Railroad In The Sky

Railroad In The Sky
Railroad In The Sky

Before discussing the photo, let me offer a few thoughts on transportation policy.

Actually, no.  Yesterday’s screed garnered a fair bit of attention, mostly positive (or at least the negative attention remained silent) but it worked because it was organic.  I’m tempted to say it came out of nowhere, but that is not accurate.  I know where it came from, I’ve been thinking about these issues for years.  But it did arise spontaneously.  I had no plans to write about sugar tariffs and government intervention into the economy from the time I first considered  my Williamsburg photo excursion up until the moment I sat down to write some text to accompany yesterday’s photo.  Then suddenly it came pouring out.

So.  No screed today, but I will note that I like this vista because it reinforces that the NYC subway system is a railroad.  Sometimes it seems like something else to me.  They are trains. obviously, but somehow different from a regular railroad.  But this staging area looks very much like a railroad – a railroad in the sky.  This is taken from the last (or first) stoop in Brooklyn on the J, M and Z lines.  Actually, it’s the same station as this image with the tilt-shift effect of the platform.

I love the curve of the tracks as they bend to slide around the tall buildings directly ahead, and to line up with the Williamsburg Bridge which you can see in the distance.  You cannot see Manhattan from here, but it is very much the next stop.

This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. I really like this shot, there is a lot of interesting material in the track area. My only complaint would be that there is too much sky and it sort of competes with the track are for interest. Have you considered cropping down from the top?

  2. Nice work Mark. Love this shot!

  3. James
    I think you’re right, especially at this size, where the images doesn’t fit on most people computer screens, so until you scroll down, all you see is sky. I kept it like this, however, because on a smaller image, or on a print, I like the big sky, in part because we have so little of it in New York.

  4. I love how sharp and clean the tracks and buildings are…

    I need to go read yesterday’s post I guess 🙂

  5. I’m just imagining myself there. I’d get overwhelmed by it – there’s just so much to capture. The graffitis alone warrant some attention. Lots of detail here, Mark.

  6. It’s been a crazy busy week, but here’s a delayed thanks for all the comments everyone.

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