Pennsylvania has always been known for its locomotive history, with the Pennsylvania Railroad of the past and the engineering marvel of the Altoona Horsheshoe Curve, The Pennsylvania Railroad boasted the highest volume of traffic and having a budget larger than the U.S Government. Remnants of the railways that helped bring this country to its pinnacle stretch throughout the region, partially abandoned bars of iron bend around riverbanks as a reminder of the areas industrious past. Railways are still a vital part of the regions infrastructure, but to get an idea of what they looked like in their former glory, one must visit the miniature railroad at the Carnegie Science Center, one of the grandest model train displays in the country. Originally a holiday display created by a Brookville, PA native depicting life of people in the region from the 1880's - 1930's. The display has so much acclaim that Lionel creates a yearly commemorative boxcar for the display every year since 1999. The railroad was originally displayed at the Buhl Planetarium in 1954 and moved to the Carnegie Science Center in 1992. The miniature railroad displays famous region landmakrs like the Sharon Steel Mill, Mister Rogers neighborhood, Luna Park, Forbes Field, Falling Water and homes of many Western PA greats. Trains run on five separate loops with countless animated figures in motion along the tracks, in buildings and along streetlamp lit streets much like the line "Street light....people" in the Journey song used to name this post.
The close quarters and small nature of the display along long lines of site are perfect for a 50mm focal length and a wide aperture of f1.8 as was used in the following photographs. The shallow depth of field helps bring the display to life and put focus on specific elements within it.
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