When you love trains and you love twilight you take this photograph.
Eleven years ago this weekend, my brother died at age 56. He loved trains, too.
He called his train set, which rivaled Amtrak’s northeast corridor in terms of real estate, “The Coconut Central Railroad”. He wrote out a schedule of arrivals and departures that today would have required a spread sheet like Excel to properly put together. But, in 1952, at the age of 10, paper and a colored pencil was his medium.
He designed it like a real train schedule–tall and narrow, but it folded out to full size to reveal the precise times of arrivals and departures from the imaginary towns along the route.
When you love something, you want to do things right.
©Pat Coakley 2009
PHOTOGRAPHS CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION
I have a whole series called, “Trucks and Trains”. Here’s one image of a winter railroad crossing, Sky Train, and of this same commuter train and station in January, “Stranger on the Train“. If you want to see more (and who wouldn’t, really!!) try clicking on “Archive” at the top of the post and peruse the blog through categories. Type in “Trucks and Trains”.
I have an obsession with trains and train stations, and I can’t pinpoint where/when it all started.
I can account for train-love in my life, but truck-love? So, I understand your mystery, vesper de vil!
“When you love something, you want to do things right.”
An important thought, Pat, not unrelated to the discussion of moral hazard a while back. There are so many things I like about this image — the patterns of contrails and clouds in the sky, the lights on in the train, the near-empty parking lot. I don’t know about trucks, but there is romance to a train, especially a train that carries people. Too bad there are so few.
It’s interesting, Don, about wanting to so things right. Razz says he wants to do everything right and drives himself and others crazy. I just want to do a few things right and I can still drive myself and others crazy! No fair! But, I do think the romance of the train is a true way of talking about my feelings about them!
Nice dramatic image.
Like Donald said, there’s something about trains that really snares the imagination. Trains are still my favourite way to travel.
I must love everthing because I want to do everything right. Which of course is impossible and it drives myself and others around me crazy.
Razz, I actually responded to you when I replied to Don! When I was in Boston yesterday I tried to take photos of ceilings!! I’ve gotta a get a little tutorial about that hyperfocus thing when you get back home!!
Hi Pat,
What a wonderful tribute to your brother, the ones we truly love stay forever in our hearts and thoughts.
Thanks, Mary! It is true..they simply occupy inner real estate and they don’t ever leave!
how lovely, what a wonderful way to remember your brother. it brings ‘bittersweet’ to mind as well. my brother is such a presence in my life, i cant imagine a world without him, and yet i know nothing is permanent, neither he nor me. so the best thing to do is to be wholly and holy in the present moment while acknowledging and savoring the days gone by. sigh.