June 21-July 11 - Pope's Creek The two trailing C40-8Ws of a northbound empty coal train on Conrail's Popes Creek Secondary stop at the wye at Bowie,MD before proceeding down the NEC to the yard at Benning to return the gons to CSX. 11pm, Apr 20, 1996.
July 12-18 - Manassas, VA NS 8925 (C40-9w) on display at the Manassas Railway Festival. It was open to the public for walkthroughs. This shot is not the best due to lighting but I've put it here for those folks wanting to replace the reportedly faulty herald of the Athearn models. June 1, 1996.
July 19-25 - Boone, IA On a recent, long overdue trip to IA, I spent some time at the Boone Scenic Valley RR in Boone, IA. In addition to their (large) 1988-built Chinese steamer, they run electrics a few blocks into town. Here's their restored Charles City Western car returning to the station. The folks at the BSVRR are all very friendly and run a smooth operation. June 30, '96.
July 26-Aug 8 - B&O Museum The B&O Museum in Baltimore, MD has a tremendous collection of B&O and other equipment of historical significance. It occupies the buildings of the Mt Clare shops, dating back to 1828. Apr 21, '96.
Aug 9-Sept 19 - Alexandria,VA Wreck On July 21 around noon, two moving CSX trains got into each other on the RF&P. Over twenty cars were wrecked, Tropicana and FGE boxcars, two tankers of mildly nasty stuff, and various cars from NS,CP which were parked adjacent. Nobody was injured. Hulcher arrived about 8pm to start pulling apart the heap, but all rail traffic south of DC was stopped until one track was opened the next afternoon. As of August 2, most of the wreckage was still in the area. Taken from Telegraph Rd looking west, Metrorail is at left (unaffected), NS (Southern) is at center, and CSX (RF&P) is at right. July 21, '96.
Sept 20-Oct27 -Iowa Falls, IA I was about to snap a plain picture of this recently retired Chicago Central tower (nee ICG) when this doubleheaded, 2-car train popped over the horizon. Against the box cars, the rings with hoops for orders are clearly visible. The cross track is UP (nee C&NW). Iowa Falls, IA July 5, '96.
Oct28-Dec2 -Chicago, IL On the return trip from Iowa, I did the Sears tower thing and the "el" provided some entertainment. This is taken from 1200(?) feet up, but uses the 300mm lens to avoid excessive ant-ness. Chicago, IL July 6, '96.
Dec2-Jan5 -Hyannis, MA A conference trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts included a half-day off for local recreation, so I made a beeline for the Cape Cod Railroad. This RR runs low-end excursions and high-class dinner trains on Old Bay Line tracks between Hyannis and Sandwich. Among the varied power kept in the Hyannis yard are these ex-MBTA (F10's ?) in a modifed Great Northern paint scheme. Hyannis, MA Sept 11, '96.
Jan5-Jan26 -Manassas, VA NS surprised us by displaying one of its new C40-9Ws instead of the planned GP40. Manassas, VA June 1, '96.
Jan27-Feb18 -Boone, IA It's the dead of winter here in the east, so let's look back to a beautiful June day in the midwest. Boone Scenic Valley RR's Chinese-built steamer (built 1988, younger than my car!) makes the runaround move at the end of the line. It hauls the train tender-first out of Boone, and then runs around for the "proper" orientation on the return trip. Northwest of Boone, IA June 30, '96.
Feb19-Mar31 -Worcester, MA Looking for some local action while in Massachusetts, I reasoned that there should be something in Worcester since a railroad is named for it. Indeed I found these units at the Providence&Worcester RR shops. Worcester, MA Sept 15, '96.
Apr1-Jun2 -Home A non-prototype but long promised photo of my 1:2000ish scale diorama of the East Broad Top's Rocky Ridge depot. I don't have room for an operational model, so what the heck.
Jun3-Aug26 -Alexandria, VA This is Potomac Yard in March'97. The RF&P main running along the west side of the yard (beside power lines at far left) is being relocated to the east side so that the property can be developed unhindered. This is the new main being laid at the location of the US1 overpass. As of May 26, the old main has been ripped up. For you tourists, the Washington monument is just right of center on the horizon.
Aug27-Sep28 -Felton, CA July 8,'97 I was in CA recently and made it a priority to see some redwoods. So I drove up into Big Basin and before long was driving through a forest of simply huge trees and began desparately looking for a place to park and get out and hike. I saw a sign for Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and dove in. While talking with the ranger at the gate I heard a steam whistle, and she informed me that it was the Roaring Camp & Big Trees RR, which directly adjoined the park's parking lot. I hurriedly paid the entrance fee and drove in. I parked and walked over to RC&BT just in time to watch the shay "Dixiana" pull into the station. I went in and bought a ticket for the next (and last) trip of the day, leaving in just a few minutes. After servicing, Dixiana began her climb up the mountain, weaving around the giant redwoods, some turns nearly as sharp as the minimum on my auto. Just before the summit a switchback was used to bypass a trestle system destroyed years ago by arsonists. This is a great way to see the redwoods (and a much better use for the engine than logging :-) If you're anywhere in the San Francisco to Monterey area, you MUST RIDE this railroad. There is also a CF7 powered standard gauge line that runs through the forest to Santa Cruz which I was unable to ride. Afterwards I was able to walk through the park's grove of gigantic trees, with trees topping out at 16ft diameter and 280ft tall! (so much for these "giant" Maryland poplars at 6' by 120').
