It has been nearly two months since I posted last, a fact that pains me greatly. Things have been just as busy since the last time I checked in – lots of places to be, trains to ride and see, but not a lot of time to write. If you follow the site on Facebook, or RailPictures (where I’ve only been submitting for a few months now) you may have seen some of the more recent adventures that I’ve been on.

Suffice it to say, it has been a whirlwind. In just a few months I’ve been to New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Diego, Indianapolis, Chicago, Lynchburg, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Lexington, Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh… the list goes on. In April I rode the Cardinal to Indianapolis, got a tour at Amtrak’s Beech Grove shops, before continuing on to Chicago on the Hoosier State. From there I went to Lake Forest to present at the Center for Railroad Photography and Art’s annual conference. After spending a few more days in Chicago – including a tour of the renovations happening in Union Station – I returned home via the Capitol Limited.

May included a trip to Washington DC, and then Atlanta, with various stops to chase 611 on the way down and visits to Lynchburg and Charlotte. On the way home after three weeks I headed north through Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio – including a stop to see the final runs of the Secret City excursion trains in Oak Ridge, a tour of Cincinnati Union Terminal, and time to fly a drone around Pittsburgh and Horseshoe Curve.

June led me to Norfolk, Virginia, and July will bring me back to Washington DC. To make a long story short, I feel like my camera and I are on a never ending journey – a journey that I can finally share with you.

Map
The map indicates some of the larger cities that I’ve visited within the past few months. Red lines denote mileage traveled by train over the Keystone, Northeast Corridor, Pennsylvanian, Capitol Limited, Hoosier State, and Cardinal routes. Grey lines denote mileage traveled by car.

The Pennsylvanian crosses the Pennsy's famous Rockville Bridge
Many of my journeys now begin in Pennsylvania – and one favorite in the area that is hard to miss is the famous Rockville Bridge over the Susquehanna, used by Norfolk Southern and the Amtrak Pennsylvanian.

The bridges of Harrisburg
It took me a while to work up the courage, but this is one of the first times I flew my drone over water. Here I fly over the Susquehanna River to capture five of the six bridges of Harrisburg proper – the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Bridge (now in use by Norfolk Southern), the defunct Cumberland Valley Railroad Bridge, Market Street Bridge, Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge, and the Harvey Taylor Bridge.

Acela at Wilmington
An Acela to Washington arrives at Wilmington station, as I wait for a train heading in the opposite direction.

The Amtrak shops at Wilmington
Getting a chance to tour many of Amtrak’s shops and facilities is always a treat – this is the Wilmington shops.

Rainy nights in Washington DC
Too many of my work visits to Washington DC are marked by rainstorms – one night I decided to ignore the drizzle and capture the city.

Amtrak's shops at Ivy City
Acela heavy lifting – this remote operated crane at the Ivy City shops just removed an air conditioning unit for repairs.

How big are the decals on the side of the Empire Service locomotives? Approximately Emily-sized
Touring the Beech Grove shops: Ever wonder how big the decals on the side of the Empire Service locomotives are? Approximately Emily-sized.

710 gets painted at the Beech Grove shops
Empire Service locomotive #710 is painted at Amtrak’s Beech Grove shops.

Stormy midwest weather over the historic shops at Beech Grove
Unfortunately I didn’t get much drone flying time at Beech Grove due to stormy weather.

Chicago Union Station's famous Great Hall
The Great Hall at Chicago Union Station features a new information booth at the center.

I wonder where the trains are?
Hey, I wonder where the trains are?

Soon to be restored - the women's lounge at Chicago Union Station
Behind the scenes view at Chicago Union Station – the former women’s lounge is set to be restored this year for use as an event space.

Presenting in Lake Forest
Me presenting at the Center for Railroad Photography and Art’s conference in Lake Forest, Illinois. The title of my presentation was “The Harlem Line and Beyond,” featuring my passenger rail photos from Metro-North and my journeys outward. Photo by Hank Koshollek.

Foggy nights in Chicago
Rainy, cold, and foggy. Sometimes that’s Chicago.

Tracks of Illinois 611 in the flowers
The diamond at Blue Island, and chasing 611 through the flowers

Crossing the James River
Train crosses the James River Trestle near Lynchburg

The Northeast Regional departs Lynchburg
Amtrak’s Northeast Regional departs Lynchburg station

Lines of freight into Charlotte
Freight cars lined up before the skyline of Charlotte

Charlotte sunset Norfolk Southern passes the Chick-Fil-A water tower in Atlanta
Sunset colors over the tracks in Charlotte, and the Norfolk Southern passes the Chick-Fil-A water tower in Atlanta

Atlanta reflections
Heavy rains can limit photography, or make for nice puddle reflections the next day.

Passing the old tower in Atlanta
This old switch tower is one of the few remains of what once was Atlanta’s Terminal Station.

Waiting by the tracks
Always waiting for a train. Will it get here before it is too dark?

Night moving freight
Not really… but hey, we can have a motion blur instead!

A busy city
The heart of a busy southern city. One of the cliched spots for catching a sunset in Atlanta – this overpass is usually filled up with photographers around sunset.

Reflections of Atlanta
The other cliched photo spot in Atlanta. Reflection off of Lake Clara Meer.

Streetcar spin
The Atlanta SkyView ferris wheel spins as a streetcar passes underneath.

Puppy kayak near Tenbridge
Puppy, don’t fall off that kayak! Waiting for trains at Tenbridge in Chattanooga.

View from the Tennessee River
Sometimes you wade out into the Tennessee River to get a slightly different shot. Or because it was simply just hot!

Here feels like a good place to break – look for an upcoming Part 2 of the Never Ending Journey soon, featuring photos from Oak Ridge, Lexington, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and more!

2 Responses

  1. John J. Collins says:

    Nicely done. Thank you.

  2. Jamie says:

    THANK YOU fo9r all the hard work of Documenting AMTRAK et al: Your insight and accuracy drew me to your work…and I have not been disappointed!

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