Chasing Trains: The Ultimate Muscle Car!

Growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania and living along the Kiskiminetas River gave us kids plenty of things to do. One of my things to do was to do what I call “chasing trains.”. Living near the railroad always made me think about how trains moved everywhere, not only in America but all around the world.

Some days we would sit by the river, across from where the tracks were, and watch the trains go by. Some days, we would run across the bridge and watch the train pass by from above.

I have taken two of my many passions in life and married them together, my love of photography and my love of chasing trains. I have tried to catalog the trains that I get the opportunity to shoot. There are so many different types of trains. I shoot a lot of engines by themselves, passenger trains, tanker trains, bullet trains, cabooses, and any other type of train that I can find.

When I lived in Germany while in the military, we used trains to move our tracked vehicles from garrison to various training areas around the country. I lived in a city called Mainz, and I lived downtown across the street from the Bahnhof (Main train station). My apartment was on the fourth floor, so I could see train arrivals and departures.

For me, trains are the ultimate muscle car. They are big, powerful and exude power. Trains have a certain allure about them, just like the muscle car that you drive in your everyday life. When you are close to one of these six-axle freight locomotives, you can feel the power of an engine that is between 4300 and 4400 horsepower. This is the amount that goes to the traction motors under the locomotive. It is the same way that you feel the power of a Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that makes about 797 HP. You can feel yourself breathing hard and the adrenalin flowing in either one.

I do not see a train as a muscle car in the traditional sense; I see them as muscle cars in the sense that they are built for power for the job that they are made to do. The same way that a muscle car is built to do a certain thing.

I have always had a fascination with trains, and that fascination has turned into documenting my favorites by way of photos. I take photos of moving trains in the yard, some in color and many in black and white. Black and white is my favorite.

When it comes to taking photos of trains, it does not matter where they are or how hard I have to work to get the shot, I am willing to put forth the effort to do so. I liken it to seeing a very rare Ford Mustang GT500 and trying to get a shot of a car that you might never see again.

My collection of photos spans many years, geographical locations and many types of trains. Having traveled the world, I have seen so many trains, but for me, they never get old. I know that my fascination with trains and how I view them is very unique, but I have always had a different way of looking at the world. For me, being different is a hallmark of who I am.

When I am chasing trains, it is my shoot therapy time. It is a great way to decompress and relax my mind. Well, it is about that time; I have to catch a train.