Watching CSX While Visiting My Dad in 2009

I often enjoyed watching CSX trains at St. Albans, West Virginia while visiting my dad in Charleston.  In 2009, I spent much of the year in Charleston studying East Coast railroads.
A few times we drove to nearby Huntington and beyond to Catlettsburg, Kentucky.  I enjoyed watching trains cross the Big Sandy River as they made their way to Cincinnati and beyond on the old Chesapeake & Ohio. 

Kansas City-Truly a Railroad Town

Kansas City has historically been a hub of America's railroads.  At Kansas City, railroads from the West intersect with railroads from the Midwest and the Gulf Coast.
Class 1 railroad Kansas City Southern calls Kansas City home.  Kansas City is also served by Class 1's BNSF, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern.  Kansas City is also served by the Amtrak Southwest Chief and the Missouri River Runner.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. My mom has been my biggest support system. Without her there would be no posters, prints, postcards of my drawings. She scans my drawings and makes the into the posts I share of the different railroads I have drawn. This allows me more time to draw the trains I love.
In this photo we are at the release of the Norfolk Southern Nickel Plate ‪Heritage Locomotive in Altoona, PA in 2012. You could smell the fresh paint. My mom made the poster that I sent to Wick of my proposed heritage engines and the final poster that some of you have.  Happy Birthday, Mom!

Amtrak North Carolina-A Great Example of State Sponsored Amtrak Service

State sponsored Amtrak programs such as Amtrak North Carolina provide key additional connections for Amtrak passengers in many regions of our country.  The North Carolina Department of Transportation sponsors the popular Amtrak North Carolina Carolinian and Piedmont services.
States such as California, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and many others support services in addition to the core Amtrak service.  There is truly a call for more and more states to sponsor Amtrak services, as commuting by rail grows in both practicality and popularity.  As more states sponsor Amtrak, more services become available and we all win. 

Drawing of the Day- September 10, 2015 GE Transportation Concept ET44C4

I always like to see what classic paint schemes would look like on modern locomotives.  Today I did a concept drawing of a General Electric ET44C4 Tier 4 Locomotive inspired by GE Transportation's U25B demonstrators from years ago.
The development of the Tier 4 locomotive is a crowning achievement in locomotive progress.
GE Transportation Tier 4 Locomotives are being built in Erie, Pennsylvania and Fort Worth, Texas.

Rock Island- A Favorite Railroad to Many

Rock Island was known as the "Route of the Rockets."  Rock Island connected the Midwest with the Gulf Coast.
Rock Island was a favorite railroad to many as it was well known in pop culture, however it struggled as an underdog alongside competing railroads.  Rock Island gained fame with the popular folk song "The Rock Island Line" performed by artists such as John Lomax, Lead Belly, Lonnie Donegan and Johnny Cash.

Drawing of the Day-September 5, 2015 Penn Central FL9

Yesterday I drew a Penn Central FL9 in MTA inspired blue and yellow.  Penn Central's FL9s were originally owned by the New Haven.
These locomotives, owned by Penn Central, were painted blue and yellow as they worked in MTA commuter service.  FL9s are well remembered by rail enthusiasts and historians.

A Visit to Chicago & North Western's South Morrill, Nebraska Yard in 1991

While staying with friends in Gering, Nebraska in the summer on 1991, I was able to visit the Chicago and North Western coal operations at South Morrill, Nebraska.  It was exciting to see their brand new Dash-8 locomotives and SD60's with coal trains from the Powder River Basin.  I was especially excited to see the Wyoming Centennial locomotive.  It was one of the first Chicago & North Western locomotives I drew.
We also got to visit Alliance and see Burlington Northern.  There I got to see Burlington Northern's SD60M's including locomotive 1991 and hand out prints of my drawings to crews.  This stop was a highlight of my 1991 trip and certainly made me want to come home and begin drawing the many trains I had seen.

Western Pacific and Developing My Sense of History

Western Pacific was one of the first railroads that I developed a sense of history about.  When Western Pacific was merged into Union Pacific, I was just old enough to have appreciated seeing Western Pacific trains prior to the merger.
As Union Pacific started to run through Sacramento, I noticed that Western Pacific engines would still be on the trains.  At my local hobby shop, hobbyists wore Western Pacific shirts and hats.  As they discussed the days of Western Pacific, I began to grasp this history.
I have always enjoyed the Feather River Route and have enjoy visiting communities along the old Western Pacific.  When I eat dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in the Sacramento Western Pacific depot, I still cherish my Western Pacific memories.