Model Train meets Real World – New Amtrak Station, Wallingford CT

This image begins with a trip to Wallingford CT where, along with my wife Cheryl, we photographed the new Amtrak Train Station. This station was built about three years ago and ia 1/4 mile north of the original Train Station.

Then the Conrail GP-40 locomotive, N-Scale (1:160) Atlas train, along with Kato’s N-Scale Amtrak passenger cars were photographed in my studio. It is important to photograph the miniature trains, (each car about 3″ long and 1″ high), at as close to the same perspective as where they are going to end up in the actual photograph or the image won’t be usuable. I do this by having the train station image opened on one laptop and then the camera tethered to another laptop next to it. I’m then able to make slight changes in perspective until it appears that it is lined up with the real scene that I want to insert the train into.

Once everything looks good I took 36 images all with varying focus points and stacked them using Helicon Focus and Helicon Remote Focus Stacking software. This allowed me to merge all 36 images into one image that was in sharp focus from the front of the trains to the very end of the trains.

Once inserted into the image the fun begins. CTrail is such a small train line that none of the model train manufacturers actually make and sell their trains. Fortunately CTrail uses the same GP-40 locomotive that Conrail uses which is shown in the first image above. I then had to change the paint from blue to Jet Black in photoshop. Continuing to use photoshop I was able to reproduce the CTrail logo and paint scheme on the locomotive and the passenger car to create the final image below.

New Wallingford Amtack Train Station: Photographed with a Sony A7RII, 42.3 MP, full frame mirrorless camera, tripod mounted and a Sony FE 200-600, 5.6-6.3 O SS lens at 200 mm. 1/50th, F11, ISO 100, Aperture Priority.

Model Trains: Photographed with a Nikon D7100 24.3 MP camera and a Nikon 40 mm Macro lens (35mm equiv.= 60 mm). 1/6th, F8, ISO 100, Manual Mode.

Helicon Focust Stacking Software.

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