Retired Crossing GuardThis old veteran enjoys retirement in front of the restored depot in Folkston, Georgia as the trains of CSX pass by.

A goal I had when starting this blog, since it was included with my photography account, was to start writing on a more consistent basis.

I recently picked up a short book from one of my favorite bloggers/writers David Kadavy called "100 word writing Habit".  He's mentioned the concept for years, but it always seemed a little bit too easy to be effective.

After reading the book cover to cover a couple of times (it's a short read) I've made the decision to try it.  Like he mentions in the book, if you write just 100 words a day, over a year that is 36500.  

I'll be sharing some of my writing here as it is completed.

You can learn more about David on his website.

NW 521 DesaturatedBehind the photo - The Norfolk & Western 521

I had visited the Virginia Museum of Transportation before, but somehow I had overlooked this locomotive until my most recent visit due to some of the more famous attractions there.

The 521 story.

The GP9 was acquired in 1958 to replace the famous J-Class steam engines . The 521 was the last of the class of 21 purchased from EMD. These locomotives were equipped with steam generators and featured a maroon paint scheme which complimented the Norfolk & Western's passenger fleet.

The 521 now resides at the Virginia Museum of Transportation along with the J-Class 611 which it replaced on the railroad 50 plus years ago.

The museum's website talks about the steam to diesel transition:

The railway lines found that a reduction in the size of the crew was a particularly attractive benefit of diesel versus steam. There was no fire, of course, eliminating the need for a fireman. Fueling stops were much less frequent and crews could travel further. However, they did not realize the benefits right away. The powerful railroad unions fought the elimination of the fireman. They also fought the extension of the 100 mile track regions to the 200 or 300 miles that the railways wanted. It took years to win the changes. Today, the diesels typically have two people in each cab, primarily for safety reasons.(A)

Both of these locomotives are great examples of the N&W in the late 1950s which many consider the "Golden Age of Railroading" in America.

More about the 521:http://vmt.org/Loops-Collections/Diesel-Locomotive-Loop/Diesel-Locomotive-EMD-GP-9-521.html

Sources:
(A)
http://vmt.org/Loops-Collections/Diesel-Locomotive-Loop/Diesel-Locomotive-start.html

Behind the photo - The Norfolk & Western 521

I had visited the Virginia Museum of Transportation before, but somehow I had overlooked this locomotive until my most recent visit due to some of the more famous attractions there.

The 521 story.

The GP9 was acquired in 1958 to replace the famous J-Class steam engines . The 521 was the last of the class of 21 purchased from EMD. These locomotives were equipped with steam generators and featured a maroon paint scheme which complimented the Norfolk & Western's passenger fleet.

The 521 now resides at the Virginia Museum of Transportation along with the J-Class 611 which it replaced on the railroad 50 plus years ago.

The museum's website talks about the steam to diesel transition:

The railway lines found that a reduction in the size of the crew was a particularly attractive benefit of diesel versus steam. There was no fire, of course, eliminating the need for a fireman. Fueling stops were much less frequent and crews could travel further. However, they did not realize the benefits right away. The powerful railroad unions fought the elimination of the fireman. They also fought the extension of the 100 mile track regions to the 200 or 300 miles that the railways wanted. It took years to win the changes. Today, the diesels typically have two people in each cab, primarily for safety reasons.(A)

Both of these locomotives are great examples of the N&W in the late 1950s which many consider the "Golden Age of Railroading" in America.

More about the 521:http://vmt.org/Loops-Collections/Diesel-Locomotive-Loop/Diesel-Locomotive-EMD-GP-9-521.html

Sources:
(A)
http://vmt.org/Loops-Collections/Diesel-Locomotive-Loop/Diesel-Locomotive-start.html

Williamson Morning 8X10The Norfolk Southern celebrated their 30th Anniversary in style during 2012 as they brought Nickel Plate 765 and the Southern 630 out onto the NS tracks as goodwill ambassadors. Early morning in Wiliamson, West Virginia and the 765 is bringing its consist to the depot where NS employees and their families will be treated to a ride over the Pocahontas Division. Learn more about this piece of living history.

The Norfolk Southern celebrated their 30th Anniversary in style during 2012 as they brought Nickel Plate 765 and the Southern 630 out onto the NS tracks as goodwill ambassadors.

Early morning in Wiliamson, West Virginia and the 765 is bringing its consist to the depot where NS employees and their families will be treated to a ride over the Pocahontas Division. Learn more about this piece of living history.

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On the backroads, one of the common sights is the small abandoned country stores which used to stand at many crossroads.  Usually in a state of disrepair, they were once the center of community.

The small store served the purpose of Dollar General in being a place that you could get the essentials.  Many of them offered credit to their neighbors which would be repaid at harvest time in the fall.

Now they sit mostly abandoned and the locals either drive to the nearest Dollar General or to a WalMart in the next town for their needs.

Mabry Wheel SunriseEven during the high of tourist season in Summer and Fall, visitors can find quiet moments at Mabry Mill before and after hours.

On the weekends and during the peak tourist seasons, the mill is open daily for inspection and you can buy corn mill ground on site. The historians at the mill are great sources of information about how life "used to be"

Even during the high of tourist season in Summer and Fall, visitors can find quiet moments at Mabry Mill before and after hours.

On the weekends and during the peak tourist seasons, the mill is open daily for inspection and you can buy corn mill ground on site. The historians at the mill are great sources of information about how life "used to be"

We visited Stumphouse Tunnel here in SC for the first time at the end of June.  It's a really cool piece of history, especially for someone who loves railroads as much as I do.

While there I was playing with my R7 inside the tunnel shooting back towards the end.

I got a photo that has something interesting in it that I haven't been able to explain yet.

Let me know what you think it is in the comments.

The 2nd is a cropped in detail of the light in the first one.

Learn more about Stumphouse Tunnel

tunnel long tunnel detail

BRP TunnelsThe North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway features a number of tunnels.

At sunrise, the light is just starting to illuminate the darkness as I stop long enough to grab a quick snapshot out the windshield of the scene

The North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway features a number of tunnels between Cherokee and Asheville.

At sunrise, the light wass just starting to illuminate the darkness as I stopped long enough to grab a quick snapshot out the windshield.

As Spring arrives, I'm looking forward to exploring the BRP again as it is now closer than ever to reach from our home in Greer.

sword_03_07_2023

Another monument at the Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens I really liked was this one holding a sword.

Whenever we visit a historic cemetery, I wonder how many of the monuments and other graves are still visited by family members. In some cemeteries, age has really taken a toll on the monuments aging them to the point where it is almost impossible to read the inscriptions beyond maybe the name, if even that.

I hope that you have been enjoying the shots from the cemeteries which I've collected in a new collection on my webpage which you can visit here.