Raskolnikov meets the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railroad

I haven’t used my super-ultra-wide Soviet Krasnogorsk FT-2 (“Raskolnikov”) camera in a long, long while. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t found a suitable subject to photograph with it … or maybe I’m developing photographer’s block with the camera.

When I can get the camera to work to my advantage, I can get some incredible shots with it. A roll of 36-exposure, 35mm film will garner me about nine super-long images, which I can turn into something sweet should I so desire.

Last week provided me with one of those opportunities.

During the year, the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railroad does its awesome nine-mile run from Corinth to Greenfield Center and back. But once a year, the SC&H travels NORTH as part of the “Maple in April” festival in Hadley. This means that the train crosses the Sacandaga River, adjacent to the Hadley Bow Bridge.

Now I’ve photographed trains that have crossed the Hadley Bow Bridge in the past – including some great shots of the SC&H during last year’s “Maple in April” festival. And a shot I took of the SC&H’s predecessor, the Saratoga & North Creek Railroad, received some love a few years ago during Competition Season.

And last week, I snagged a super-sweet infrared shot of the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railroad crossing the Sacandaga River. A shot that definitely has “Competition Season” vibes to it.

But I’ve never used Raskolnikov in this situation.

I’ll need to set up the tripod in the corner of the Hadley Parabolic “Bow” Bridge – as close to the edge of the bridge as possible without personally recreating An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, if you know what I mean.

The railroad bridge is only long enough to show three or four pieces of rolling stock before the train reaches the other side. And since it takes SOME MAJOR EFFORT to advance the film in Raskolnikov … I may get three shots of the train, four if I’m fortunate.

So let’s see what I can pull from this camera. I’ve packed a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 film in the chassis.

At about 10:45 a.m., the SC&H crossed from Hadley back to Corinth.

And I was in position. Okay, so were a dozen other photographers / railfans / foamers. Look, it’s a once-in-a-year opportunity to capture this image, I’m not going to waste it.

And here we go. ALCO-5 is pulling across the river, so let’s get it first.

Not bad. But I have to tell you … there was a nasty light leak in this photo, and although I used PhotoShop’s “burn” feature to equalize the light leak as much as I could … I can still see it. Even if you can’t see it, I can see it clear as day. Ugh.

Maybe I can get a better shot of the rest of the train. ALCO-5 may be “pulling” the train to Corinth, but 3021 “Radio” is on the other end of the train. Let’s see if I snagged a good shot here.

Yeah … it’s okay … I guess … I’m not thrilled with the parallax bend of the train bridge in this photo. I’m just not. And if I could have gotten the train and bridge centered in the MIDDLE of the frame, rather than near the top … it would look so much better.

I mean … it’s good enough for the blog.

I wouldn’t say it’s “good enough” for Competition Season, but it’s definitely “good enough” for the blog.

And as for Raskolnikov … this camera has one chance left to impress me. That, or it’s going on a shelf for the rest of its existence.

For now, this camera can cool its shutters until November.

Then we’ll talk.