Aug27-Jan5 -East Haven, CT Aug 1,'97 On a trip trough New England, I stopped by the Shore Line Trolley Museum after seeing a sign for it and an old trolley along I95. I went through the museum and shot a pair of trolleys on the way to/from the carbarn and the "real" collection, but unfortunately time constraints kept me from riding the trolleys and the touring the carbarn.
Jan6-22 -Alexandria, VA Oct '97 This is RF&P's Potomac Yard as it is today, now "Potomac Yard Center". This photo was taken from the center of the yard (near the location of the W&OD trestle) facing north. The old main ran along the left side of the power lines at the left, the relocation runs behind the stores. The new inhabitants: Target, Staples, [some sports equipment store], Petsmart, Barnes & Noble, Shoppers Food Warehouse, and others.
Jan23-May21 -Alexandria, VA Jan 3,'97 Twilight in Alexandria, VA as a Metrorail train passes the large Blue line yard on its way to Franconia. This photo was taken from the same location as the RF&P wreck photo featured in past weeks.
May22-Jun15 Livermore, CA March 26,'98 As part of a recent trip to Silicon Valley, I was able to take some time off for railfanning and nature stuff. I came across this trestle at the bottom of Altamont pass, and thought it a nice scenic spot. I started up the pass and immediately met a freight headed downhill. I raced back down to the spot I had just been eyeing and got set up just as the train came into view.
Jun15-Jul9 Chama, NM May 31 '98 A long awaited cross country trip had to include a visit to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR. It's Sunday evening, and 497 has been serviced after it's arrival while 463 has finished up switching duties and is ready for the next day's train to Antonito, CO.
Jul10-Sep9 Scranton, PA May 25 '98 The railroad content of my cross country trip started with a visit to Steamtown National Historic Site. Here in the erecting shop behind the roundhouse is CN ???? on the left receiving scheduled maintenace and PRR K4 1361 on the right.
Sep10- ??,1999 NB May 29, '98 A brief stop on my cross country trip in central Nebraska yielded this shot of an idling UP engine.
??,1999 - Aug10,1999 Saltillo, PA Oct 3, '98 The East Broad Top Railroad has lost numerous historic structures in recent decades, and this station in Saltillo was on track to be the next to collapse. The roof sagged nearly a foot, had several large holes, and the trackside wall had bulged under the weight of the failing roof. It had been expected by many (especially me) to not survive the winter, but it survived an ice storm, and then confronted 16 inches of snow in March, and stood. On March 23, it received emergency stabilization repairs, bracing the roof and securing the bulging wall. Though only a stop-gap measure, these repairs will buy some much needed time during which plans can hopefully be made for the necessary heavy repairs or even restoration.
Aug11 - Apr25 Kennedy Space Center, FL July 23, 1999 Kennedy Space Center, FL, July 23, 1999 12:30am Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-93, from 8 miles away on the East Causeway. See the full story.
Apr25 - Nov9 East Broad Top, PA Oct 31, 1999 EBT #14's boiler is 'blown down' after hauling the last train of the year, before being pushed into the roundhouse. The fire having already been 'dropped' (dumped from the firebox into the ash pit), a valve is opeded and the boiler pressure blows the water out of the boiler, which flashes to steam as soon as it reaches the lower-pressure air outside. It takes about 30 minutes to complete the process, after which the M-4 gasoline switcher climbed onto the turntable behind #14, pushed her into her stall, then headed back into the yard towards her own cozy spot for the long winter.
Nov10 - Jun12,2001 Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, CA July 7, 2000 I'd been to Yosemite briefly before. On this trip I went up over Tioga Pass and down into the desert on the east side of the Sierras. The furthest point of my trip took me here, to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, 10,000 ft up in the White Mountains. This view looks east over the heaviest part of the forest, where the uniform density and lack of brush makes it feel much more like an orchard. Many of these trees are over 4,000 years old and still going. It's not very popular, and it's a long drive from town, but well worth the trip, especially if you can handle a modest hike in the thin air to get away from the visitor center.
Jun13 - Sept 20 Washington DC Metro's Green Line completion, Jan 13, 2001 Opened a few weeks ahead of schedule (even if several years late), trains are now running the full length of the originally planned Metrorail system. It figures that my boyhood neighborhood would be last to see the trains. But this is a sunny opening day, and rides are free. Here we see an outbound train passing over Suitland Parkway toward the Branch Ave station. On the horizon is Suitland's familiar water tower.
Sept 21,'01 - Dec 29,'02 Pentagon, Washington DC, Sept 12, 2001
(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
I was fortunate to not have anyone I knew in the Pentgon on Sept 11. From my
house I felt the shock of the secondary explosion and could see and
smell the huge plume of smoke. It is a very big hole, I cannot imagine the
magnitude of the devestation in New York.
Dec 29,'02 - Sept 29,'03 Orbisonia, PA Oct 13, 2002 Can you guess the date of this photo? Yes, it's an old game played by fans of the East Broad Top Railroad, made easier (or harder) by the backdating of #14 to her all-black common carrier era appearance. It is in fact October 13, 2002.
Sept 29,'03 - ? Rochester, NY
With the recent fire at the National Capital Trolley Museum and my ongoing
volunteer work beside members of the Rockhill Trolley Museum, I was thinking
about this photograph. This is my great grandfather, who was a conductor for
the Rochester Railway and Light Company, then a motorman on the successor
company New York State Railways, and in 1938 began driving buses for the
Rochester Transit Corp. when they replaced the trolleys.
The location looks like a turnaround (where there would be an opportunity
to set up such a photo), and the tracks are visible crossing the street
just ahead of the cars. This photograph was given to him by an unknown
railfan. The exact date is unknown, a safe guess is that it's between WWI
and 1938.
