Gallery of Railroad Photos that Take Me Away
Every so often I come across a photograph that speaks directly to some mysterious part of me, and I'll lose myself in the image, in the same way I'll become lost in certain music. I've no explanation as to why or how or whatever; all I know is I'll stare at it for who knows how long, eventually resurfacing, unaware of where I've gone. Usually the image will be railroad-related, from the early Twentieth Century, and almost certainly monochrome. I've often felt I was born either too early or too late; I don't feel completely "at home" in this time.
"The Hand of Man" by Alfred Stieglitz, 1902, Long Island City, New York.
The Trenton Avenue Branch near Frankford Junction, April 1910. City of Philadelphia, Department of Records.
Elevated line from Hoboken to Jersey City Heights, ca 1910.
"Jersey City and Manhattan skyline" by Arthur Rothstein, April 1939.
Shaffers Crossing engine terminal of the Norfolk & Western, Roanoke, Virginia, 1943.
West Milan station, New Hampshire, 1952. Dr. Philip R. Hastings photo.
Ma & Pa Railroad, Gross' Trestle No. 316, November 1955.
There are several additional contenders here.