Along with my life long involvement with steam railroads, I've also developed an interest in Tall Ships. I'm one of the Photographers for the Grays Harbor Seaport Authority, which sails the Hawaiian Chieftain and the Lady Washington.

So, I've had a goal to get a photo of a Tall Ship and a steam train the same photo. I've only come up with one place on the entire west coast where it's even possible, and that's Garibaldi, OR. Last Saturday the planets aligned, the Hawaiian Chieftain was in Port and the Oregon Coast Scenic RR was running an early steam trip. I hoped to get a shot with the ship under sail but they schedules didn't work out. I did get a shot of the tall ship at the dock. It's not Nat Geo quality, but it's still a rather unique photo.

Question... Where else can you get a shot of a tall ship and steam train in the same frame? This is the only one I could think of.

(The Hawaiian Chieftain goes to Sacramento, but it doesn't go above the drawbridge, so close but no cigar...)

I'm reminded of this classic picture of the Festiniog Railway in Wales. Granted, it's from the 1860s, but perhaps it could be replicated?

-Philip Marshall

Disneyland?

Well, yes, I guess Disnayland would work. That's even a fairly realistic tall ship. Not really what I have in mind, and they never put up the sails any more but yes, it would be one place.

Neat shot

150 years ago (or so) it would have been no big deal' about the only other place you might be able to do it today would be the Valley RR in Conn, but the tall ship would have to be visiting and then you have to deal with the issue of whether the tall ship and steam engine are of the same vintage.

Kinda like posing a model T with an F unit when a Chevy Belaire makes more sense @

Bob H

Thank you.

Getting this shot also required the Tall Ship to be visiting. The Lady Washington (which can't get to Garibaldi due to deeper draft) and the Hawaiian Chieftain sail up and down the west coast, generally wintering in CA and spending summers in WA. The ship was in town for four days.

When I saw this year's schedule, my first thought was "Wow, I can get a shot with the steam train!" Then I checked the OCSR schedule and discovered no steam this early in the season. OK, so much for that plan.

Then last week things changed. The NRHS charter was originally scheduled for a different date, but an obstruction on the line required re-scheduling. They changed the date the 17th. Suddenly the planets had aligned and I could get a chance at a shot. I e-mailed Martin Hansen, who was at the railroad with some questions. I also e-mailed the captain of the ship "Where are you docked? Can you see the train from the ship?"

My real goal was to get the ship and the train by the "Three Graces", the rock formation outside of town. That would have been great, but the schedule didn't work out. I showed up the night before and scoped out the alignment of the ships and the train. I got some help from the OCSR, allowing me to spot the locomotive where I wanted it for the shot. (However, my favorite shot, as shown above, was when she was backing into position.)

Definitely a "one time only" deal. I either got the shot Saturday morning, or not at all. They weren't running steam on Sunday, so I wasn't getting another shot at it.

It's not the best photo I've ever taken, but the subject matter is cool. As you said, 100 years ago, this would be no big deal. A tall ship at dock at the port? Yeah, that only happens on days ending in "y". But these days it's a rarity, and to have one close by a steam train is even rarer, extremely rare from what I can tell. (Except in the Kingdom of the Mouse, which isn't quite the same.)

I have no idea when I'll get another chance at a shot like this, but it was great fun to try and also to able to be able to ride a steam train and then go visit with the captain aboard his tall ship.

As for finding one that matches the era? Well, since so far we've only identified two places that the shot is even possible, and for Garibaldi it's not possible every year, I don't think I'm ready to get quite that picky. If I hit the lottery, I may be able to travel to the UK and find more options there?

My current goal is to get a shot of a tall ship under sail along with a steam train that is under steam. Ideally they would both be moving, but that's really adding a degree of difficulty. I actually got that shot on Saturday as well, but the tall ship is such a tiny little speck on the horizon that you can't identify it until you zoom in to 100%. I'm looking for one that's much better than that.

It probably could be staged with the steam train pacing the tall ship at something like 5 mph ---

There's a hidden problem setting something like this up and it's wind (and possibly sun angle) and the wind has to be blowing the right direction and be strong enough etc --

For example,when they had the parade of tall ships in Detroit a few years ago, there was no wind and they had to motor.

