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The end of last January, I travelled to Gothenburg, Sweden to visit the headquarters of FlexQube in Mondal, a suburb.  After 50 plus years, I finally had made it to Europe.  After a connection in Amsterdam, I made the short flight to Sweden.

Staying at the Gothia Towers at the edge of downtown, I was pleasantly surprise to find that my room overlooked one of the main transit stations where a constant stream of trams and buses headed off in every direction.  I watched that first evening from my room as they continued late into the night.

Loading the app for tickets onto my phone, I experienced the city as a carfree commuter.  Taking a tram and bus to work and back each day and using the trams to explore the city. 

I loved the Central Train station located in the heart of the city.  Here was where the trams and buses met the trains which connect the city with the rest of Sweden and the rest of Europe in a non-stop parade.

The weather was cold and dreary, but I loved the chance to grab some pictures with my phone at night with all the misty lighting effects.  I spent the weekend off riding the different tram lines around the city and discovering a little bit more about day-to-day life.

Back here in the US, unless you live in a major city, you are usually bound to your car or very spotty transit services.  What a difference between that and my short experience in Sweden.

Tram Map

Santa Fe 2013 (1 of 1)

I grew up near San Diego, California and the closest railroad to us was the Sante Fe (ATSF) which had the line between San Diego and Los Angeles (the surfline that the @pacificsurfliner still uses (with more frequency today) and also a few branches.

The blue & yellow warbonnet scheme became my favorite with the beautiful station in San Diego, which were so colorful to me compared to the Grey/Scarlett SPs and the Yellow UP locos we'd also see on trips around Southern California.

As I grew older and started learning more about railroads, I learned more about the history of Santa Fe's passenger service (which ended a week before I was born with @amtrak) highlighted by the San Diegans, Super Chief, and all the other Chief trains.

I was lucky in that my parents supported my growing interest in trains by taking me to places like Cajon Pass on trips and also regularly to the @the_la_mesa_model_railroad and the other layouts in Balboa Park.

Once I moved from California east to Arkansas it became a rare treat to see a Santa Fe locomotive in a train consist and I always enjoyed seeing their freight cars as they passed.

After the merger with the BN which created today's @bnsfrailway in the first few years, more Santa Fe units found their way into my area, but slowly they were repainted into the new unified schemes which honored both railroads heritage.

I was pleasantly suprised back in 2013 when @patricemchristian and I travelled over to Birmingham AL to see the #630 steam engine working on the @norfolksouthern steam excursions to also find an old survivor in the Santa Fe paint scheme still doing its job for the BNSF there. Head on you couldn't even see the small remarking under the cab.

Memories like this are why I'm still a huge fan of the old ATSF and why I enjoy learning more about it still to this day.
 

Rusty RetirementThis old veteran enjoys retirement in front of the restored depot in Folkston, Georgia as the trains of CSX pass by.

Hard to believe that Christmas is over and so is 2024 almost!  I'm busy at working trying to help push the last few orders out the door, but I'm looking forward to 2025 how about you?

I just wanted to take a moment to thank each of you for reading my posts and I always enjoy reading comments from you about your thoughts on them.  It's really a way for me to share some of my images and thoughts on life in general with you.

As I look forward to 2025, I'm reflecting on what 2024 has been.

- I started the year in January by traveling to Sweden (and Europe) for the first time in my life.  It took way to long and I look forward to visiting more of Europe and getting to ride more of the trains there.

- At work, we upgraded our ERP computer system in February.  I always enjoy learning a new system and also being able to share my knowledge with others.

- At work, I was promoted to Site Manager which has brought a lot of extra hours and tasks, but has given me a chance to develop as a leader with my great team in Duncan.

- South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee survived Hurricane Hele in early October.  Despite the destruction and the continued clean-up it has been heart warming to see how the region has pulled together to recover.

- I had the chance to make more new images in 2024 than in 2023!  I'm looking forward to making and sharing even more in 2025!  I really enjoy the time spent with my wife Patrice (a great photographer too) exploring the region and finding new things to record.

- I increased the number of posts here on my blog and have seen increased readership. My goal for 2025 is to be even more consistent.

Thanks to everyone again who has shared the journey with me.