Quantcast
pixel

Trains...........................

2008.06.10
The time will come when people will travel in stages moved by steam engines from one city to another, almost as fast as birds can fly, 15 or 20 miles an hour.... A carriage will start from Washington in the morning, the passengers will breakfast at Baltimore, dine at Philadelphia, and sup in New York the same day.... Engines will drive boats 10 or 12 miles an hour, and there will be hundreds of steamers running on the Mississippi, as predicted years ago. -- Oliver Evans, 1800.

There is no way to success in art but to take off your coat, grind paint, and work like a digger on the railroad, all day and every day.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

RAILROAD, n. The chief of many mechanical devices enabling us to get away from where we are to wher we are no better off. For this purpose the railroad is held in highest favor by the optimist, for it permits him to make the transit with great expedition.”
Ambrose Bierce

People who make puns are like wanton boys that put coppers on the railroad tracks. They amuse themselves and other children, but their little trick may upset a freight train of conversation for the sake of a battered witticism.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes

A private railroad car is not an acquired taste. One takes to it immediately.”
santiz Eleanor Robson Belmont

The history of the Erie Railroad ever since 1901 has been a record of progress.
John Moody

A railroad is like a lie you have to keep building it to make it stand. -- Mark Twain

I can see nothing to hinder a steam carriage moving on its ways with a velocity of 100 miles an hour. -- Colonel John Stevens, 1812

.

Was out and about today, and I heard a train going down the tracks, so off I gave chase to capture the train
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Singing through the forests,
Rattling over ridges;
Shooting under arches,
Rumbling over bridges;
Whizzing through the mountains,
Buzzing o'er the vale,-
Bless me! this is pleasant,
Riding on the rail!

Men of different "stations"
In the eye of fame,
Here are very quickly
Coming to the same;
High and lowly people,
Birds of every feather,
On a common level,
Traveling together.

Gentleman in shorts,
Looming very tall;
Gentleman at large,
Talking very small;
Gentleman in tights,
With a loose-ish mien;
Gentleman in gray,
Looking rather green;

Gentleman quite old,
Asking for the news;
Gentleman in black,
In a fit of blues;
Gentleman in claret,
Sober as a vicar;
Gentleman in tweed,
Dreadfully in liquor!

Stranger on the right
Looking very sunny,
Obviously reading
Something rather funny.
Now the smiles are thicker,
Wonder what they mean!
Faith, he's got the Knicker-
Bocker Magazine.

Stranger on the left
Closing up his peepers;
Now he snores amain,
Like the Seven Sleepers;
At his feet a volume
Gives the explanation,
How the man grew stupid
From "Association!"

Ancient maiden lady
Anxiously remarks,
That there must be peril
'Mong so many sparks;
Roguish-looking fellow,
Turning to the stranger,
Says it's his opinion
She is out of danger!

Woman with her baby,
Sitting vis-a-vis;
Baby keeps a-squa!ling,
Woman looks at me;
Asks about the distance,
Says it's tiresome talking,
Noises of the cars
Are so very shocking!

Market-woman, careful
Of the precious casket,
Knowing eggs are eggs,
Tightly holds her basket;
Feeling that a smash,
If it came, would surely
Send her eggs to pot
Rather prematurely.

Singing through the forests,
Rattling over ridges;
Shooting under arches,
Rumbling over bridges;
Whizzing through the mountains,
Buzzing o'er the vale, -
Bless me! this is pleasant,
Riding on the rail!
24 Comments
Littlegoldwoman I love trains. These are awesome. Love the brightness/saturation of them.
Littlegoldwoman · 2008-06-09: 23:05
vinaybavdekar nice photos... also the quotes that dotted every photograph.
vinaybavdekar · 2008-06-09: 23:15
mojaroo great mystic both text and the shots. its mindblowing
thanx for sharing
mojaroo · 2008-06-10: 00:09
rolpa Very interesting collection of photos and quotes. Amusing too.
rolpa · 2008-06-10: 00:56
oakley Very nice post!!
oakley · 2008-06-10: 01:21
Melody9 Beautiful shots!
Melody9 · 2008-06-10: 02:05
cariad a really unusual set...beuatifully captured in image and words
cariad · 2008-06-10: 02:15
jet28 Awesome set!
jet28 · 2008-06-10: 02:59
leocheung Interesting pictures and quotes. Well done.
leocheung · 2008-06-10: 06:10
ronin53 :):):)
ronin53 · 2008-06-10: 06:12
kimauman There was no way to really describe that kind of travel to a horse reliant society in the 1800's--that would seem mind boggling or like time travel to the people of the day. Just think what our next hundred years will look like!
Thanks--great blog and equally great things to ponder on!
kimauman · 2008-06-10: 07:39
ofwordsandphotos is that train moving when you took this photo? good angles!
ofwordsandphotos · 2008-06-10: 07:53
tbranscum What a beautiful train! Great set! Great quotes also!
tbranscum · 2008-06-10: 08:20
wfrnk Love trains. :-)
wfrnk · 2008-06-10: 10:58
Mertxe you always at the right time in the right moments, perfect lights and colours, the text great.
Mertxe · 2008-06-10: 11:47
azuul so colorful :]
azuul · 2008-06-10: 12:42
fotolapeta super!
fotolapeta · 2008-06-10: 14:16
anamaria21 so pretty, so colorful ! just great !
anamaria21 · 2008-06-10: 14:24
curlyq60 .......absolutely stunning shots...

when I was a young girl we went on trains all the time....to Buffalo Jamestown and NYCIty....etc...loved the trains....still do

curlyq60 · 2008-06-10: 15:56
oldbabe Maybe with price of gas these days rr travel will become fashionable again! I hope so...I've always wanted to travel cross country on a train kind of like the Orient Express!! I think I was born in the wrong time period.

I found those historical quotes quite interesting and glad to see a flag on the side of the engine.

Nice set. And did you write that poem? I liked that too.
oldbabe · 2008-06-10: 17:34
DancingDolphin I love taking the train... it's the easiest way for me to get to Chicago to visit Lex. I wish it went more places conveniently! Great set, worth the "chase"!
DancingDolphin · 2008-06-10: 18:57
davidcardona Nice subject and serie. Excellent shots!
davidcardona · 2008-06-10: 19:44
Gwadannie Beautiful collection of photographs of trains ! Beautiful colors !
Gwadannie · 2008-06-11: 00:05
Nayah I agree with gwadannie! Really interesting set!
Nayah · 2008-06-14: 02:02
Bold Text
Italic Text
UnderLine Text
URL Link

Name
URL
Enter the code to the right below
Captcha

Views: 182
 
pixel
« 2008.06.09
 
pixel
2008.06.11 »
pixel