These old trains in Europe are always cool. I can’t imagine how incredibly heavy they are. All that cast iron just looks like it might create its own gravitational force. I like looking at all the machinery and piping and stuff. I’m the first to admit that I don’t know a dang thing about trains, but I do like looking at them.
I visited a train museum also while I was in Dresden. It was really interesting looking at all the tiny inventions that had been deprecated and forgotten over time. They would have extremely specialized tools that would only do one thing for a technology that only lasted a short time. Some of these things must have weighed several tons, and the only task it could perform is maybe a mounting harness for a cast iron part that only fit one sort of train that was only in service for a few years. It was a cool museum. I guess it is kind of a guy thing… it must have been, since I didn’t even see another woman in the whole place!
May 22nd, 2009 00:54 | Damon Atkinson
I used to have a friend that would travel the world photographing just trains. I mean ONLY photograph trains. He had some amazing shots though. Of course I also had another friend that only shot diners.
Great shot BTW. Does that train still run? or was it a static display? It looks like it could be an active train station – cool place.
May 22nd, 2009 01:13 | Matthew
Seems like this train station is in some movies. e.g. Bourne movie Or is it the style over there in Europe?
May 22nd, 2009 01:14 | Anna Brózik
It´s not just a guy thing, I loooove to go to transportation museums, sadly I didn´t had the time in Dresden, but here in Budapest, my dad and I , we visit the trains and the cars alsmot every year. My dad is a train engineer, so he can go on for ages about the trains, and what they do, how they work and so on
. I love the Photo by the was too 
.
May 22nd, 2009 01:33 | Ananda Sim
Lovely HDR. I was getting jaded but this makes up for it.
May 22nd, 2009 02:00 | Dod McKnight
Lovely, lovely pic Trey, choo choo champion!
May 22nd, 2009 02:45 | Skreid
Great shot Trey, is this a photomatix or Lucis Pro shot?
May 22nd, 2009 04:26 | Scott Webb
I agree that there is something about trains that can fascinate. It probably helps that by looking at the train you mentally feel the industrial revolution move through you and how it all brings us to our point here today in life – shooting the train with a DSLR that will process an amazing HDR Photo.
That places looks very exciting.
May 22nd, 2009 04:26 | Jeremy
Hi Trey
If you want to learn about trains, you need to watch “Thomas the tank engine”.
Jeremy
May 22nd, 2009 06:50 | Larry
What an industrial revolution juxtaposition, that old steam engine with those very modern cars in the parking lot and some ad for a space alien movie or something. Neat.
May 22nd, 2009 08:00 | Chad
Great shot! Quick question, are you still using Photomatix to create the HDR and then doing a touch up in Topaz Adjust or are you just using Topaz Adjust to give the look of HDR?
May 22nd, 2009 08:08 | Stuck In Customs
Thanks all!
Damon – Yes this train still runs.. this was not the museum.
Matthew – Yes – many trains stations look kinda like this over thataway!
Anna – that is good to hear… I’m not alone
Skreid – This was a Topaz shot. I have a little Topaz review over there on the right.
Jeremy – hehe.. with 3 kids, I know Thomas too well.
Chad – in this case, it was just Topaz adjust. Often though, I use Photomatix along with Lucis or Topaz or Nik Software. I know… confusing eh?
May 22nd, 2009 08:10 | Joey de Weerd
wow
May 22nd, 2009 08:14 | Gail Stayton Moshier
Some of us gals do like to look at trains, Trey. I might not appreciate all the mechanics involved, but they are fascinating to examine. We see old trains sitting out on tracks in some places in Washington State. Unfortunately, we only see them while driving to and from our sons. We spent the night one time in a caboose that was converted to a B & B, what fun!!! BTW, your Mom is awesome!!! It was so nice of her to contact me in facebook and make sure I was ok. I’m still a faithful fan of yours and look at your pictures everyday. My mornings just get busy sometimes and I don’t have time to comment. Wow, that made me really feel special!!!! So keep on taking these wonderful pictures and teaching others about photography. I guess I am proud of you, too. I might not be “your” mom, but I am a mom with grown kids, grandkids, greatgrandkids. We mom’s stick together
!! Thanks for sharing your time and efforts with us all. And Happy Memorial Weekend everyone. Don’t forget to honor our Vet’s on their special remembrance day. Freedom isn’t free. God bless them all.
