The Rip Track

I just read a note that says noted Colorado railroad photographer Richard Kindig passed away on April 7. Earlier this year, the governor of Colorado in a ceremony at the Colorado Railroad Museum, declared March 1, 2008, to be Richard H. Kindig Day in recognition of his work photographing the railroads of the state. There are a few mentions around the web on railfan and modeling sites...

• Master steam-era photographer Richard H. Kindig dies (Trains NewsWire - requires login)
• Richard Kindig (Railway Preservation News)
• Richard Kindig passes away (DRGW.net)
• Dick Kindig Passes Away (RailroadForums.net)
• Richard Kindig's Passing (TrainOrders.com)

He was 92 and will be missed. May the eternal dispatcher always give him the clear signal.

The Olympic Torch is on a Eurostar train today traveling from London to Paris.^[1] In scanning around the web for news of other train rides, it appears that the Torch Relay will ride the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (now the highest railway in the world) in June,^[2] and will also ride the Indian Pacific across Australia (a route that traverses the longest stretch of straight and level track in the world as it crosses the Nullarboor Plain) in July.^[3] What I don't see is any mention of rail travel over North America. I've seen photos of the 2002 relay car that Union Pacific built, and I got to see Canadian Pacific carry the torch through Wisconsin, but so far it doesn't look like any American railfans will get to see it on a train this year.

I've learned long ago that if you're ever given a chance to go out railfanning, do it. It seems that every time I go out to shoot trains, I see something special. To use today as an example, I had an opportunity to go to the Quad Cities to see the double-headed special pulled by the two Chinese steam locomotives on Iowa Interstate. When I finally got to a good photo location, another railfan told me that 261 was coupled into the train too. The train pulled into the town and all three were steamed up and working! Bonus!

We just got back from a short vacation in Colorado. What is a railfan to do when surrounded by some of the best known narrow gauge railroading in North America? He goes to the museums and rides the trains, of course. On this trip, we visited the Colorado Railroad Museum, and rode Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Here's a little bit of a photojournal documenting the trip (39 photos, dialup users beware)...

Sometimes, inclement weather can work to your advantage when you're out railfanning. For one thing, you won't need your "other railfan filter" as much since there'll be fewer railfans out in the weather with you. Also, you'll be able to get those really dramatic shots that just don't happen on what I call "Kodak clouds" days. This photo of Wisconsin & Southern 4025 was taken during a rainstorm in 2005.

It's not just Southern Railway that ran their locomotives long hood forward. Just because the control stand on the majority of locomotives is positioned for short hood forward operation doesn't mean that a locomotive can't be operated long hood forward. This Wisconsin and Southern train is taking loads westward from Madison through Middleton toward Prairie du Chien.

UP has put up a press release today to announce that the latest heritage scheme is in honor of Denver & Rio Grande Western. UP 1989 sports a three-color (black, yellow and grey) scheme featuring a profile of mountains on the cab sides and the Rio Grande logo on the nose. The press release includes a few photos, there are bound to be more at the railfan sites soon.

Last week I went out to railfan along the Mississippi River with a bunch of friends in a little town called Glen Haven, Wisconsin. We saw about 10 trains in the 6 hours that I was there, but all the photos that I took are mere snapshots. However, they make excellent model reference photos, so here's the rolling stock roster shots that turned out well enough...

Yesterday, BNSF put up a press release to recruit railfans to help secure the railroad. In a program called Citizens United for Rail Security (CRS), interested railfans are asked to register (name, address, phone number, email and birthdate) to receive an identification card and access to additional news and security info from BNSF. It doesn't say so in the press release, but I'm guessing that this ID will make it easier for us as railfans to explain our hobby when local law enforcement is asked to investigate us.