And so it is that I trespass on your sacred privacy. Even before the last spike was driven into the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, connecting the Eastern United States to the west, photographers and common folk alike have been fascinated by trains.
I am guilty as well. The power of the engine, the lonesome whistle screaming, the wonder of a hobo's life riding the empty boxcar to wherever it may take you.
The photographer is drawn to the empty rail. The long steel lines curving into the unknown are hard to resist. You see it all the time. The musician, guitar on his back, kicking rocks down the track. Children holding hands and laughing as they balance on either rail, and even the high school senior sitting on the track trying to look as grown up as they feel.
STAY OFF THE TRACKS
In America an average of 500 people are killed each year by trains with only 20 to 30% being attributed to suicide. These numbers are pedestrian not collisions with autos.
As photographers we must warn others of the dangers of shooting on the tracks. Not to mention that the look is played out. I cringe anytime I see one.
That being said, trains can still be a wonderful subject to capture.
The image above was caught in Iron County, Missouri. I was driving down the narrow highway, busy with sunburned campers on their way back to the city life.
I found a place to pull off and hiked the mile back to this sign, in and out of the ditch to avoid getting run over. This is one of my favorites to use as a screen saver.
Keep Shooting and STAY SAFE!
