Ze Train, Ze Train!

It was one of those semi-rare January days in Birmingham - a day with a high in the upper 60s, my ideal weather. I had been working really hard and had a lot of work coming up so I decided to take some time during my work day to just play. For a long time, I've been wanting to shoot at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, an icon in Birmingham, but I've never taken the time to do so. 

On that January day that would change. 

Birmingham has two common nicknames: "The Iron City" and "The Magic City" with both relating directly to the impact Sloss Furnaces made on the area. 

In 1871, Birmingham was a new city and was one of the few places where all three major products needed to produce iron and steel - iron ore, limestone, and coal - were in close proximity. Sloss Furnaces was founded in 1880 and began operating in 1882. This continued without a pause for 90 years. 

Being called "The Iron City" is obvious, but why is it also called "The Magic City?" Due to the country's need for iron and steel, Birmingham grew so quickly that it was said to have appeared "by magic." 

Not only did the city have the materials needed, it also was founded at the crossing of the Alabama & Chattanooga and the South & North Alabama railroads, which helped with the transportation of materials and product.

Less need for iron and steel led to its closing in 1971 and a decade later, it was designated a National Historic Landmark and then became a museum for the iron and steel industries.

With the furnaces still active in 1968 and not being old enough to go to or appreciate it when it closed, I never visited it. However, with time, I've realized its strange beauty. I got to the point where I felt like every photographer I ever talked to had been there to shoot. I knew it would be a fun way to play with my camera, settings and focus points, but I kept putting it off.

Once again, I say: on that January day that would change. 

I had a quick job in the area that morning (a car photos-only appraisal) so it was the perfect time to do it. After packing up my cameras, I headed to that area, did the photos for the appraisal, and went to Sloss.

When I got there, it was hard to know where to start. I knew I wanted to take the standard photos everyone takes, but I wanted to get some photos that no-one else had too. I scoured the area for those different subjects and angles and was so excited when I found some.

You might be asking, "Why is she talking about Sloss Furnaces when the photo is of a train?" It's because visiting Sloss was the reason I was near the train tracks.

After spending an hour or two at Sloss, I got mentally ready to do rideshare. I had to cross the many sets of railroad tracks to get to a more populated area and happened to be in the front of the line. As this is an active area, it's a true waiting game for all of the trains to be out of the way at once so the cars could cross.

I had to sit for a little while and the gears in my photographer's brain started whirling. I saw more potential in getting a great shot of a train than I had at Sloss - but it would definitely be more of a challenge. 

All of the photos had to be taken from my car, for one. Another was that I had to be first in line to have an unobstructed view. There was also the unpredictable nature of trains. You never knew when one would move and if so, how fast it would go and if another would appear coming from the opposite direction right as you set up the shot.

What I did was get first in line, then when it was clear to cross, I'd go to the other side of the tracks, make a U-turn, and get first in line again. I did this probably 20 times, ending up getting images of 4 or 5 different trains with shots of boxcars, cabooses, and empty train tracks in between. 

It was a blast! It's been about 5-6 years since this January day. That day I said I would go back and do it again soon. I guess it's something I need to put on my calendar - lol.

                                                        (All images by Tracy Riggs Frontz)

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