thebestofamtrak

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Two Amtrak Downeasters meet in Haverhill, MA.

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Triple Crossing

These images were made in Elliston, Indiana. Three railroads once crossed at this one spot, two at grade while one flew over…

Illinois Central’s line to Indianapolis

Monon’s so-called B&B Branch (for Bedford and Bloomfield)

Evansville, Indianapolis & Terre Haute Railroad (Big Four, NYC)

The two roads that intersected physically are both gone while the former Illinois Central line is still very much alive as the Indiana Rail Road. It should be noted that my images were made looking eastward, while the historical one in the opposite direction.

Two photographs by Richard Koenig; taken March 5th 2021.

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Pere Marquette

Here is some former roadbed of the Chicago and West Michigan/Pere Marquette/C&O south of Traverse City, Michigan.

The location is the exempt road crossing at a place once known as Beitner; I gather we are 163 miles from Grand Rapids.

One image by Richard Koenig; taken March 27th 2021.

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Like a Mirage

The westbound Amtrak Southwest Chief appears along former Santa Fe at Colmor (between Raton and Las Vegas, New Mexico), looking like she’s doing every bit of the 79 miles-per-hour speed limit.

Note the main is jointed rail here and the semaphore facing us is in the process of rising to denote that the block to the east is now clear.

Image by Richard Koenig; taken June 28th 2018.

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Sunset at Beevers

After exploring Abo Canyon a couple of years, I paused to watch the sun set just to the west. This spot, what the BNSF calls Beevers, lies between Belen and the mouth of the canyon; I believe that is Ladron Peak in the distance. This is along the Belen Cutoff, built by the ATSF in 1908.

Image by Richard Koenig, taken October 27th 2018.

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Waiting for a Meet—Glorieta Pass

This is a westbound Amtrak Southwest Chief waiting to meet the eastbound atop Glorieta Pass. This is the original route of the ATSF through New Mexico.

I recently read that this meet usually happens one siding to the east, at Fox siding, but the eastbound train was running a bit late, which allowed the westbound to come on over to Glorieta for the meet.

Image by Richard Koenig; taken October 29th 2018.

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Amtrak’s Southwest Chief—as seen from Wagon Mound

Walking up this relatively small mesa was more difficult than I had imagined it would be—due to rocky footing and my not being accustomed to the altitude of more than 6200 feet. In any case, I made it about two thirds to the top before I figured I should stop and set up for the westbound train.

Wagon Mound, the geological formation, is named for the shape of the covered wagons used by pioneers traversing the Santa Fe Trail, while the accompanying town was then named for the formation. The rail line one sees here, formerly the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, was named (in part) for the destination of that pioneer trail, and was built through these parts in the first half of 1879.

Image by Richard Koenig; taken May 15th 2019.

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Wolverine Service

This is eastbound Amtrak 352 accelerating out of Kalamazoo, Michigan; the sun is setting on a on an unseasonably warm day. The train has just left the downtown station, is seen passing boarded-up BO tower, and will soon cross the Kalamazoo River on its way to Detroit and ultimately Pontiac. The line here was once the Michigan Central, then NYC, Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern before becoming a property of Amtrak.

Image by Richard Koenig; taken on January 5th 2019.

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Milky Way

It was the night of the New Moon, so I thought I would try to shoot some stars. This image was taken at Summit City, in the upper lower peninsula, as it’s called here in Michigan. This spot is along the former Grand Rapids & Indiana branch to Traverse City (later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad).

One will note that Saturn and Jupiter are becoming close to each other for their meeting later in the fall.

Image by Richard Koenig; taken August 18th 2020.

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California Zephyr

Here we see a westbound California Zephyr in Byers Canyon, just west of Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado. This scenic beauty can be found on the former Denver & Rio Grande Western as it follows the Colorado River.

Image by Richard Koenig; taken June 23rd 2018.

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Amtrak at Fifty

A half century ago, on May 1st 1971, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) was born. I wasn’t taking pictures at the time, but here are a few shots of Amtrak’s Floridian on the former Monon in the state of Indiana.

The first shot was taken of a northbound train over the White River south of Bedford. The second image shows a northbound train conquering the hill at Hunter Switch. The final picture has a southbound train making its station stop in downtown Bloomington.

The trains seen here appear close to how they would have in the early years—with an E-unit or two and legacy passenger cars provided by the participating railroads.

Three images by Richard Koenig; all taken in 1977.

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Inter-American

Amtrak’s southbound Inter-American speeds by the depot at Lexington, Illinois. The train is headed up by a rounded-nose E-unit, with a rounded-end observation bringing up the rear—how the visionary designers of the 1940s imagined how things should be.

This line belonged to the Illinois Central Gulf at the time of the photograph being made, but it was once Alton’s main line between Chicago and St. Louis, and the GM&O after that.

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken May 22nd 1977.

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KIngston, Rhode Island

Here a northbound train is headed up by F40PH number 202. It’s interesting to note that the tower has been saved, if not preserved, and is sitting (languishing) off to the side. Two images by Richard Koenig; taken during the spring of 1984.

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I’m obsessed.

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An elephant casually stealing and then returning a wildlife photographer’s hat 

(Source)

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Amtrak 281, one of the Empire Service trains, is closing in on his destination of Niagara Falls as passengers scramble about the platform. Depew, NY March 31, 2007

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Empire Service Train 285 chases the fading daylight as it winds through the reverse curves west of Lyons NY. July 03, 2007