POTD 2017/003. Gears at the Martinsburg Roundhouse

Just a few days before leaving town for Christmas in Austin, I joined friend and architectural photographer Chris Spielmann of Spielmann Studio on a shoot at the The Martinsburg Roundhouse Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

The Roundhouse where I shot this was a hub of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad. A roundhouse is a facility that conducts maintenance on engines and rail cars, and has at its center a large turntable that allows for the cars to come in on one track and be turned around onto another.

The site has a storied history dating back to 1842 with the arrival of the first B&O steam engine. In 1861 Confederate troops under the command of Col. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson trapped and destroyed 42 locomotives, over 300 cars, 36 miles of track, 102 miles of telegraph wire, 17 bridges, and damaged the B&O Roundhouse and Shops. For perspective on the strategic importance of the rail center to both the Union and Confederacy, the city of Martinsburg changed hands over 50 times during the course of the American Civil War.

Chris was there to photograph and get familiar with the facility since he was asked if he would be willing to give an architectural photography workshop there in the spring of 2017. The photographs he captured will be used to advertise the workshop and ultimately promote the historical significance of the site and draw more interest from the public to visit and discover its past.

For my photography friends looking for a unique place to conduct a photo shoot, the management does rent it out for that purpose at very reasonable rates. Contact them by phone at (304) 264-8801 or online at www.martinsburgroundhouse.com and let them know we sent you!

1/30 sec at f/2.8 ISO 100
Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens at 88mm

I hope you enjoy today's J.W. Remington Photographics' Photo of the Day for January 3, 2017!

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