Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I was thinking about what got me into American railroading, and specifically railroads in the American south-west. I realised it wasn't just the magnificent trains, but was as much about the atmosphere of the south-west. Being a west country lad, and growing up next to a big and busy American Airforce base already swayed me towards all things American, but spending time over there under the big skies cemented a love which shows no sign of diminishing. Indeed, the more decrepit the UK becomes the more I hanker for living out in the sticks under a big Arizona sky.  Every now and then I succeed in taking a shot which captures this atmosphere. Alarmingly seldom, for I consider myself a halfway decent photographer, but anyway. Here are a selection of shots which try to convey to you what I find so alluring about American railroading and landscape. Some are from the Tehachapis, some from the Sunset Route.  And some of them are moody, oh yes.  The horseshoe at Caliente. The train on the right has pulled right up behind the rear of the train on the right. Yes, they're in the same signal block....  The conductor of an eastbound junker inspects the westbound graintrain at dusk, Caliente  The big oak at Caliente used to be a popular spot to sit and watch the trains go by. It's not always sunny in California...  ... but when it is, sometimes the colors are just so vivid. I was lucky to get the Swift roadrailer cruising around Walong siding from the well-known bluff. This was before the wretched solar panels and railroad cops...  I've spent a lot of time waiting at railroad crossings....  a lot of time...  and quite a lot of time driving the back roads just to be close to the railroad...   nothing is as thrilling as a distant headlight t hat grows brighter and closer until the air is full of the howl of turbochargers and the buffeting blast of a fast moving stack train in the gathering twilight  Sometimes you wait for hours for a train to come, and nothing appears. Somehow it doesn't matter, the Sunset Route lives up to its name...  and when a train does finally happen along, sometimes you have to give it space within the landscape  And now and again its good to go somewhere different, and see what happens. I have no interest in passenger trains but a wet night at the former Southern Pacific Cahill Depot in San Jose was dripping with atmosphere...  and even one of those butt-ugly MP36PH-3Cs is transformed by the light and the rain.  As always, feel free to add your own moodies... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I agree with you. I'm particularly fond of Arizona. Â Â Â Â Â Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Here are two shots from the dutch door on an Amtrak fan trip in 1985: And a view of the aptly named duck hunting camp of Drawbridge, at the south end of San Francisco Bay, from the rear of a Capitol train in 1996: A shot of a British Columbia Railway freight from the rear of a Dayliner RDC in 1982: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Some fantastic pics there Dr G-F, and very atmospheric too!! I've often wondered just how long photographers have to wait for those trains way out in the back of beyond... You can also understand a bit more why road vehicles are a bit too keen at times to get across a grade crossing ahead of the train... Â Having never been to the US, all my inspiration has come from articles, pictures and videos. I've gravitated to the Mid-West region, not just because by happy coincidence that was Soo territory, but because I also like that 'wide open' landscape. I've had a glimpse of that landscape in the "Bomber County" of Lincolnshire (think WW2 Airfields), and parts of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, but of course the American prairie is just so vast in comparison! It does make modelling such a landscape in a small area something of a challenge, of course, but let's just say I'm glad the Soo wasn't a Mountain Railroad... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigZ Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 East Coast mood here...first on the old Southern main line between Washington DC and Atlanta, specifically at a spot called Ruffin, North Carolina...a southbound merchandise train rolling thru the ess curves at 50 mph. Â Â And a couple of hunchbacks (C39-8s) at work... Â NS 8661 working on the old Interstate Railroad in southwestern Virginia. This is typical Appalachian coal country working - down in a valley, next to a road, with houses hard by. There's not a lot of flat real estate in these areas. Â Â And NS 8563 is working Train 350 at the north end of Glenwood Yard in Raleigh, NC. It was a real frog strangler of a downpour that day. Â Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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