January 30 1968 Liverpool England

Starting in September 1967, I worked and lived in Birmingham England because one of Britain's largest computers was located there.  My company was using that computer to run Traffic Prediction Models to determine the future transportation needs of the urban environmens around Leeds and Liverpool.  Our UK headquarters were in Liverpool and I would regularly have to travel up from Birmingham to Liverpool to report in.

The year 1968 was the last year of regular steam in England.  Somehow I learned that the 9:00 train from Liverpool Exchange Street Station to Preston still had a steam locomotive.  On this day, instead of heading to the office to be on time, I headed to the station to get the attached picture.  A few months later, there were no steam locomotives pulling trains in England.

February 1967 Toronto Ontario

For two years. I worked in the vicinity of Canadian Pacific's former North Toronto station.  At the time, the station was not used for anything and the platforms and stair entrances to the tunnels under the tracks were still in evidence.  Sometimes at lunch hour, I would go out and take pictures of the freight trains heading east along the CP line towards the newly opened Agincourt Yard.  In recent times,  the station has been rebuilt into an upscale liquor store.

January 1966 Toronto Ontario

In 1960, I started at the University of Toronto.  I graduated in 1964 with a BA in mathematics. All the time that I was at the university I lived within easy walking distance of the Bloor-Danforth streetcar line.  As a result, I used it extensively.
Sadly there were some bad memories of trips.  One Saturday night, having taken a young lady home to her residence in the Jane-Bloor area, I had to ride the streetcar back to my residence on St. George Street.  Every few minutes, as I rode along, I vomitted out through an open window - something not possible with the sealed windows on the replacement subway.  Boy, did I feel badly the next day.
There was a station at Yonge Street to allow easy access from the Bloor cars to the Yonge subway.  A few months after the picture was taken, the Bloor subway opened and the station and streetcars were no longer needed.

September 8 1965 Chicago Illinois

For our honeymoon, Jan and I took her father's camper all the way out to Banff coming back through Montana to see the location of Custer's last stand.  It was a superb trip.  For some reason, on the way back, I decided that we should visit Chicago.  Can you imagine how difficult it is to find a place to camp with a camper in Chicago?
Still, we were able to get downtown and see the end of the Illinois Central railroad yards.  Soon, this area would be redeveloped and a beautiful park placed over the few tracks remaining. It was in this park where the faithful gathered to celebrate Obama's victory as president in 2008.
This picture was taken with a Kodak Brownie camera using Ektachrome roll film.

January 2 2012 Morrisburg Ontario
When the St. Lawrence Seaway was created in the late 1950s, the Canadian National main line from Montreal to Toronto was relocated for some distance between Cornwall and Cardinal.  In the process of creating Upper Canada Village, part of the old line was retained.  The old station from Aultsville (one of the lost villages drowned by the Seaway) was moved to the location and a memorable train was added.  Over the years, the elements have diminsihed the exhibit, but each Christmas season, the Christmas lights create a magical place.
Sadly on this night, wind and cold caused the focus to be less than sharp, but somehow that adds to the dream-like quality of the picture.

March 3 2011 Marietta Georgia USA
For many springs, I would take a train trip somewhere, but in March 2011, I instead flew to Atlanta to see the opera "Porgy and Bess".  On one beautiful spring day (look at that tree in blossom) my wife and I had lunch in Marietta besides the historic tracks.  This was the line where the famous "Great Locomotive Chase" of the American Civil War took place.
No steam locomotives this day.  Only a CSX freight; yet somehow, the whole experience was magical especially since snow still blanketed Ottawa.