TRAINS
I love trains, especially old trains. They give me a sense of nostalgia; a sense of "the way life used to be. I like to photograph really old, abandoned boxcars. I wonder why they were abandoned, on the old tracks, and why other options weren't implemented, other than just abandoning them.
I look for uniqueness, like graffiti, early morning shots, or trains crawling on high trestles. They have unique personalities; unique characteristics. I like to photograph them from different angles, different perspectives, and at different times of the day.
Below are a few samples from my collection.
I was conducting a 1-on-1 field lesson at Denver's Union Station when we both spotted this really cool renovated vintage train. The owner called it the "Patrick Henry." Union Station was one of his stops.
I walked up to the owner and told him I was teaching a lesson, then asked him if he would mind if my student and I took some pictures of his beautiful train. I like using the word "pictures" in those situations. It sounds less professional and less formal. Anyway, he was more than willing.
He even gave us a free guided tour of three or four cars. The image below is of his luxury car, as you can see. It had everything, including a bar.
I found this train high above the ground near Georgetown, Colorado. I chose to capture, not only the train, but the context in which it was, surrounded by Colorado's trademark--big mountains.
On my way to Shreveport, Louisiana, on a narrow, country two-lane road, I saw this prize. There are so many factors that appealed to me: the old wooden trestle, the graffiti on the train, and the crooked pavement that looked like part of a fake Hollywood set. It looked like a faux piece of pavement-like material that had been placed on the ground, with a corner on the right that had come loose. You can see it curling up.
This train and train depot are part of a historic park called "South Park," in Fairplay, Colorado. It looks like a scene from a movie. By the way, what appears to be steam coming out of the smokestack is actually a cloud formation. Lucky me!
This abandoned car really grabbed my attention. The two large doors on both sides gave me a view of a residence across the road; a road that led to a nearby town in Arkansas. I knew it had been abandoned a long, long time ago, judging by the fact that nature was beginning to take ownership of the frail and rusted metal carcass.
I decided to do something different with these old ore cars. Instead of seeing them all in the image, I closed in tight to show how the cars were strangely hitched together, while including the historic company structure and name in the background. This is in Idaho Springs, Colorado.
While traveling throughout the Luzern, Switzerland area, I got on board the steepest cogwheel train in the world. It took us to the top of beautiful Mt. Pilatus. When I got to the top, I hiked a few more yards to the summit of Mt. Pilatus. After doing that, I looked for a vantage point to photograph one of the trains as it approached the top of the mountain. This composition really gave the red train a sense of scale against Mt. Pilatus.
There is a fantastic outdoor railroad museum in Golden, Colorado. I approached their management with the idea of opening at sunrise once or twice a year, for the benefit of photographers. I told them photographers love to get those early morning shots, and that I thought it would attract another category of customers to the museum. They decided to give it a try. I went in at sunrise the first time they opened for their new "photography" hours. I created several images that morning. This is one of my favorites-- Engine 5771. Click.
I hope I have inspired you to add trains to your photographic repertoire. Hopefully, my images and stories behind them have given you some ideas about what to look for, how to photograph them, and why to photograph them. Have fun looking for your next choo-choo train.
