Trains and Photography
In this time of social distancing, sheltering in place, and all the other new phrases associated with the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, what should photographers do? Things You Clearly Can’t Do One on one type photography is clearly not OK. A photographer should not be doing studio work with models, families, babies, business headshots and … Read more Photography in the Age of Covid
The cover of “The Old Railway Station Book” really caught my eye. This is the stone station at Kensington, PEI, a station I have visited several times. I was hooked. This book by Michael Golay follows the train station from its humble beginnings at the dawn of railroading, through the heyday of train stations at … Read more Book Review: The Old Railway Station Book
I seem to be photographing a fair number of aircraft these days. I thought I’d share a few here from a recent excursion. The helicopter above is a Hughes 369E, also known as a McDonnell Douglas MD 500E. It’s a small helicopter, 9.4m (30.8′) long with an 8.1m (26.4′) rotor diameter. This series of helicopters … Read more Air Time
I set out on the morning of Saturday, March 28 with great hopes for some sunrise train action. My plan was to visit the CN Redditt subdivision and the CP Keewatin subdivision on the east side of Winnipeg, maybe fly my drone, and capture some trains in that sweet early morning light. I’ve already spoiled … Read more No Trains, But a Great Sky
Photographer Mark Perry very kindly scanned seven slides from his collection that feature a fan trip in 1983, probably from the Winnipeg NMRA convention that I talked about in my previous post. The photographer isn’t marked on the slides. In fact, they have no markings other than the Kodak “July 1983” stamp, which I believe … Read more Another GWWD Fan Trip
The Greater Winnipeg Water District is a unique railway that has been serving the city of Winnipeg for many years. It was built to provide service along the aqueduct that brings fresh water from Shoal Lake to Winnipeg. The GWWD used to provide passenger service along the route using either passenger cars or Brill self-propelled … Read more A GWWD Fan Trip
One recent evening, I went to the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg for an MRI. I have some neck pain and numbness, and my doctor ordered the MRI to see what’s going on. I was on “standby”, meaning they would fit me in between patients sometime between 5:45 PM and 9 PM. I was guaranteed … Read more Phoning It In
Fall in love when we meet againWe can finish what we startedFall in love if we try againAnd then nothing will keep us apart– Alanis [Morrissette], “When We Meet Again” One evening, I had a little bit of time to railfan before doing some chores. I thought I’d try the CP Emerson sub to see … Read more Two Oil Trains Meet in a Bar…
The book “Streetcars of St. John’s” is the third “before and after” book from author Kenneth G. Pieroway. Following on his excellent Rails Across the Rock and Rails Around the Rock books, this book features the streetcars that once ran in Newfoundland’s capital city, St. John’s. The Amazon links are affiliate links, meaning that I … Read more Book Review: Streetcars of St. John’s
I was doing some decluttering during this time of voluntary isolation – darn COVID-19 – and came across a box that had a few very special toys in it. Some of you may know that I lived in Moscow (USSR, not Idaho) for two years. My father was in the military and he was posted … Read more Soviet Military Toys