Welcome to my newly redesigned Train Page! This page is mostly a collection of my favorite railroad-related links, but I will be putting more information up as I go. I haven't any idea what else I want to put up yet, but I will figure that out when the time comes. I'll start off by giving a little background on my love of trains. After that, who can say? It's a work in progress. So without further ado, thanks for visiting and I hope that you will stop by again soon!
Growing up in Texas for the first twelve years of my existence has helped in developing my strong interest in railroads, especially since railroading has such deeps roots in the development of Texas as a state. As a result, I have been a long time fan of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. I followed the line right up to the BN/ATSF merger of the mid '90s and while I thought about how disappointed I was, I looked at it as a sign of progress. I will always remain true to my colors, though, and will continue to worship the 'Warbonnet'. However, when I moved Nevada in 1992, I developed somewhat of an interest in the Union Pacific (an interest now totally dead by the corporation's latest action against free publicity) and our local tourist line, the Nevada Northern. In 1999, when the military moved me to Washington, DC, my interest began to grow increasingly for the fallen flags of the East Coast, such as Chessie System and it's predecessor roads - the B&O, C&O, and WM (While these lines operated under one flag, they never formally merged), the RF&P, etc. (NOTE: The lines mentioned are all now part of CSX Transportation.) These railroads had captured the imaginations of many for decades and continue to do so to this day. There was one other thing these roads all had in common and that was Potomac Yards in Alexandria, VA, which at one time was the 2nd largest rail yard on the east coast. Potomac Yards once served these railroads and several others into the 1980's when the yard was closed and torn up. The site of the former rail yard is now under development, while retaining the name "Potomac Yards", as a shopping center/industrial park. The RF&P yard office that once stood in Pot Yard (as the locals liked to call it) was left intact when the rails were removed, but has now itself succumbed to the wrecking ball. In the early part of the summer of 2000, the contractor who was working out of the office finished his job and tore down the historic building. It was truly a sad day to all railfans in the DC Metro area who adored and even worked for the RF&P and the many other roads served by the yard. As of April 2002, all that remains of the former rail yard is a short signal adjacent to US Route 1, which can be seen in daylight from the highway. The former St. Asaph signal is among the last remaining traces of the once glorious yard. The future of this relic is uncertain as the site is developed, but it is hoped that it will be donated to a museum instead of being simply thrown away and forgotten. The only other evidence I have been able to actually see are some rails in the ground at the site of the former yard office. I have since returned to Nevada and returned to railfanning the BNSF and Nevada Northern but I will never forget the fallen flags of the east coast.
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