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Railroad Town: 
Taylor, Texas

Northbound Texas Eagle arriving at Taylor, Texas (2013)

The Texas Eagle glides into Taylor, Texas. Ten-twenty-two a.m., on time, amazingly. A few passengers wait on a bleak, crumbling concrete and brick pad to embark. It is a good thing that Amtrak is on time. There are no restrooms, or other amenities. Other than a small covered space with a few picnic tables there is no waiting room for shelter from the hot Texas morning sun, not even a restroom. A far cry from the once magnificent depot that stood in the same spot. Demolished in the 1980s, it seemed then—as it still does today—that Taylor wants to separate herself from her once booming past as a major railroad junction (one of the oldest in Texas) and shipping point. For most of the 1900s, Taylor billed herself as the “Largest Inland Cotton Market in the World.”

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Ghost Window

St. Louis Union Station was once one of the busier passenger stations in the United States, with trains of numerous railroads calling on the classic structure. Tracks leading into the station entered on the south side from both the east and west, forming a maze of tracks in the form of a complex wye pattern. The tracks were controlled from a large interlocking tower.

By October of 1991, trains no longer called at Union Station. Most of the tracks were long removed and their location occupied by a parking lot, fountain and retail areas as the building was repurposed in the late eighties. The tower still stood sentinel however; unused, derelict and forlorn.

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A Portrait of Owney

Owney needs no introduction to those who are familiar with Railway Mail Service history. Between his 1887 puppy-hood and June 11th, 1897, Owney touched the lives of many as he trotted his way into the hearts of Railway Mail Clerks.

Other articles (see here) generally describe his life and travels. This introspection focuses upon a momentary time and place preserved in this un-dated photograph.

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Railroad Town: 
Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg Southern Railroad from Redwood, view south to International Paper Vicksburg Mill, Panatomic-X film, Rolleiflex 3.5E, 75mm f/3.5 Xenotar lens. 

Vicksburg has been an important railroad town since before the Civil War. One of the reasons General Grant considered this to be a crucial strategic objective in the Civil War was the railroad infrastructure. The railroad from the western Confederate states (Texas and Louisiana) came through Vicksburg on the way to Jackson, Meridian, and other eastern Confederate cities. Once Vicksburg surrendered, the Union Navy totally controlled the Mississippi River and the Confederacy was split. This meant food and other crucial supplies could not move east from the western states.

The train still comes through Vicksburg. Let us take a quick tour of the railroad bridges in town. I suspect many motorists just rush over and do not pay any attention to the tracks below.

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A Sense of Place

Holcomb Creek Trestle – Hillsboro, Oregon

The largest wooden railroad bridge in the United States still in use, 1168 feet long and about 90 feet tall, the Holcomb Creek Trestle was built by United Railways in 1905. United Railways was an electric interurban railway that ran from Portland to Wilkesboro, with a connection to Banks. Although it did have passenger service, its main commodity was lumber. Eventually the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway purchased the line and added a connection to its electric railway, the Oregon Electric. At some point in the 1930’s the overhead wires probably came down and the line was served by steam and later diesel freight trains. The line was almost abandoned by Burlington Northern who eventually obtained it. Currently the State of Oregon officially owns the right-of-way and shortline operator Portland & Western Railroad runs freight trains on the line.

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Expectations

Oh boy, a business trip to Folsom, New Jersey—check the map and see if there are any good railroads around there. Hmmm, there’s the SMS Rail Lines in Bridgeport, the home of just about all the running Baldwin diesels in the USA, if not the world. Having been there a decade ago and not seeing any running Baldwins, I was happy to have another crack at them. Baldwins and Alcos are personal favorites, so I sent a quick email to the SMS and was rewarded with an invite to visit the shop.

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