Interests

In my traveling about the continent -- often with camera -- and around my local area as well, recurring themes interest me.  These themes may tend to blend or combine -- and any attempt at categorization adds a certain something arbitrary, but the major areas are woven into the first seven topics listed below (the first topic being the main thing).  For each of these categories, I was the sole photographer.  Two additional sections cover my intense interest in old road maps, and display some scenes from my childhood.
 

Urban Electric Rail Mass Transit  -- I have been on every operating heavy rail (subway) and light rail system in the U.S. and Canada; and I present here, organized by system, over 2800 images taken coast to coast.  Each image has its own page, and each page has its own commentary.  I try to keep up, but fortunately that becomes increasingly difficult as electric urban rail, and its planning, expands.  A few photos go back to the 1960s; most are from within the last decade or so.  This is the primary focus of this Web collection.

Railroads -- Tracks and switches and signals have always fascinated me.  I have a relatively limited selection of photos posted, and some day there will likely be many more.

Lonely Roads --  Highway scenes with no hint of moving human activity, and often set against a striking or severe backdrop, are featured in this section.  I have always loved being in a car, being on the open road.

Service Station Relics -- Gas station relics from earlier times, and other matters to do with branding and marketing, have been a major source of interest for decades.  Old signs, sometimes from companies long departed, abandoned pumps, disused stations: they never fail to capture my interest.  I have a few pages posted, and again, more is to come.   

Landscapes -- Some scenes of sheer nature are posted, oftentimes set in the American West; but also there are images where something manmade adds focus, effect or contrast.

Urban Stillness -- I'm always attracted to districts or buildings bypassed or swallowed by time and by the dynamics of urban change.  And sometimes it is houses or blocks that endure to convey a sense of peace from an older era.

Store Window Detail -- Knickknacks and objects portray what I hope is a certain feeling, an appreciation for the unusual or obscure, in locations all over the country.
   

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Road Maps --  I've been interested in maps ever since I can remember, and although I am no longer a very active seeker of additional old highway or street maps, I have a fair number dating from the teens through the coming of the Interstate system.  I've scanned some covers and other information for this section, and there will be more in the future, hopefully, some day.

My Childhood -- Not that many images were taken when I was very young; and I was the photographer for none of the pictures in this section -- unlike all the other photos on this site.  I present a few memories of growing up in and near New York City.

Note:  In each section the viewer may click on any full-sized image to move to the next page in that section, and eventually back to the introductory page.  On any "Image Gallery" page clicking on any thumbnail picture will take the observer to the page upon which that image is featured.

The Starting Point