Railroad landscape Archives - Page 4 of 11 - The Trackside Photographer

Posted on June 13, 2019June 20, 2019 by admin

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.

Posted on May 9, 2019May 16, 2019 by admin

Track Houses

I suppose you get used to it: the dishes rattling in the cupboard, the thundering locomotive, the diesel fumes invading the front porch, the clack of wheels on steel rail, the wait in the driveway for a train to pass.

Life along the tracks. It may be hard for railfans to appreciate that if you live this close to trains, the railroad becomes commonplace, or perhaps a nuisance. The early morning noise, your favorite TV show drowned out by a train—the railroad is an inescapable part of your day to day life.

Posted on March 28, 2019September 19, 2019 by admin

I Liked It!

I have been involved with railroads, one way or another, my entire life. My very earliest memories at three years old are of being on board the Southern Pacific/Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific’s Golden State with my Mom. As a pre-teen, I would regularly ride my bike to the depot in Goleta, California, to take in what the Southern Pacific’s Coast Line had to offer an observer. Once a teen, and into my college years, I decided mere observation wasn’t quite enough, and I started hopping freight trains. It was at about this time that I picked up a camera and began recording these adventures.

In 1976 I snagged a job with the American Freedom Train and traveled the country for a year as the AFT’s Assistant Curator. Now my interest in railroads made a transition—I was getting paid!

I liked it.

Posted on February 14, 2019February 21, 2019 by admin

A World Apart, A World Within

The Mississippi River Delta region has been the subject of books and portrayed in movies, but rarely have stories accurately captured the region, its people and its reputation as an agricultural empire.

To some, the Delta is flat, barren and less than inspiring visually. To others, it’s a wonder of nature, fertile and diverse. There is no question that the Delta has abundant agricultural and natural wealth, but it also has a heritage that can’t be duplicated.

The Delta is different than the agricultural areas of the Midwest and the open spaces of the Great Plains, but just how it is different is difficult to describe.

Posted on August 9, 2018August 9, 2018 by admin

Legacies

We stand on the shoulders of the great men and women who have gone before. Their legacy is a gift that lights our way forward.

The first in our Legacies series of videos features the work of William Henry Jackson who lived from 1843 to 1942 and was one of the first photographers to extensively record the early days of railroading. For a little more background information, see here.

If you haven’t visited our YouTube channel, check it out. We are just getting started but plan to have more video content in the coming months. If you enjoy seeing this type of work, let us know by subscribing to our channel.