Welcome!
I’m so excited to have this website up and running. It has been a long time coming and, though it took longer than I anticipated, the time helped me solidify where I want to go with this. So where am I going with this website? Who am I? What is this website all about?
These are all questions I have gotten over the last couple of years when I talk to people about what I do. First and foremost, I am an educator, and this website was created as an educational tool to promote and preserve railway history. Through my photography I am going to not only beautifully highlight the railroad operations of today, but I am going to examine historically many of the structures and locations I have visited and captured over the years throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Second, I created this website to use as a storyboard for a book I am working on about Washington state railroads. Websites are a great tool for putting together ideas and organizing thoughts.
Last but not least, this website was created as a research and networking tool. Historical accuracy is important to me and when I set out on this project I wanted to use every available resource I could to get a comprehensive and accurate historical record. By sharing my photography and writing with the world, it allows me to receive feedback, ensure historical accuracy, and meet others in the railroad industry. People guide my research and it’s why I enjoy talking to others so much – I am always learning.
How It All Started
To begin, let me first say up until eight years ago, my knowledge of the railroad came down to the brief history I received in school, the Westerns I saw on TV and the cartoons I watched on Saturday mornings. So, when I began photographing different aspects of the railroad, it was merely out of curiosity and fun. I had no idea that I would be sitting here now working on a book and writing my first article for my website.
My introduction to railroad photography came along during a very difficult time in my life. I had been severely injured and was experiencing a great deal of trauma. I was fighting a losing physical and mental battle. I found that time out alone, in nature, photographing trains was very healing. It was so healing, I did it repeatedly, most days of the week, for years, all over the Pacific Northwest. I would pack up my gear, hit the tracks, and drive for days to capture every train and structure I could for no other reason than my love of the railroad and photography and to escape and heal.
But photographing the railroad isn’t just about chasing trains; a large portion of it is about waiting. And when I would wait for trains, I would naturally think about life on the railroad. Well, that’s all it took – my curiosity was sparked, and it has been full steam ahead ever since.
What ended up happening was that I had been unknowingly capturing a changing landscape and a changing industry. I had come to the realization that I was capturing history, and because of the volume (12TB and counting volume!) of images I had gathered, I could tell a story. An important story, as I have now learned. The railroad industry is an integral part of the US economy. It is an industry nearly as old as the country itself. Everything we use and most of what we eat has at one time or another been on a train. The lifestyle we live now is a direct result of the railroad, and it is just as vital, if not more, an industry today for the functioning and growth of our country as it was back then.
Coming Up...
In the coming months, you will find an examination of the various aspects of the railroad industry told visually through photographs. You will see the building and expansion of new rail lines and structures, the people who make it happen, and you will see certain parts of the railroad that no longer exist. Finally, you will hear stories from the men and women who work hard to ensure that the goods we consume and use every day get to where they need to go.
By taking you on this great adventure with me, I hope that I will pass on my enthusiasm and love for the railroad and, in turn, bring awareness to this often overlooked industry and, more importantly, its people. My job as a photographer and archaeologist is to protect and preserve as much of culture and history as I can, and though this is just the beginning of my contribution to the historical record, I am excited for what is to come.