Ernest H. Robl
Stock Photo Update #22
Summer, 2003
Copyright © 2003 Ernest H. Robl

A newsletter for picture editors and researchers

New Wright Brothers site, state port, and Charlotte Trolley photos added

Documentation of NC rail improvement projects also continued in early 2003

The first half of 2003 saw a diverse assortment of subject matter added to my stock file, ranging from transportation to historic subjects. While most of these photos were made in North Carolina, many can be used to illustrate national or even international issues and topis.

As indicated in previous newsletters, I made an additional trip to the Wright Brothers National Memorial site on the Outer Banks in May, shortly after the renovated visitor center finally reopened to the public.

The photos show the replica of the Wright Brothers plane displayed in the visitor center as well as the new temporary exhibit pavilions placed on the site in anticipation of the centennial celebration in December.

State port in Wilmington

An early June shoot at the North Carolina State Port in Wilmington added to previous coverage of that facility. New coverage includes both a container ship being loaded and unloaded and dredging work to expand the navigable channel in the port, as well as environmental portraits of Erik Stromberg, CEO of the N.C. ports.

The new port photos add more North Carolina specific images to my already far-ranging coverage of intermodal transportation. Many of the new photos focus on intermodal container operations, including photos made from atop one of the port's container cranes.

Hamlet station move

The project of documenting railroad improvements aimed at enhancing passenger travel options within the state, featured in the previous newsletter, continues with coverage of additional locations.

A major event for south central North Carolina was the move of the historic wooden Hamlet passenger station to a new location on April 4. (I also have earlier photos of preparations for the move.)

Other railroad images

Other recent railroad images include upgrades in grade crossing work, track and alignment improvements, and installation of new switches in the Durham area.

Charlotte trolley

Charlotte has been operating a heritage trolley as a tourist attraction for several years. What makes this operation unique is its route and infrastructure. The trolley operates on a former freight railroad line that has already undergone extensive upgrading in preparation for a planned modern light rail line.

So, the trolley is operating on a state-of-the-art right of way.

My photos from earlier this year show both the historic trolley in operation and work that has been done on the right of way. In the future, I'll be adding photos of work on Charlotte's light rail system, when that work begins.

[Sample photos from the above subjects are available on my Recent images page.]

Charlotte Hawkins Brown site

Late last year, after my previous newsletter had already been closed out, I added photos of the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Hawkins Brown Museum state historic site in Sedalia, near Greensboro.

On the site of the former Palmer Memorial Institute, a pioneering residential school for blacks, the museum highlights both the history of the institute and of Brown, the founder and guiding light. Photos of the site include the founder's grave. Several buildings of the former Palmer Memorial Institute are being restored.

These photos are part of the coverage of many state historic sites throughout North Carolina.

Research Triangle Park (RTP) in central North Carolina has long been one of the major high-tech research and manufacturing centers on the East Coast. RTP contains major campuses of pharmaceutical, computer, communications, and bio-tech companies.

While I have long had some stock coverage of RTP, I've now begun a new stock shooting project focusing on the architecture of the buildings in RTP, particularly interior architecture.

As of the closing date for this newsletter, I've photographed entrance areas of Paradigm Genetics and GlaxoSmithKline (a major pharmaceutical company). This will be an ongoing project, with more photos added as I can make arrangements to photograph additional locations.

Look for sample photos on both the "Architecture" (see box above) and "Recent images" pages on my Web site.

I'm following preparations for the Triangle Transit Authority's (TTA) regional rail system between Durham and Raleigh. First steps toward construction may come by the end of the year. (Late last year, I photographed a visit to Raleigh by Colorado Railcar's diesel multiple unit (DMU) prototype, a strong candidate for use on the TTA system.

In May, Business North Carolina magazine included a photo and text feature on upgrades to North Carolina railroad facilities aimed at providing better and faster passenger rail service—the subject of a main story in my previous newsletter.

The 2004 Tide-Mark Press Railroading calendar again includes several of my photos. More information about the calendar is available on my Web site. I have provided photos for Tide-Mark's railroad calendars for the past five years.

And, of course, there are always individual images selected for various textbook projects.

Small furry visitors provide nighttime entertainment—and photo subject matter Though I live in an urban area, my house is near a city park that is home to a variety of furry and feathered wildlife—some of which comes to visit my back porch. Particularly prominent of late have been a number of raccoons that show up late at night. Opossums are also occasional visitors. During the daytime, a variety of birds compete for attention with large numbers of squirrels. I've added a couple of raccoon photos to my Web site, accessible through the "Recent images" link on the home page.

030581 Nighttime visitor Click on the image to view a larger version.

With two large military bases and a large Veterans Affairs hospital, Fayetteville, N.C., stages the largest Memorial Day parade in the state each year.

This year's parade, with a tie-in to the Festival of Flight held in Fayetteville, was no exception. Photos from the parade go beyond illustrating a specific event, offering a variety of examples of members of the military being honored.

The parade also produced one particularly nice iconic shot of marching troops that is featured in my "Recent images" section on the Web site.

I also photographed the parade of aircraft held in conjunction with the Festival of Flight. Included in the parade was a replica of an early Wright Brothers plane.

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