Trip Reports

This is a collection of photography and narrative from my travels and railfanning trips, possibly with an occasional non-railfan trip report thrown in.

2024 Trip Reports

Chasing Colorado Pacific (published Jul 22, 2024)
A Rainy Day with Canadian Pacific 2816 (published Jun 3, 2024)

2022 Trip Reports

Steam in the Cane Fields (published Dec 31, 2022)
The No. 0 Provo Line in Pennsylvania (published Sep 30, 2022)
The Pyrex 701s of Bisbee Arizona (published Feb 16, 2022)

2021 Trip Reports

Amtrak 301 Across Colorado (published Jul 19, 2021)
The Towner Line Lives! (published Apr 22, 2021)
Snow Goose – RGS 5 on the D&S – Feb 2017 (published Mar 2, 2021)
SP #18 on the Durango & Silverton – Feb 2019 (published Feb 23, 2021)
Friends of the C&TS 2016 Snow Flanger Charter (published Feb 18, 2021)

2020 Trip Reports

The Sumpter Valley Photographers’ Weekend 2014 (published Dec 6, 2020)
Touring RTD/DTP’s Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility – Jan 2015 (published Nov 25, 2020)
The Chelatchie Prairie – Oct 2014 (published Nov 24, 2020)
Steam on the Oregon Coast – 2014 & 2018 (published Nov 23, 2020)
Two Trips to the Texas State Railroad (published Nov 12, 2020)
Moving D&RGW 029 to Granby (published Jul 2, 2020)
Railways on the Isle of Man (published Mar 29, 2020)
Mallets in Niles Canyon (published Feb 20, 2020)
Last Days of the Black Mesa and Lake Powell (published Mar 24, 2020)

Earlier Trips

I used to have a section on www.drgw.net that contained photography and trip reports from my various railfan outings. It wasn’t really the right place for it, though – drgw.net should be more tightly focused on the Rio Grande and not on its owner. So, I’ll slowly be migrating old trip reports to this platform.

These trip reports have been migrated over, and are things things I published from 2000-2013. From 2013 to 2020, I took a bit of a break from publishing, though I never really took a break from the photography. Their original format was a bit different and the conversion was mostly automated, so forgive if they haven’t translated exactly right.

2010-2013 Trips

Return of D&RGW 463 (published May 24, 2013)
Colorado RR Museum Goosefest 2012 (published Dec 15, 2012)
Train Festival 2011 (published Aug 9, 2011)
Winter Steam on the San Luis & Rio Grande – Jan 15, 2011 (published Jan 30, 2011)
San Luis & Rio Grande Steam Photo Special (from Aug 26, 2010, published Jan 30, 2011)
Springtime in the Rockies (the 489 In Green Trip) (published May 2010)
A Winter Narrow Gauge Weekend (published Jan 3, 2010)

2009 Trips

Durango & Silverton Railfest 2009 (published Mar 29, 2010)
Pile Driver OB (published Nov 8, 2009)
Fifty Years of the Colorado Railroad Museum (published July 11, 2009)
North Fork Operation Lifesaver Specials (published Jun 19, 2009)
Durango & Silverton Opening Weekend 2009 (published May 3, 2009)

2008 Trips

Chama Christmas Trains 2008 (published Dec 27, 2008)
Colorado Railroad Museum Thanksgiving Goosefest (published Nov 29, 2008)
D&S Fall Photographers’ Special 2008 (published Nov 3, 2008)
Iowa Interstate QJs for Flood Relief (published Nov 2, 2008)
Durango Railfest 2008 (published Sep 14, 2008)
D&RGW 315 and RGS 5 on July 4 (published Jul 13, 2008)
D&RGW 315’s First Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Runs (published Jul 11, 2008)
San Luis & Rio Grande 18’s First Run (published Jun 10, 2008)
A Look Inside the Transportation Test Center (published Apr 26, 2008)
UP Wimmer Engineering Special – Pocatello to Denver (published Apr 15, 2008)
Moving Georgetown Loop Shay #8 (published Mar 12, 2008)
Durango & Silverton Winter Photographers’ Special 2008 (published Mar 30, 2008)

