Beachburg Sub 500: How I got here

As I alluded to a short while ago, this blog is now on Post 500. I began this blog innocently enough in April 2013 with the goal of sharing my passion for railways with like-minded people. I had a small trove of photos from the 1990s that I felt would allow this blog to operate comfortably for months. In the meantime, I would take photos around Ottawa and maintain an ongoing discussion that way. Simple right?

Well, no, but the ride since 2013 has been fun for the most part. Everyone I have encountered both online and the few I've met in person have been very friendly and supportive. In a world where decency sometimes seems in short supply, it's heartening to know there are good people out there.

Truthfully, this blog began in my childhood, possibly in my mind's eye, as blogs or the internet didn't exist when I was younger (wrap your head around that, for those too young to remember!). By this time, regular readers know I have a long history of railways in my family. My grandfathers worked for the CPR and my uncles and father did as well, albeit for short periods of time. There are still those in my family that work for the railways.

In my case, I have been fascinated with trains since before I can remember. Some of my earliest recollections of trains involve watching CN trains traverse rails that no longer exist today. I also recall seeing a Chessie System passenger special when I was incredibly young. Even then, I wondered why there was a passenger train on a freight-only line!

1980s

I didn't take photos of trains when I was little, but my dad occasionally did. My love of railways grew from watching the local railway go by in my hometown (Chessie System/CSX) and enjoying my model train and toy trains. At grade school and in my spare time, I often drew train pictures or looked at train picture books. Whenever I was in the car, the sight of a train coming to a crossing excited me. There are scattered family photos of trains from this time, but most of these prints have been lost to time, moves etc. This shot below, taken at the Windsor waterfront, is me (bottom left), my brother, my sister (back right) and a family friend posed in front of an old steam engine. The cars being loaded onto the ferry were likely a source of interest to me. I see a N&W hopper, Chessie high-cube boxcar and a RailBox pool boxcar. Note the lack of graffiti. This is probably the earliest rail photo involving me, likely taken in the early 1980s. 

 

1990s

When I was in grade school, I received a portable camera as a gift from my uncle (around 1986). A few years after getting it, in 1991, I decided it would be fun to take photos of trains. It was an incredibly simple point-and-shoot camera with no focus and almost zero tolerance for anything indoors. My first photo taken with this camera might have been this shot. I remember seeing this train parked on what was then the southern limits of my hometown and asking my mom if I could take shots of it. Thankfully, she said yes. 

I took many shots of CN operations in Sarnia, which I've chronicled in this blog many times. I also took my camera to Alberta to get shots of a grain train and the Rocky Mountaineer in Banff. Those are among my favourite railway photos. But in high school, I lost my love for railway photography, as I became more interested in other things. I still tinkered with my model trains in the basement and read about trains, but I kept quiet about this part of me, likely not wanting to face the mockery of others. 

2000s

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I went away to university in Ottawa and pretty much forgot about my love of trains, although it never really went away. I recall, after graduation, working in Peterborough and setting up a very small train display in my apartment. In Kitchener, where I worked for the newspaper, I remember watching the GEXR trains go by my gym, which was next to the tracks. As I mentioned, my love of trains never went away. I loved taking the train when I was in university and loved the sight of a train wherever I found myself in later years.

This is the only railway photo I took in the 2000s. I was wandering around a quiet city park in Kitchener in 2008 and took a shot of the train trestle that spanned the Grand River, on the city's eastern edge. 

2010s 

After getting married in 2010, I dusted off my old trains and set up my train set in a spare room in my first house. It was fun for a few years, but the extra room was needed when my first daughter arrived in 2012, which meant the train set had to come down. This was when my hobby changed to railway photography. My first real attempts at taking photos happened when I went to pick up family at Fallowfield Station. 

This is Via Rail Train 55 westbound approaching Fallowfield Station, led by P42 908, still in Via's blue, yellow and silver livery. This was my first attempt at taking railway photos again in 2012, around the time I began my blog. I knew I had only so many older photos and would soon run out of things to share if I didn't start feeding the beast. So began my leap back into railway photography, blogging, sharing stories, meeting many of you fellow fans, and enjoying a conversation that has now spanned 500 posts and 13 years.

Today

There have been some hiccups in the 13 years. I took a sabbatical, which was originally a full-on resignation, only to return when the pandemic began to wane. I am glad I kept on in my endeavors, as it really does bring some joy to my life. It's something I do just for myself. Much of my life is dedicated to my family, my job and my work in the community. These are all important parts of who I am.

But so is this. I love what I love and I am constantly in search of my next challenge or next bit of information to share.

This post was not intended to be a victory lap or a long drawn-out speech thanking innumerable people. I've done that already. They know who they are. This was just a simple explanation of how I got to this point. Railways will always be a part of who I am. 

Thanks to everyone who has played a role, large or small, in this ongoing chat. Let's keep talking.

Michael

hammond DOT michael77 AT gmail