A Few Photos from Past Travels.

I like to browse through some of my photo files to remember some of the interesting train trips I’ve taken and then sharing them here. The thing is, the photos I post are almost always what I’ve seen from the train. Here are four pics that are of the train itself.
 

 I took this photo in the Sydney railway station. That’s the Indian Pacific consist that will take all the way across the Australian continent, 2500 miles to Perth. Departure time is still 90 minutes away, but that gentleman’s here early to enjoy the anticipation. Of course, I was there early, too.
 

 I’m still in Australia for this shot of the Indian Pacific’s locomotive being serviced in the town of Cook, perhaps a third of the way into the train’s transcontinental run from Sydney to Perth. Cook is located right at the beginning of the longest completely straight stretch of railroad track in the world: not quite 300 miles.
 

 This is VIA Rail’s Train # 1, The Canadian, waiting in the late afternoon to depart Jasper, Alberta, en route to Vancouver, BC. It will be the last of a three-night journey that began in Toronto. I recommend taking this train in the middle of winter. The scenery is just as spectacular as at other times of the year; it’s a smaller, less crowded train; and the fares are less expensive–about a quarter to a third less. Note the four locomotives. They said two were being taken to Vancouver for repairs.
 

 Here I am on the platform of the railway station in Churchill, Manitoba, about to board VIA Rail’s Train 692 en route to Winnipeg. It was–as we say here in Hawaii–freeze-ass cold for an October day, but the bar was open in the dining car and they were happy to run a tab.
 
Finally, some of you may be seeing dotted blue lines outlining the photographs. I didn’t put ’em there and I don’t want ’em there, but I have no idea why they are there! Please ignore them.