CONTACT:
Sarah Reddington
Greystone Partners/978.777.0406
Sarah@greystonepartners.net

David Greening
OSRAM SYLVANIA/978.750.2404
david.greening@sylvania.com

OSRAM SYLVANIA CELEBRATES 50th ANNIVERSARY OF O. WINSTON LINK’S FIRST FLASH PHOTOGRAPH FOR NORFOLK & WESTERN RAILWAY

OSRAM SYLVANIA and Norfolk Southern to Co-Sponsor Celebration with Re-Creating Link’s First Nighttime Flash Photograph in Waynesboro, Virginia

DANVERS, MASS – January 7, 2005 – Picture this, a re-enactment of famed railroad photographer O. Winston Link’s first nighttime flash photograph of steam railroading that occurred 50 years ago to the day at the exact same location!  On January 21, 2005 in Waynesboro, Virginia, OSRAM SYLVANIA along with Norfolk Southern Corporation will co-sponsor a reception and lecture hosted by the O. Winston Link Museum of Roanoke, Virginia.  After the reception, there will be a re-creation of Link’s January 21st 1955 photograph at the exact location of the original Waynesboro station.

Link’s passion was to capture the final years of steam railroading in America.  His black and white photo in 1955 of Norfolk & Western’s Train Number 2 being pulled by a Class K2a steam locomotive en route to New York City began a remarkable series of over 2,400 historical photos of steam locomotives, passengers and crews, shot between 1955 and 1960.  The greatest legacy of Link’s career is his dramatic nighttime flash photographs of steam trains and their operators.  “We recognize the historical significance of Winston Link’s nighttime flash photography and are pleased to support this recreation of his work. This is another example of the commitment OSRAM SYLVANIA has to lighting our nation’s historic buildings and landmark events,” said Charlie Jerabek, president and CEO of OSRAM SYLVANIA.

Link achieved the dramatic lighting in each of his original photographs using a host of strategically placed flash units that he designed and built himself.  He insisted on SYLVANIA Blue Dot flashbulbs, his favorite being the Blue Dot No. 2, a product Link had used thousands of during his career as a photographer.  A typical Link photo shoot could easily expend over 100 flashbulbs.  To replicate this exciting event on Friday, January 21st, SYLVANIA brand quartz-halogen lamps will illuminate the arrival of a Norfolk Southern diesel locomotive pulling several restored vintage passenger cars to the site of the original station where rail fans, photographers and videographers will be able to capture the moment for themselves.

About OSRAM SYLVANIA:
Headquartered in Danvers, Mass., OSRAM SYLVANIA is the North American lighting operation of OSRAM GmbH.  Together we are the second-largest lighting and materials enterprise in the world, serving customers in more than 140 countries.  We manufacture and market a wide range of lighting products,
including automotive, electronic and magnetic ballasts, and precision materials
and components for industrial and commercial users, original equipment manufacturers and consumers, sold primarily under the SYLVANIA brand name, but also under the OSRAM brand. OSRAM SYLVANIA also offers lighting systems installation and maintenance services. 

About Norfolk Southern Corporation:  
Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates 21,500 route miles in 22 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. NS operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of automotive parts and finished vehicles.