Folkston Water Tower

folkston tower 2008
Originally uploaded by Gene Bowker

Do you have any photos of interesting water towers?

I've always liked the tower in Folkston, Georgia in South Georgia which besides being a railfan mecca, is also the "Gateway to the Okefenokee".

depot shadows - Color

depot shadows
Originally uploaded by Gene Bowker

Here is the color version of the B&W from yesterday.

It was shot in the early morning at Folkston, Georgia. The Crossbucks cast a nice shadow against the warm colors of sunrise on the depot.

Morning Shadows

BW depot shadows
Originally uploaded by Gene Bowker

An early morning shadow against the Folkston, GA depot is one of my favorite photos from 2009.

I loved the contrast between the shadow the wall with this photo. It also was good in color, but somehow I like the B&W more.

You can click "Black and White" on the pages tabs at the top of the page to see some more of my favorites from 2009.

A moving history lesson - History rides the Rails

DRGW Hoppers Folkston 2008, originally uploaded by Gene Bowker.

One of the fun things about railfanning is the chance to learn about the history of the railroads here in the United States.

The first part of that is learning the history of the railroad you are visiting. For example, the above photo was taken in Folkston, Georgia in April of 2008 on the CSX tracks there.

The tracks used to be owned by several predecessor railroads including:

The Family Lines
Seaboard Coast Line
Atlantic Coast Line

You can learn more about the predecessor railroads by visiting the ACL/SAL Historical Society website which is dedicated to keeping the memory of these railroads alive.



In addition to the tracks, a number of other railroads are always seen on the cars which past. The cars above belonged to the Denver Rio Grande Western (DRGW), but now are owned by the Union Pacific Railroad.



The history of the DRGW is a fascinating history of western railroading being based mostly in the Rocky Mountains. To find out more about the DRGW, I recommend visiting http://www.drgw.net/info/ which has plenty of information.

Railroads bring rolling bits of history to you as you sit by the rails. Most days you will see a boxcar which you do not recognize the owner of. It might be a small line still in existence or a “fallen flag” or line which has passed into railroading history. Learning about that railroad will always be an interesting journey.

CSX in Folkston

CSX903 SB at Folkston 110709, originally uploaded by Gene Bowker.

My first reason for upgrading on the Digital Rebel Xti was for Railroad photography.

The thing I hated about my old canon point-and-shoot was the "trigger delay". That time from pressing the shutter release until it actual took the photo. The Rebel is almost instaneous, so I've had to learn not to worry too much about anticipating shots.

The morning light in Folkston, GA is perfect for lighting up Southbound freights such as this one led by CSX903 in November 2009.

I've diversified my photographic subjects over the last year or so, but Railroads will always hold a special place in my heart.