Scene From the Train: May 2025

North Hollywood Back Lot, Coast Starlight from LA to Sacramento, CA

On the right you can see the faux trunks of trees undoubtedly used on film and tv sets. The unexpected place where dreams are made.

Little League Game in Dogtown Los Angeles, Coast Starlight from LA to Sacramento, CA

Captured a slice of life - kids playing a game of baseball and making a play.

Coast Starlight Arrives for Boarding at LA Union Startion

The delighted child in me giggles with anticipation!

Sunrise, Phelan, California, Mojave Desert, Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

Miles from Dear One

Do you see the sunrise too?

I wish we shared this

Cerrillo, New Mexico on Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

clouds and crevices

wanderings tethered by rails

distance unmeasured

Valmora, NM on Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

Contemplating life

Wondering which road to take

The gate is open

Rothville, MO Sunset Rainbow on Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

The gift of sunset

This ever-changing skyscape

Is this every day?

Rothville, MO on the Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

Above earth painting
Mixing color temperaments

The artist is within us

Kahoka, MO on the Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

So much drama in divine light.

River Park, IA on the Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

Floating detritus in the Mississippi River while storm clouds rally in the distance.

Fort Madison, IA on the Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

Mississippi River with God Light rays after a storm.

Dallas City, IL on the Southwest Chief from Chicago, IL to LA, CA

A brief rain diffuses the light both in the fields and on the train window.

Crawford Still, Indiana on the Cardinal from Washington, DC to Chicago, IL

Enveloped in fog the subtle and soft landscape is painted by the farmer's plow.

Clifton Forge, Virginia, Cardinal from Washington, DC to Chicago, IL

Kitten caught my attention as it seems quite feminine and reminds me that graffiti is a proclamation of voice, space and presence - sometimes love. Did Kitten create this tag or is it an ode to Kitten? Perhaps it is a reminder about Kittens themselves.

Cardinal Mural, Orange Virginia, Cardinal from DC to Chicago

How appropriate that I spot this Cardinal mural in Orange, Virginia while on the Amtrak Cardinal. As we passed through the town construction workers paused their train track work, smiled and waved at us. There was delight in their smiles, like little boys marveling at the train. Is it an American tradition to wave at trains? Or, perhaps human nature to wave bon voyage as people pass your home town bound for some kind of adventure. I always wave as a passenger or a bystander. It feels so good to see and be seen.

Fallen Hero Memorial - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William H. Gray III 30th Street Station

The juxtaposition of the highly glossy figurative memorial against the linear scaffolding and stained glass windows combined with the wifi promotion caught my eye.

Metropolitan Lounge View, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania William H. Gray III 30th Street Station

Windows in the Philadelphia Amtrak Metro Lounge feature bands of Pennsylvania Rail Road ornaments as an architectural feature. I was attracted to the linear squares and rectangles as well as the lighting. My eye was also drawn to the girl and man having a conversation as a private moment in a very public space. To emphasize the art deco features and yesteryear feel I transformed this into a black and white image.

Track 5, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania William H. Gray III 30th Street Station

Waiting for delayed 161 Northeast Regional

with a quiet moment to capture the empty track and platform.

Gap, Pennsylvania on Pennsylvanian, Pittsburgh to Philadelphia

I was attracted to the grain silos that look like follies you see in the UK landscapes. This image captured the silos and a post, aligned in a diagonal with the railroad framing the bottom of the image. The sky is so different from what I experience in California and adds another dimension to each image.

Near North Braddock, Pennsylvania on Pennsylvanian, Pittsburgh to Philadelphia

The lush green forest caught my eye and only after did I notice the clouds forming like rays of light.

Huntington, Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia

I shot this image as a freight train passed and I had no idea what the camera would capture as we moved in opposite directions across the landscape. To my delight this was a resulting image and it has some very special components that speaks to me. First, there is heart graffiti that shows 1.5 hearts - my favorite symbol. Next, the letters AOK are displayed on the tank car. AK are my initial and with an O in the center I feel reassured that I will be A OK.

Logan Township, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia

The conductor gave us a heads up that this is the “world famous horseshoe curve”. I suppose there are a number of these remarkable moments, similar to the one climbing up to Colorado heading west on the Zephyr and the Coast Starlight wandering its way to San Luis Obispo. Here you can see the tail of the train and I am in the first passenger car. As a Californian I am continuously surprised by the lush green landscape, even though I grew up on the East Coast.

Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia at Pittsburgh Union Station

I arrived 15 minutes before departure and as a Business Class passenger they let me head up to the tracks. The early morning peacefulness before departure was a quiet moment. Unfortunately, I had missed the other Business Class passengers and so the conductor assumed I was coach class. 20 minutes into our journey I realized I was in Coach Class and had to drag my bag through the train aisles to get to Business Class where the seats were much less luxurious. The conductor blamed me at first and then apologized. But I think that we both just assumed something and didn't actually communicate. This can happen at 7:30am.