A newsletter for picture editors and researchers
Major track and signal work upgrades NC rail artery for faster train service
New photos also depict station restorations and upgrades; Selma station reopening for passengers
North Carolina has long supported passenger trains as a travel option—though improvements offering faster and more convenient rail travel have been slow in coming.
However, in the second half of 2002, beginning in late spring and early summer, a large number of railroad improvement projects suddenly moved into high gear. Key among those projects were
With my dual stock photo specialties of travel and transportation coverage also overlapping with one of my key geographic specialties, coverage of North Carolina, I've been documenting these railroad projects and adding many new images. These images focus not just on the railroad—all of the above locations see both freight and passenger traffic—but the surrounding areas.
Selma
Selma, N.C., once an agricultural town, has gradually transformed itself into a center for antiques and crafts. Restoration of its train station has provided an anchor to its historic district.
In the case of Selma, my coverage includes not only in-progress shots of work on the station and the formal rededication of that structure, but also photos showing details of other architecture in the town, of the town's antique shops, and of the town's annual festival, "Railroad Days." Coverage of the latter includes a major parade through this small town.
Many uses
In addition to documenting the railroad projects themselves, many of the above-described images can illustrate a range of topics, including illustrating
Continuation
Documenting the railroad improvements in North Carolina is an ongoing project.
For example in February (tentative date, as of closing time for this newsletter) the historic train station in Hamlet (in south central N.C.) is scheduled to be moved to a new location. There it will continue to serve as a passenger station but also provide an anchor for the town's historic district. (The new location will provide better access for travelers, who will no longer have to cross active railroad tracks to reach the station.)
Work is also continuing on the stations in High Point and Greensboro, among other locations. So, of course, I'll continue to photograph progress on these projects.
Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year! |
| New book, Understanding
Intermodal, explains basics of global
transportation My newest self-published book, Understanding Intermodal: A portable primer on today's multimodal transportation systems and equipment, began shipping in November. With 21 chapters and some 50 black and white illustrations (reproduced from my stock color transparencies) this book looks at intermodal containers, RoadRailer® and swap-body equipment, roll-on/roll-off ships, and even aircraft containers. While some of my earlier self-published books were aimed primarily at railroad enthusiasts, this book targets a wider audience, including anyone involved in or affected by international trade. A detailed description of the book is available on my Web site. Click on the link below: |
| Other new stock photography |
While documenting the various railroad improvement projects has provided a range of images, railroad related photos certainly have not been the only ones added.
A major Civil War commemorative event sponsored by the statewide public television network provided an opportunity to photograph a variety of re-enactors—and even Civil War re-enactors on horseback with a modern TV remote truck in the background.
Samples of other subjects photographed during the past half year:
| No white Christmas where you are? |
If you haven't looked at my December 2001 coverage of Austria at Christmas, please stop by the Web site:
Click on the "Currently featured content" link on the home page (during December) or select "Pictures by category" and then, on the resulting page, the link to the "Christmas in Austria" photos.
In addition to the main page featuring scenics and snow covered landmarks, there are three further related pages with additional images—all of which, of course, have links to larger versions of the images. Please consider these my collective seasonal greeting to you.
| I
Survived the December North Carolina ice storm As many of you may be aware, central North Carolina was particularly hard hit by an early December Ice storm that, at its peak, left nearly two million electric customers without power. I was luckier than many North Carolinians, in that I only spent three days without electric power; some people had to wait a week or more to get power restored. A gas fireplace kept me moderately warm, though it was able to heat only a single room. My house sustained relatively minor damage, though many of the trees around the house lost many of their branches. Clean up of the many downed branches, some quite massive, is likely to last at least through the end of December. It took two days just to get the debris out of the driveway so that I could finally get the car out of the garage. |
| Updated plans |
As noted in a previous newsletter, North Carolina will spend much of 2003 marking the centennial (in December 2003) of the first powered flight of the Wright Brothers on the N.C. Outer Banks.
Among the major events will be the 11-day "Festival of Flight" in Fayetteville in May. Fayetteville was selected as the site in part because of two large nearby military bases—Pope AFB and Fort Bragg—both with strong aviation ties. Fayetteville is also the home of the Army's Airborne and Special Operations Museum. (Sample stock photos of Fayetteville and the Airborne Museum are available on my Web site.)
I plan to photograph many of these events. Contact me if you have specific interests.
| Intermodal Expo trip cancelled |
Plans to attend the International Intermodal Expo in California in November—announced in my last newsletter—had to be cancelled due to conflicts with several projects closer to home. These projects included coverage of key events related to the railroad projects described in the main story of this newletter and completion of the intermodal book mentioned above. Barring other conflicts, I will try to make it to the 2003 International Intermodal Expo.
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