THE ABANDONED MOJAVE STATION

The Shell of Southern Pacific's Mojave Station, c.1993

As with the section gang housing that I wrote about in an earlier posting, the SP was determined to rid itself of as many fiscal drains as it could. I recall hearing that the property tax burden was enough motivation for them to abandon round houses, crew quarters, medical clinics and stations.

When I was working the railroad in the seventies, we always picked up train orders here. For east-bound trains this was the end of double track for trains proceeding on to Los Angeles or Palmdale and the Cutoff. Either way, the eastbound train had to have orders because we were running against scheduled trains that had the right over our extra or non-scheduled trains.

Up until about 1970 Mojave was a small but busy hub of railroad activity. It had a functioning yard with a crew on duty perhaps day and night (I would need to fact check to be sure), several local trains a day, and what I recall was called a station agent or telegrapher. I think all were gone by the time this photograph was taken.

SO, YOU THINK I LIKE TRAINS?

Steam Engines at Silverton, 1992

I would much rather photograph and experience trains from the ground than to be riding on them. Don't get me wrong, riding is fun, but the photographs are from trackside. Lisa and our friend Terry rode one of these up the canyon from Durango, and I met them here.

BLOSSOMS ALONGSIDE A DIRT ROAD

Blue Blossoms, 2013

I took this photograph a couple days ago while on a photo outing with Pam and Hal. I shot nearly every thing hand-held, and enjoyed the freedom that provides. Doing so prevented me from "focus stacking" this image, but, as Hal would say, "what the hay (hey)".

STACKING

My First Attempt at "Focus Stacking".

I see lots of potential in utilizing this process. This image is a composite of three. The first is focused on the foreground flower, the second on the upper right blossom, and the third should have been on the left flower. This image has a tremendous depth compared to the individual images.

All were shot at f 22, yet that alone was just not enough to capture it all.

Focus on Near Blossom

Focus on Far Blossom

HUMBOLDT BAY AND THE PULP MILLS

Some More Humboldt Bay Shipping, c.1982

This scan is from a 35mm slide. I frequented the Del Norte Street dock when we lived in Eureka. It only took me a few minutes to ride my bike down there. I do not think there are many ships coming in any more. It fact, I would be surprised if any  cargo ships come in at all. I think some barges may arrive here from time-to-time, but I think that is it.

A SCAN FROM 1993

Depleted Retail Building, 1993

This former feed store is part of the body of work that I did of the Edison Highway area of East Bakersfield. I think of this area as being south of the SP Bakersfield Yard, and from Oswell Street on the east, to Kern Junction Tower on the west. It includes some of East California Avenue and this building. I photographed the area in the early 1970's and again in 1993.

SAND AND SEA SCULPTURE

South Spit Humboldt Bay, 2013

I took this image the other day at the south spit. I think it is the stronger of the several compositions that I made that day. I think I prefer it in color over the toned black and white.

Sand Sculpture, or Mummified Muppet Bert, 2013

PERSPECTIVES

Hal Work and the Sea, 2013

I like the simplicity of this image. It reveals the essence of our local beaches. They are vast, often devoid of people, cool, and lovely. This beach is on the south spit. It is a place where I seldom visit, yet it is close. Eureka and Field's Landing are just across the bay, but it seems like being miles away from anyone.

DOES IT ALWAYS NEED TO BE "FINE ART"?

Trillium in our Yard, 2013

In our yard there is a large patch of redwood sorrel, and in the center of that is a cluster of trillium. We have been watching these every year, and the plants and blossoms are expanding in numbers. I counted fifteen blossoms and buds a couple of days ago when I took these photos.

HAPPY DAYS AS A RAILFAN

Train Number 52 at Bealville, CA

Somewhere I have a black and white photograph of a Santa Fe GP 7 or 9 helper engine on the rear-end of a caboose. It is pushing a freight train through Tehachapi. I must have convinced my parents to stop the car so that I could take my photograph. I must have been eight or ten then. What I know for sure is that by that age, I was a railfan.

Many years later, I took this photograph.  I was an employee of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, and I was off duty. It was sometime in the early 1970's, and I had driven to the mountains just so I could photograph this train. Bealville and Caliente were two of my favorite locations to see and photograph trains.

One of the things I like about these photographs is that they show the section houses. I am guessing that this photo was taken in 1972 or so, and there still were facilities at Bealville (they were all removed shortly thereafter). To the left of the train, and just beyond the signal tower, is a section crew truck. It is parked near a section house.

Around the time that I took this photo, I worked on the brakeman's extra board. Several times I was a crew member of a work train. A work train was a special train that was ordered by a section foreman. Its purpose was to provide a platform for a small crane, and to deliver ties and ballast. We often had two SD 9 locomotives, and a relatively short train. We delivered the ties, spotted the crane, and spread the ballast wherever the section foreman desired. We had to work around the mainline trains, and so we spent a lot of time "in the hole" (siding) while traffic passed.

I do not recall the name of the Bealville section foreman. I wish that I did. He took great pride in his section and in his work. I understand that he regularly walked his entire section to inspect every aspect of his tracks, so that he could take the best care of his section of the railroad. He and others like him all over the system were instrumental in keeping the trains rolling, and the railroad safe.

Train Number 51 at Bealville With One of the Section Houses

A LUCKY SHOT IN 1972

Cropduster, Near Edison, CA, 1972

One evening in July 1972, I was driving home from Palmdale or Mojave. I noticed the crop duster working a field, and noted that it may pass in front of the setting sun. I pulled off of the highway and over to the old road where I set up my seldom-used 350mm lens on my SRT 101. I do not recall if this was a hand-held shot or not. I got lucky.

HAVING FUN ON THE SOUTH SPIT

Driftwood Sculpture on the South Spit, 2013

Pam, Hal and I went on a little field trip to the south spit yesterday. It was fun to exercise my photography skills in the flat light that the overcast noon time light produced.

Driftwood Sculpture Variation Number Two, 2013

 I spent more time on the image this morning and came up with this variation.