May 22nd, 2009 08:15 | Gail Stayton Moshier
P.S. I guess I made up for missing comments, lol
May 22nd, 2009 08:15 | Facebook User
Awesome! I LOVE train images. While I don’t know more than the basics about trains, I have always loved looking at them and riding on them. Perhaps it is a result of playing with my German cousins sweet, expansive Märklin train set. Or maybe it was the many trips I made as a kid with my German grandfather (I am half German) to the rail yards around Heidelberg, Germany, where I grew up; he worked on German trains and rail ways after WWII. Your fantastic work (together with your “The Gestalt of Coming and Going”) brings back great memories. Thank you for that, my friend. Once I move to Berlin later this year, I am going to have to keep a visit to the Leipzig-Dresden rail line at the top of my to do list. It is, after all, the oldest German rail line and certainly worth some exploration. Again, thanks for the memories!
May 22nd, 2009 09:13 | John Rogers
Hey Trey, Another great shot. The Flickr EXIF data shows you were shooting with a 10mm lens. Was this before you got the Nikon 14-24?
John
May 22nd, 2009 10:26 | Bob the builder
This picture is one that is AWESOME in the original size! Thank you!
May 22nd, 2009 10:30 | casusan
Wonderful shot Trey – we’re happy about your interest in trains – cool that it still runs too!
May 22nd, 2009 10:38 | Indibang
This photo is really awesome. this time you did not overdo the post treatment
May 22nd, 2009 11:53 | Stuck In Customs
Gail – Thanks! Yes my mom keeps track of all of you… she called me and said, “do you think Gail is okay? She hasn’t commented in several days!” She was quite worried you were sick or something horrible had happened. She’s a worrier.
John – yes – this was in the sigma 10-20mm days
Thanks all!
May 22nd, 2009 16:09 | John Rogers
Trey, The Sigma 10-20 is a great lens too. Although, I’m planning to upgrade to the D-700 later this summer and then I will ‘have’ to upgrade to the Nikon 14-24. (At least that’s what I’m planning on telling my wife…)
May 22nd, 2009 18:28 | Dale Martin
Awesome Trey!! Love photographing train stations. I spent quite a bit of time in Union Staion while in Kansas City over the last few weeks.
May 22nd, 2009 22:00 | bitguide
cool image, love trains
steam farm implements cool too.
inspires me to hit a fwew of the shows this year
got to think a little steam would add to the images
May 24th, 2009 00:07 | Jared Horn
No women around except Dagny of course. This makes me want to read Atlas Shrugged again.
May 24th, 2009 00:49 | Trey Ratcliff
Thanks all!
Jared – Dagny – of course… she’s one of my heroes
May 25th, 2009 16:15 | phil
Hello,
please correct the location of this picture. I am sure this one was taken in Leipzig and not in Dresden. I live in Leipzig and see this train station twice a week. I think you traveled thru Leipzig when going from Dresden to Munich or Frankfurt.
Thanks very much
Phil
May 25th, 2009 16:19 | phil
Here you can see other images @flickr that proove it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/akyros/897469909/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/josim/354011525/
Thanks man.
May 26th, 2009 13:25 | Frauke
This is just what I wanted to comment on: This is Leipzig. Not far apart, really, but a different town alltogether.
I have pic of the same train from Leipzig and – btw – I am a girl that took pics of trains, too. Great shot!
December 20th, 2009 22:26 | Richard
Phil, You are correct – I have been through that station many times myself to see my friend who is now in the Deutsche Marine off the coast of Somalia. Love going to Leipzig and the station. If memory serves, that station is suppose to be the largest station (Hauptbahnhof) in Europe? See Wikipedia link – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig_Hauptbahnhof
Trey – Waiting to receive my copy here in Stuttgart – military mail system is very slow! Then I will give this to my friend when he gets back from his deployment – Great Work and Wonderful Job! Looking forward to many more projects from you in the future. Warmest regards, Richard