that, but hey.
So let’s see how this bad boy looks in infrared. I shot it twice – once with the Kolari Vision 720nm infrared filter, and once with the Infrared Chrome replication filter. You can use the slider to see the different images in comparison.
Now although I seem to have the black-and-white infrared locked in … the Aerochrome replication color still needs some work and adjustments. This will most likely require a trip somewhere and a bunch of test shots to get it right.
But I’m definitely okay with that.
As I should be.
Because in this Nikon’s new life as an infrared shooter …
It definitely hit the mark this morning at the Sacandaga River. For sure.
Chuck The Writer 
The first train shot is a prize winner.
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