Hibernating.

Hibernating.
Originally uploaded by Morven

THIS IS THE FAMILIAR FACE OF THE DIESELS I GREW UP WITH, the kind of diesels that pulled the railroads before they became nationalized. This was the face I loved, the face that helped me smile at a million people as I went from California to many points east. My favorite spot on these trains was always in the Clubcar, sipping Coca Cola and dreaming about the future as the cacti of the painted desert passed by my window. And there were those nights when all looked even brighter from the Vista Dome Car, sitting beside some young lady who said, "Hello, Sailor". Yes, my friend, you took a great photo.


Hibernating.
This EMD E8 is parked on a hard-to-photograph siding in La Mirada, CA along with a number of passenger cars. It appears in movies occasionally.

Uploaded by Morven on 14 Jun 05,

Italian night

Italian night
Originally uploaded by Quietude

Italian night
Tram in Milano
Taken from the taxi took from the Milano station to hotel. Was raining, but first great impression of Italian color.

Uploaded by Quietude on 1 Feb 08, 7.16PM

JAMES ELDON HUFFSTUTTER, MILWAUKEE RAILROAD

JAMES ELDON HUFFSTUTTER, MILWAUKEE RAILROAD
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

JAMES ELDON HUFFSTUTTER, MILWAUKEE RAILROAD
JAMES E. HUFFSTUTTER WORKED FOR THE MILWAUKEE RAILROAD FOR 45 YEARS. CONDUCTOR. THE SW LIMITED NUMBER 26 FROM KC TO DAVENPORT. HE PASSED AWAY IN 1984. HIS NEPHEW, BILL McDaniels passed away in the same month almost one year later. For a photo of Marietta, Jim's sister and Bill's mother, see tags Marietta McDaniel or Aunt Marietta.

DEPARTING RANCOR OF POLITICAL DISPUTES: ALL ABOARD FOR SERENITY

DEPARTING RANCOR OF POLITICAL DISPUTES: ALL ABOARD FOR SERENITY
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

THIS WAS THE LAST RUN OF TRAIN NUMBER 25 INTO KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. THE MILWAUKEE ROAD'S LAST INWARD BOUND TRIP FROM CHICAGO TO KANSAS CITY WAS ON 27 APRIL 1958. MY UNCLE JIM HUFFSTUTTER WAS THE CONDUCTOR ON THIS TRAIN FOR YEARS; HE WORKED FOR THE MILWAUKEE ROAD FOR 45 YEARS BEFORE RETIRING IN THE EARLY 60S. BORN IN 1905, UNCLE JIM BEGAN WORKING FOR THE MILWAUKEE WHEN HE WAS ABOUT 17. HIS OLDER BROTHER, FRANK HUFFSTUTTER, A WORLD WAR ONE VET, HELPED HIM GET ON. MY DAD AND MY UNCLE JIM LEFT LAREDO, MISSOURI AND MOVED TO KANSAS CITY IN 1922. UNCLE FRANK WAS INVOLVED IN A LOCOMOTIVE EXPLOSION AND WAS RETIRED WITH A RAILROAD PENSION. UNCLE JIM WORKED HIS WAY UP TO CONDUCTOR THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. WHEN THE PASSENGER TRAINS WERE DISCONTINUED IN 1958, UNCLE JIM WAS 55 AND TRANSFERRED TO FREIGHT. HE TOLD ME TALES OF HOW HE HAD TO WALK FROM THE CABOOSE TO THE DIESEL WHILE THE TRAIN WAS MOVING, SOMETIMES DURING THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT. IT WAS A PERILOUS FETE IF HE WAS TELLING ME THE TRUTH. UNCLE JIM RETIRED IN THE MID 60S AND HE AND MY AUNT MOVED TO A LITTLE FARM IN NORTH MISSOURI. AUNT DOROTHY PASSED AWAY IN 1972. UNCLE JIM EVENTUALLY MET SOME LADY FRIENDS, ONE WHO ENJOYED TRAVELING. THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A FLIGHT TO LOS ANGELES TO VISIT HIS SISTER, MARIETTA MCDANIEL. HE LIKED FLYING, HE SAID, THOUGH HE HAD VOWED TO NEVER GET IN A PLANE. HIS NEXT TRIP WITH HIS LADY FREIND WAS TO MEXICO CITY. HE SAID HE LIKE THE MUSIC, THE FOOD, BUT DID NOT CARE FOR THE WATER. UNCLE JIM WAS A MAJOR FIGURE IN MY LIFE; HE PASSED AWAY IN AUGUST OF 1984. I THINK OF HIM OFTEN; I THINK OF HOW HE AND MY DAD, TWO YOUTHS, WERE ON THEIR OWN IN THE 20S AND HOW THEY SURVIVED. UNCLE JIM'S STORY IS QUITE INSPIRING AND I WILL BE WRITING MORE ABOUT THE TALES HE TOLD ME ABOUT HIS YOUTH IN LAREDO, MISSOURI AND ABOUT HIS MANY RAILROAD RECOLLECTIONS. HE WAS, INDEED, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. ALTHOUGH I NEVER CALLED HIM DAD, HE WAS THE ONLY DAD I EVER REALLY HAD. IN DREAMS, QUITE FREQUENTLY, I HEAR HIS VOICE SPEAKING TO ME. OR AT LEAST, IT SEEMS AS IF I HEAR HIM TALKING WITH ME.

Burlington Northern BN-3

Burlington Northern BN-3
Originally uploaded by William D. Hopkins

There is something about the lines of these old diesels that are akin to the shape of the Coca Cola bottle; they are unique and one of a kind. They are icons of Americana, they warm the heart of this American and create a spirit of energy. How wonderful it would have been if passenger trains had remained as popular as Coca Cola. Our nation once had a transportation system that literally went to almost every town in the USA. Those were the days when travel was taken for granted, like the mailman, like the corner grocery. But time moves on.
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Burlington Northern BN-3
BN-3 is an EMD E-9AM and was built in 1956. It currently lives at the IRM.

Uploaded by William D. Hopkins on 17 Jul 09, 10.18PM PDT.

Milwaukee Road Sign

Milwaukee Road Sign
Originally uploaded by William D. Hopkins

Milwaukee Road Sign
Someone mentioned to me that the Milwaukee Road sign looks real good, it would be helpful to see it in color, if only to show how bright the Milwaukee's trains were.

Uploaded by William D. Hopkins on 17 Jul 09, 10.18PM PDT

Edsel

Edsel
Originally uploaded by William D. Hopkins

Edsel
Ford's Edsel was meant to be a separate, all new brand to compete with GM's midpriced Oldsmobile. It was a spectacular failure. Popular belief is that the car's styling-mostly conventional but with that unusual vertical grille up front-did the Edsel in, along with it's weird name. In reality it was a combination of things, including poor build quality, pricing that didn't quite slot between Ford and Mercury, and marketing that promised more than it delivered. The Edsel was gone within three years.

That said, I've always kinda liked the Edsel. Stylewise, I think it compares favorably with most other American cars of the period. This one's a '58, and is, I believe, an unrestored example.

Uploaded by William

Milwaukee Road 37A

Milwaukee Road 37A
Originally uploaded by William D. Hopkins

Milwaukee Road 37A
This is the front of 37A. It is an EMD E-9A, and was built in 1961. It is in very rough condition, with lots of rust and some missing panels on the other side of the loco, as well as the Milwaukee Road heralds on the front and the other side of the cab.

Uploaded by William D. Hopkins on 3 Aug 09, 6.41PM PDT.