Locomotieven op spoorwegemplacementen Aken en Aken West Possibly 1930 - 1934

This is an anonymous photo from a photo album, a set of train images, maybe taken with a large format camera, and with annotations added later in white ink. I'm thinking about the person who put this together. How lovingly they framed each locomotive, and how they hand-lettered the data around each image. I imagine them carefully positioning each photo to be the very best depiction of the subject. Each engine is slightly different, and there are several views. The photographer plays with light and shadow to reveal the depth of the mechanics. Each one is so lovingly rendered in tones of grey, that you can almost feel the grease and coal burning. It must have been such a sight to behold. And the image becomes a metaphor for human achievement and ingenuity and the romance of the industrial age. This is more than just a record; it’s a kind of devotional act.