Like so many, COVID completely upended our life. The kid’s sports, church activities, school, and work schedules were all turned upside down. We had even planned a big trip back to Chama, New Mexico, but alas, that was not to be. Instead, our family bought a small travel trailer and camped a little closer to home which allowed us to travel a little safer during the pandemic. Our longest trip took us back to the tiny town of Durbin, West Virginia, where the Durbin and Greenbriar Railroad still operates a small section of the old Chesapeake and Ohio line. We had been to Durbin before on a trip to the neighboring Cass Scenic Railroad several years ago, but this time we camped at a small family campground in Durbin itself.

This time out I had a new camera to shoot with. Well, it was not exactly “new.” You see the “new” camera was a well cared for Canon FTb given to me by my great uncle from the mid 1970’s. While it was a bit intimidating at first, I found that going back to shooting black and white film was a wonderful experience. With digital cameras I would shoot tons of shots since the “film” is free, but then I would have tons of shots to pore through later. However, with only thirty-six frames to shoot with, I found myself taking much more time with each shot. Being new at shooting and developing film they did not all turn out, but the ones that did I was very happy with. The shots on this trip were all on a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 film, and I love the distinctive natural grain in these shots. I find it amusing that there are expensive programs and plugins to try and simulate “film grain”, some of which I’ve used before, but these days I feel that nothing can match the real thing! Tri-X has been around a very long time, but of the films I have tried so far is my favorite. It just has a natural quality all its own that is just beautiful.

Since our last visit, the Durbin and Greenbriar Railroad company has become the operator of the line at Cass as well. They have been busily working to open the entire line from Cass to Durbin that has been out of service for many years due to washouts from flooding. This connection is due to be completed this year (2021), and once the connection is restored, we were told that the train leaving from Durbin would be no more. Instead, trains will leave from Cass and travel to Durbin for a short layover, and then return to Cass. I do not know if this is still the plan, but I hope that this spurs a little more business in the little town of Durbin. I liken this to the Durango and Silverton, where the train brings a lot of passengers to Silverton. They then can spend a few hours shopping and eating lunch which is a huge boost to the local economy. Hopefully the town of Durbin and the railroad can work together to spur a similar growth.

For me, giving film a try for the first time in many years is just another extension of that idea of slowing down and experiencing the moment.

The yard in Durbin has a number of old railcars on display, and in the evenings is a very quiet place after everything has settled down for the day. The town itself is a very quiet place in the evenings as well. With the craziness of COVID going on around us, it felt nice to spend a few quiet moments surrounded by the old weathered railroad buildings and cars in this quaint mountain town. After night fell, and with very little light pollution, the stars put on a beautiful show. We were even able to get our little telescope out in the campground for a nice look at Jupiter and Saturn.

COVID-19 has been a terrible virus that has hit our nation and the world this past year. There has been so much loss and so many things we have had to give up. However, if one looks hard enough you can find some good things in this past year. For us, we spent less time running around to kid’s sports, meetings, and other activities we normally would. In exchange we slowed down and took our little camper all over the beautiful Appalachian Mountains that we live in. We got into biking (lots of rail trails), and just spent more time together as a family. For me, giving film a try for the first time in many years is just another extension of that idea of slowing down and experiencing the moment. Thinking about each shot just a little more, and in different ways, has been a great way for me to reconnect with the joy of photography and of course railroading!

Jason Stamper – Photographs and text Copyright 2021