Bob H

Yes, that's an option, and one that I'm seriously considering. But of course that brings a whole new level of cost and complexity to the project as well. But maybe I can do "steam and tall ships" photo special or something. I had both the tall ship crew and the train crew trying to help me out on this one, but they both had schedules to keep and could only do so much. Obviously a charter is the best option, maybe someday...

I almost made it work on Saturday afternoon. Since I take photos for the Seaport on an official basis, they work with me for photo ops. I'd talked to the captain Friday night, and told him we planned to be back in town about four. He called me at about 4:10 and says "are you getting back soon? I'm running late and can maybe linger close by the "Three Graces" rock formation next to the tracks for a few minutes". Unfortunately, we'd also been delayed on the trip back, so it wasn't an option.

And yes, the sun angle is an issue with ships, just like trains, as is the direction of the wind. You can't even put the sails up and motor if there's no wind, since that pushes the sails back into the mast and that's just as obvious to a ship fan as the smoke going in the wrong direction on a backup move is to a train fan. Lots of challenges, LOL!

My father and I tried the same thing kind of twice. We had a 20 foot steam powered launch and we launched at Phillipsburg NJ in anticipation of getting a picture of our boat in the foreground as the 142 went by but we got stuck part way down due to shallow water situations. We now have a larger steam launch and we in Tavares FL for a steamboat meet which was being held on Lake Dora at the base of the Dora Canal which is flanked by the trestle of the Orange Blossom Cannonball, I was planning on fighting off alligators to get a picture of the the old number 2 running above our launch while she was anchored below the trestle but they were not operating quite yet for the season.
To see pictures of our steam launch named "Phoebe Snow" visit
http://www.slphoebesnow.com

Beware that a sailing association has registered "Tall Ships" as a trademark for sailing related activities. The fact that the USPTO accepted registration for a common term (going back hundreds of years) for its normal usage (a sailing vessel with tall masts) just shows how f***ed up they are over there. Obviously, my understanding of TM law is near zero but if it allows that, there is something seriously wrong with the law or how USPTO applies it.

Tall Ships® brand vodka, or Tall Ships® brand marine paint? Sure, go for it. But Tall Ships® brand tall ships (and related events)? Preposterous. Invite some tall ships to your city, and advertise that the tall ships are coming and you will get a C&D from the lawyers of the American Sail Training Association. I wish someone would challenge it.

Steve

Well, maybe we could do steam ships and tall trains then.

dave

The North Shore Scenic Railroad in Duluth, Minnesota is another place where a tall ship/steam train meet would be theoretically possible. Duluth occasionally hosts visiting tall ships, although I'm not sure if the timing has ever worked out with those events and either NSSR's own steam operations or visits from MILW 261. The Maine Narrow Gauge Museum on the Portland waterfront also comes to mind as a place where such a meet could happen.

If you want to count non-operational steam, there was the narrow gauge 0-4-0 displayed outside Anthony's Pier Four in Boston until recently, which would have been within sight of visiting tall ships as well as the annual turnaround cruise of the USS Constitution. Another 0-4-0T is on display next to the harbor in Rockport, Maine, which until earlier this year was the homeport of the 1931 schooner Timberwind, one of the Maine windjammers offering cruises on Penobscot Bay. Timberwind was sold and relocated to nearby Rockland in January. In a few years' time we will hopefully see steam return to Rockland (which is home to several of the Maine windjammer schooners), with a restored Maine Central 470 on the Maine Eastern.

Very neat. A decade ago, if you had told me you could take a picture of 25 with a sailing ship in the background, I would have accused you of breaking into the "good stuff."
She still has that dent in the cylinder steam line jacket! That's been there since the 1960s!
Miss "my hometown loco" I restored the cab window awnings & brackets some decades ago. . . .Glad she's still running!

Yes, the whole trademark thing is seriously screwed up!

For example, "Life is Good" is a trademark. You can't put it on clothing and sell it.
Life is good, but Greed Sucks! (Trademark Pending)

Oh, and closer to the topic at hand in case you think this doesn't matter?
MINITRAINS
TABLE TRAIN
TRAINCATION
WAVE TRAIN
TRAINWRECK
THE ICE CREAM TRAIN
MYSTERY TRAIN
WINE TRAIN
DINNER TRAIN
SANTA TRAIN
DESSERT TRAIN
GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY

All have been registered in some fashion, which may or may not affect uses your operation considers for that term.