T.G.'s Photography Blog

July 29, 2006. Valmeyer, Illinois. A summer storm roars into town. Beyond the trees you should see what seems like endless, flat fields. Photo © Tom Gatermann

August 14, 2008. Chicago, Illinois. The old Santa Fe sign still sits atop the Railway Exchange Building in downtown Chicago, back in the summer of 2008. Since then the sign has been removed and replaced with a Motorola sign. Behind it is the Sears Tower (sorry, I'm not ever going to call it the Willis Tower). Photo © Tom Gatermann

November 10, 2007. Cleveland, Missouri. BNSF 9977 is the lone unit on the point of this coal train that is traveling south on the Kansas City Southern's Pittsburg Subdivision. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

November 10, 2007. Paola, Kansas. BNSF 9921, BNSF 9476, and BNSF 8941 serve as the distributed power units (DPUs) on this southbound loaded coal train. The train is on the BNSF's Fort Scott Subdivision, crossing the Peoria Street crossing. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

November 12, 2007. Atherton, Missouri. A block signal stands along the BNSF's Marceline Subdivision, at Atherton-Sibley Road. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

November 12, 2007. Atherton, Missouri. With some fall colors framing the railroad crossing, BNSF 4095 leads a train west on the Marceline Subdivision. The train is crossing Atherton-Sibley Road. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

November 10, 2007. Paola, Kansas. Tank cars on a BNSF train are rolling south on the Fort Scott Subdivision, past the signal guarding the diamond crossing with the Union Pacific. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

November 10, 2007. Paola, Kansas. One of these Griswolds is just a bit off. Photo © Tom Gatermann

November 8, 2007. Gasconade, Missouri. Union Pacific (UP) 5881 and UP 8128 are on the point of this empty coal train, heading west on UP's Jefferson City Subdivision. The train is crossing over the Gasconade River. Photo © Tom Gatermann

October 14, 2007. East St. Louis, Illinois. Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) 1314 (EMD SDP40) and TFM 1439 (EMD SD40-2) sit in the Gateway Western/KCS yard in East St. Louis, IL. Both TFM and Gateway Western are part of Kansas City Southern. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) 4546 and Larry's Truck & Electric (LETX) 8858 ( EMD SD40T-2 ) are south bound on the point of Union Pacific train, ZYCHOB 13. This is a high priority train running between Yard Center near Chicago, Illinois, and Houston, Texas. In the background is the J.B. Bridge, which carries Interstate 255 across the Mississippi River, between South St. Louis County, in MO., and Columbia, IL. KCSM 4546 is a GE built locomotive, model GE AC44CW. Photo taken: October 14, 2007. Columbia, Illinois.

UP 3858 and TFM 1655 are northbound at Chalfin Bridge, IL. Union Pacific (UP) 3858 (an EMD SD70M) and Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) 1655 (an EMD SD70MAC ) lead train AMXASB01, north on UP's Chester Subdivision, in southern Illinois. Today, TFM is owned by Kansas City Southern de Mexico, which is owned by Kansas City Southern. Photo taken: November 3, 2007. Chalfin Bridge, Illinois.

Union Pacific 1532 and Union Pacific Y1436 are about to pass underneath the southern approach of the MacArthur Bridge, as they roll into UP's Lesperance Street Yard. Photo taken: October 20, 2007. St. Louis, Missouri.

BNSF 856 - Gooseneck - Kansas City, MO BNSF 856 leads a train off the Hannibal Bridge, and into the Gooseneck, as another train heads north out of the Gooseneck and onto the Hannibal Bridge. The Gooseneck is a short section of track, with tight curves that leads from the Hannibal Bridge to the West Bottoms . Not seen in the photograph is the Union Pacific's KC Metro Subdivision , which runs under the southern approach to the Hannibal Bridge, next to the Missouri River, about where the third autorack car is on BNSF 856's train. Gooseneck BNSF 856's train is entering the Gooseneck on Main 2 of BNSF's St. Joseph Subdivision, while the other train is on Main 1. The St. Joseph Subdivision's southern end is just ahead of BNSF 856, at the southern end of the Gooseneck. The Gooseneck itself is only about 2,000 feet long, when measuring from the southern end of the Hannibal Bridge to the Interstate 70 overpass to the south of here. The Hannibal Bridge and the ...

March 14, 2004. Kinsman, Illinois. BNSF 7007 (an EMD Sd40-2), still in the Burlington Northern cascade green scheme, leads a manifest freight train west at Burkhart Road on the BNSF's Chilicoth Subdivision at MP 74.13. The original image was captured on Kodak Ektachrome. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

Urban Decay - Forgotten Door Back in 1992 I was in Detroit for a while. While I was there I got out and did a series of photographs based on urban decay . I went all over the city to various neighborhoods to take the photographs, however, I don't remember the specific places that I took them at. I remember taking this photograph of the decaying door along a street that was rather wide and was lined with a number of old storefronts, but as to specifically where in Detroit this doorway was I can't say. The series of urban decay photographs that I took was all done on Kodak T-Max 400 film. The processing was done using Kodak D-76 black and white film developer. I made a number of 11x14 size prints from these images, but I have only gotten a few of the negatives digitized. Photo taken: December, 1992, at Detroit, Michigan.

October 20, 2007. Sauget, Illinois. Loaded coal hoppers, on a Union Pacific train, sit along the UP's Chester Subdivision, with downtown St. Louis in the background. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

Urban decay - Window A decaying window in Detroit, Michigan, gives a framed view of an old blazer. This photograph was taken while I spent a little time in Detroit, and went around the city taking a number of images based on urban decay . Unfortunately, while I took a number of photographs for the series, I do not have many digitized yet. Photo taken: December 1992, at Detroit, Michigan.

