Don't know if anyone is a nostalgia or old train buff, but here is the difference 50 years can make. The first is a famous picture taken around 1955 of Main St in Stanley VA.
(http://www.members.pen 15s.net/mr428/Ghost_Town.jpg)
The second is today(well last month)... Yea I should have gotten a little closer but I was tryin to get the '85-'86 Bird as well... Maybe one of the pictures the wife got will be better(thats her just ahead of me).
(http://www.members.pen 15s.net/mr428/stanley.jpg)
is there even a train track in that second pic?
Gate? (image sharpened somewhat)
YUP......
Enlarged(somewhat) :hick:
(http://www.members.pen 15s.net/mr428/Stanley2.jpg)
I love trains.. they're the kind of power you both respect and fear at the same time. Love those B&W shots. Forget who did them, but I've seen several of 'em and they're all fantastic pics. I wish I could take pics even a fraction of the quality of those.
Here ya go... Was there twice last year... Even have one photo about 1/2 size of a locomotive, its coal tender and crew... Huge!!!!
http://www.linkmuseum.org/
i love trains and train stations. If you ever get a chance, visit strasburg pa,, now they have some train stuff there., of course about every town in pa has train stuff. Must have something to do with the history behind Mr Carnegie (carnegie hall,,sp?) and how he bought up every station he could to produce steel after designing the blower system for coal. That pretty much put an end to blacksmithing.
Whats up guys, nice pic Tom, even cooler with the bird in there. I cant wait to go visit some historical train sites in Va. I can never get tired of looking at trains, theres about 5 engines sitting out back here that I go and admire several times a day lol. Later
Ronnie
No trains here anymore. The government sign a deal about 20 years ago to trade the rails for roads. We had a narrow gage rail and every train car that came across the gulf had to be converted when it came on the island. It proved to be too expensive to operate the narrow gage and it was even more expensive or convert the railway to standard gage.
Now all the railway's have been converted into ATV/snowmobile and walking trails. All that's left of the old railway are some pictures (http://"http://merrittscharnweber.com/TableContents.html")
cool. but you need to be on the other side of the street.. :P
that was pretty nifty though i must say.
Yea the original pic was taken on the other side, approx 1/3 way out in the street(on a tripod no less). Unfortunatly there was so much traffic, I couldn't do as ole Winston did 50 years ago. Anyway you really couldn't see much from the other side, due to the parked cars. When I saw the Bird I just had to get the shot.
That's cool. I love trains as well. My grandfather was an engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad and retired in 1987 engineering for Amtrak. His name is on a plate among other past engineers in the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum.
Heh.. I know it doesn't quite fit, but every time I see the title of this thread, I have to play "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by CCR.
some pics from my old website
http://mdj1281.8m.com/Bio_/train_pics/train_pics.html
member of this restoration committee
http://www.lirr35.org/
Attended "Rail Camp '99", the pilot year of a National Railroad Historical Society and National Park Service joint venture on teaching late teens the art of restoration and maintaince of a historical park/rolling stock.
http://www.railcamp.com/
I didn't know there were so many of you guys here that liked trains. I've loved them ever since I was a little kid. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (http://www.gsmr.com/) is a 20 minute drive from my house.