I went back through the photos I took in 2024 and rated them, then sifted through the higher rated ones and chose one per month. Some months were pretty easy, but some – I’m looking at you, May, June and September – it was really hard to choose just one photo. So I cheated a bit.
Without further ado, here they are… at least the January-June photos.
January
I thought it was fitting to start with a photo I took on January 1, 2024. I didn’t see any trains but I did see a lovely sunset.
February
There’s a rare curve in the tracks at mile 16 of the CN Rivers subdivision, and I love to shoot there. On a snowless February day, I photographed several trains along six miles of track, and this was my favourite.
March
I visited my son in Kitchener, Ontario, and this is my favourite photo from that visit and from the month of March. The historic Krug Furniture building provided a nice backdrop for the GO Train that was taking me to Toronto.
April
VIA Rail’s Canadian looks great both coming and going. I went out one evening to catch it, and that was the only train I caught – one and done.
May
I went a little farther afield to get this shot. Here you see the train yard in Dijon, France on May 17. On the left is a large SNCF maintenance facility, and the station platforms are on the right. On the horizon, you can see la Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon aka the Cathedral of Saint Benignus of Dijon.
This was literally taken as we were walking off our plane in the Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris, heading to customs & immigration. I saw this scene and I had to stop and press my phone to the glass to capture this. I love it.
June
I did a road trip to Regina in June, and along the way I saw a few trains, including the very late Canadian approaching Melville, SK. I was really fortunate that the rain stopped and the sun came out briefly as VIA 2 came along.
On my way back from Regina, I visited the Stewart Southern Railway. Somewhere near Creelman, I spotted this beautiful animal and managed to snap a few photos.
Onward
That’s January to June, 2024. Stay tuned for the rest of 2024!
Nice photos, Steve.
We won’t mention more than one per month if you don’t. Go for three!! YOLO!!!
Happy New Year,
Eric
Thanks, Eric, and happy new year!
So many great photos. I grew up on the prairies and now work right on the sea. Your pictures bring back so many memories. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Grant. Happy new year!
What a terrific idea for year-end. I always enjoy seeing your posts and reading your writing.
Your photo for February, of 3330, is so good. I find the hard part of photographing trains is doing so in a way that represents their presence. That chorus of power meets purpose that a train on a mainline exudes the way we exhale only air.
And that photo from the Paris airport is just stunning. What a luxurious view from those rich reds and the way they’re dressed in waves of light and shadow. That’s an image that begs to be printed so it can be sat with in a place beyond the invasiveness of the screens. What a joy.
Thanks, Chris! I find it heartening to go back and look at my images for the year. I forget the good ones and it’s nice to rediscover them and remember the adventures.
I like head-on shots like the February image. The train always seems so powerful and immediate and unstoppable.
My wife was a bit annoyed with me for stopping to take that airport photo. We had just deplaned and our Paris adventure was awaiting, but I just had to make that image. It was calling out to me.