2007 Trips

San Luis & Rio Grande 1744 to Antonito (published Jun 10, 2008)
The Nevada Northern Railway (published Dec 27, 2007)
Ghosts of the Uintah Railway (published Dec 2, 2007)
Chama Steam VI Classic (published Oct 21, 2007)
Chama Steam VI Fall Madness (published Oct 7, 2007)
Durango & Silverton Railfest 2007 (published Sep 2, 2007)
Steam on La Veta Pass (published Jun 6, 2007)
The Potash Local (published May 1, 2007)
Durango & Silverton Winter Photographers’ Special 2007 (published Feb 22, 2007)
Georgia and Florida (published Feb 7, 2007)
Ritter / O’Brien Inaugural Special (published Jan 13, 2007)

2006 Trips

Two Weeks on the Alaska Railroad (published Dec 21, 2006)
Farewell to D&RGW 5371 (published Nov 13, 2006)
A Day on the Black Hills Central (published Oct 22, 2006)
Georgetown Loop Photo Freight (published Oct 2, 2006)
Chinese Steam in the Heartland (published Sep 23, 2006)
Durango & Silverton Railfest 2006 (published Aug 28, 2006)
The West Side of the Alpine Tunnel (published Aug 4, 2006)
UP 1989 at Milliken Madness Day (published Jul 15, 2006)
Riding over La Veta Pass (published Jul 8, 2006)
RGS Goose 5 on the C&TS (published Jul 2, 2006)
A Day on Iowa Interstate (published Jun 6, 2006)
Steam Across the Panhandles (published May 8, 2006)
A Quick Trip to Helper (published Mar 5, 2006)
Durango & Silverton Winter Photographers’ Special 2006 (published Feb 21, 2006)
San Luis Express (published Feb 10, 2006)
Miscellaneous Southern Shortlines (published Jan 19, 2006)
The Arkansas & Missouri (published Jan 19, 2006)

2005 Trips

Fall Colors Along the C&TS (published Oct 16, 2005)
Milwaukee 261 Along the Mississippi (published Sep 21, 2005)
Durango & Silverton Railfest 2005 (published Aug 31, 2005)
Helper and the Potash Local (published Aug 11, 2005)
State of Tennessee Pass (published Jul 23, 2005)
Southwest Shortlines #2 (published Jun 28, 2005)
Chasing the CEBX 800 (published Apr 11, 2005)
Durango & Silverton Winter Photographers’ Special 2005 (published Mar 3, 2005)

2004 Trips

End of the Georgetown Loop (published Oct 8, 2004)
The Grand Excursion with Milwaukee 261 (published Jun 15, 2005)
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Opening Day 2004 (published May 31, 2004)
Copper Haulers of New Mexico & Arizona (published Apr 4, 2004)

2003 Trips

Christmas in Iowa 2003 (published Jan 11, 2004)
Farewell to BC Rail (published Sep 24, 2003)
UP Wimmer Engineering Special (published Aug 13, 2003)
A Week in Montana (photographed 2003, published Apr 26, 2005)
Riding the C&TS (published Jun 22, 2003)
The Alamosa Locals (published Apr 19, 2003)
Three Grande Locals (published Feb 2, 2003)

2002 Trips

Aspen Branch Speeder Run (published Nov 2, 2002)
Closing Day of the 2002 C&TS Season (published Oct 20, 2002)
Georgetown Loop (published Sep 22, 2002)
Montrose Local and Helper (published Sep 2002)
The C&TS – Back in Action (published Aug 2002)
Remains of East Rollins Pass (published Jul 2002)
Florida and Alaska (published Jun 2002)
Grande Finale (published Apr 2002)
Western Colorado and Helper (published Feb 19, 2002)
A Trip to Albuquerque (published Jan 14, 2002)

2001 Trips

A Day on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic (published Oct 6, 2001)
A D&RGW-Powered UP Inspection Train (published Oct 4, 2001)
Central California Railfanning (published Aug 2001)
Helper & Montrose (published Jul 22, 2001)
Action Around Colorado (published Jul 15, 2001)
A Local to Leadville (published Jun 21, 2001)
Colorado Tunnel Motors (published Jun 2, 2001)
Southern British Columbia (published May 2001)
Joint Line Tunnel Motors (published Apr 2001)
Helper (published March 2001)
Five Grandes on MRODV-2 (published Feb 3, 2001)
The Monarch Branch Wreck Hike (published Jan 2001)

2000 Trips

Moffat Tunnel Motors and a Derailment (published Dec 2, 2000)
The Alamosa Locals (published Sep 29, 2000)