TFM 1437 (EMD SD40-2) sits between Kansas City Southern 670 (EMD SD40-2) and Kansas City Southern 606 (EMD SD40-3) at the KCS yard in East St. Louis, IL.  October 19, 2007. East St. Louis, Illinois.

An end of train (EOT) device (commonly called a FRED) hangs on the end of a  CSX grain train, as the train rolls south on the Henderson Subdivision at Adams, TN. Photo taken: May 1, 2011, at Adams, Tennessee.

May 1, 2011. Adams, Tennessee. On a wet and cloudy Sunday morning, CSXT 8160 and CSXT 7864 lead a grain train south on CSX's Henderson Subdivision, just outside Adams, Tennessee.

November 8, 2007. Gascoande, Missouri. Union Pacific (UP) 8116 works as the distributed power unit (DPU) on this empty coal train heading west on the UP's Jefferson City Subdivision. The train is crossing over the Gasconade River, at Gasconade, MO. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

January 26, 2008. St. Louis, Missouri. With the light of a winter day beginning to fade, BNSF 951 (a GE C41-8W, still in SF's Warbonet scheme) & BNSF 345 (an EMD GP60B) lead a train west at Sublette Avenue, on the BNSF's Hannibal Subdivision. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

A Metrolink light rail train heads west (away from the camera) at Jefferson Avenue. The train is passing the Metrolink maintenance shops, and had just passed through the construction area for the new Jefferson Avenue overpass. The next stop for this train will be the Grand Blvd. Metrolink Station. At the time this photograph was taken the Jefferson Avenue bridge was being replaced, and you can see one of the new bridge piers being built to the left. The tracks in the foreground of the photograph are the TRRA Merchants Subdivision. Not seen in the photograph, but between the Merchants Subdivision tracks and the camera position, are the Union Pacific Jefferson City Subdivision tracks. Photo taken: February 2, 2008. Saint Louis, Missouri.

March 13, 2004. Chicago, Illinois. A CTA Blue Line train heads east down the center of Interstate 90, at North Canfield Avenue. The Blue Line runs between O'Hare International Airport, downtown Chicago, and the Forest Park transportation center. Photo © Tom Gatermann

May, 1997. Cahokia, Illinois. Union Pacific 9293 (a GE C40-8) and five Cotton Belt and Southern Pacific locomotives sit with their respective trains at Airflite Drive. The lead Cotton Belt locomotive is St. Louis and Southwestern (SSW) 8049 (a GE B40-8). Behind SSW 8049 are Southern Pacific 8011, Southern Pacific 5103, and two other SP engines whose numbers I can't make out. The image was originally captured on Kodak Ektachrome film. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

October 14, 2007. Dupo, Illinois. In this image an un-patched Southern Pacific unit, number 303, sits on the point of empty coal train CTSWE-12, in Union Pacific's Dupo Yard. The train was returning from a power plant near Chiles, Kentucky to West Elk Mine in Colorado to reload. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

UP Coal Train CNATV October 14, 2007. Columbia, Illinois. Coal train, CNATV, lead by Union Pacific 6647 and Union Pacific 6235 (an ex-Southern Pacific unit), is south bound on the UP's Chester Subdivision. In the background is the Jefferson Barracks Bridge, which carries I-255 over the Mississippi River between South St. Louis County, Missouri and Columbia, Illinois. The train was running from North Antelope Mine in Wyoming to a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

UP 9283 Leading Train QAYASX12 October 14, 2007. Fountain, Illinois. Union Pacific (UP) 9283 (a C40-8) is leading train QDYASX 12 north at Fountain Creek, on the UP's Chester Subdivision. Train QDTASX12 is a "Quality" manifest train running from Dayton, TX to the Alton & Southern's Gateway Yard in East. St. Louis, IL. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

Roped September 8, 2017. Provincetown, Massachusetts. Somewhere out on Cape Cod Bay, while sailing on the Bay Lady II. Photo © Tom Gatermann

Looking Toward Main Street September 28, 2017. Markham (Unionville), Ontario. This view is looking northeast from the Unionville train station toward Main Street. Further down the tracks is the Kennedy Road crossing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch a commuter train coming through the crossing like I had planned. However, there will be a next time. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

GO 654 pushing south at Eureka Street. Metrolinx GO Transit 654 (a MP40PH-3C) is pushing a commuter train south at Eureka Street . The train is headed south toward Toronto Union Station during the morning commute and is running on the Stoufville Line. The Stoufville line runs between Lincolnville, Ontario and Toronto Union Station. Photo taken: September 28, 2017, at Markham (Unionville), Ontario.

GOT 654 pushing a commuter train south at Eureka Street, in Unionville, Ontario. Metrolinx GO Transit 654 (a MP40PH-3C) is pushing a commuter train south at Eureka Street in Unionville . The train is headed south toward Toronto Union Station. The train is traveling on GO Transit's Stoufville Line, and its next station stop is at the Unionville GO station. September 28, 2017, at Unionville, in Markham, Ontario.

GOT cab control car 317 at Unionville, Ontario. GO Transit (GOT) 317, a cab control car , leads a train south at Eureka Street, on an inbound run to Toronto Union Station. The train's next stop will be the GO Unionville Station, on the Stouffville Line.  Photo taken: September 28, 2017, at Unionville, Ontario.

GOT 560 - Unionville - Stiver Mill GO 560 is seen here pushing a commuter train past the old Unionville Depot and Stiver Mill, during its trip to Union Station in downtown Toronto . The buildings are now part of a community center.The train is running on GO Transit's Stoufville Line, which runs between Lincolnville and Toronto Union Station. Photo taken: September 28, 2017. Markham (Unionville), Ontario.