I have so far uploaded 508 pictures into my railroad and history gallery at rrpics.chadleighkluck.net. I have about 111 more digital pictures to sort and 150 regular pictures to scan in. Plus I will be visiting the Jackson Street Roundhouse on Wednesday so I’m sure I’ll have even more. It has taken about six months to get 66% percent done. I could have done it faster, but as I was scanning and organizing the pictures I decided to be precise and add construction dates and historical facts as I could. Also, a hard drive crash the morning after scanning in roughly 100 pictures didn’t help. Neither did the fact that my last working backup was 9 months prior. Now my only pictures of Hugo, Minnesota and Northfield, Minnesota are on this site. (Or at least until I make my way back.)
I must say, I have learned a lot about my local towns from pictures I already had. I first started snapping pictures of railroads and buildings around 1999. Though I was on a mission to create a collection, I only now realize what I was capturing. Many once ordinary buildings in my home town now have a history that I can associate with them. Some lone cars at the St. Paul Amtrak station now have names and histories to go with them too. The various railroads that built the cities I live in are coming back to life.
This was really a wonderful experience as not only am I discovering what I took pictures of, but I can now share them with the world. Or at least this is a start. After my pics are uploaded, I will concentrate on the wiki which means more research and organization. Also, I’m sure I’ll be taking a few trips out on the town to snap a few pictures.
I wish I had a quote from one of my dad’s journals. He also photographed buildings somewhat regularly among his other photographic subjects. He wrote something like: Some may ask why I photograph a building or landscape. I answer because buildings and landscapes are ever changing (most likely a very bad paraphrase). My next mission, when I am back home, is to look up that quote so I can get it right as I believe that will be my motto for this RRXING endeavor.
So what’s left? Well, I have pictures of the St. Croix and Osceola train ride (63 pics), Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum (36 pics), and the upcoming Jackson Street Roundhouse trip. Then I am caught up with the digitals. I also have the task of scanning in pictures of the Fremont, Nebraska rail yards (50 pics), Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado, my old train layout when I was a teenager, and a few more subjects.
