Photo Legend in the movie October Sky-do you recognize him?

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In the movie October Sky a train passes the rocket boys and the engineer waves as he goes by. Who is this legendary train photographer who is waving? He worked in Large Format, often shooting at night with banks of flash bulbs as a light source. He is one of the most famous train photographers, with shows and books to his credit. Does anyone out there know if the authentic steam train he was driving in the movie was the one he owns and restored? As to the ID on this photographer, it is in the credits at the end of the movie. No, I didn't spot him but was alerted to the scene by Tillman Crane who saw the scene & thought he recognized the photographer & scrolled to the credits & found he was right. Once you find who the photographer is, do a search & look at some of his work-classic images more in demand today than when they were taken. And now he is a movie star. Maybe there is yet hope for us who lug LF gear across the country.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), February 20, 2000

Answers

O. Winston Link, perhaps. He spent a number of years photographing the end of the age of steam at night using large numbers of flash bulbs.

-- Robert A. Zeichner (razeichner@ameritech.net), February 20, 2000.

Now, for extra credit, what popular long running televison comedy featured an allusion to one of his more famous, if not most famous shot?

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), February 20, 2000.

Ignore Sean. He's showing his age again.

-- Chad Jarvis (cjarvis@nas.edu), February 21, 2000.

While you guys are on the topic. How do you set up a train shot? Can you get time tables for freight trains? I've been trying to catch a train crossing a river on a particular bridge; however, the random approach hasn't seemed to work. Just how do train photographers work things so they are set up when the train goes by???

-- david clark (doc@ellensburg.com), February 21, 2000.

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