tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154304832011-12-01T22:49:53.272-06:00Views and observations from a railroad photographer and writer.Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.comBlogger1481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-36474976277236684142011-08-31T07:10:00.000-05:002011-08-31T07:10:47.353-05:00

CSX westbound empty hopper train in the New River Gorge. My first big trip with a digital SLR camera was a weekend in West Virginia's New River Gorge at the end of January 2004. Even though I had taken several train rides through the gorge as a child, I didn't "discover" its photographic potential until I started looking at Kevin Scanlon's photographs of the region. I was intrigued by the

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-34233715801158629922011-08-30T07:14:00.001-05:002011-08-30T07:15:42.439-05:00

Norfolk Southern eastbound freight train on the Rocky River Bridge in Berea, Ohio. On a snowy Saturday in January, I took ventured southwest of Cleveland to Berea, Ohio, in search of a wintry scene on the Rocky River Bridge. There I found a Norfolk Southern eastbound mixed freight train stopped in a perfect position to try several angles. I'm looking at the north side of the bridge here,

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-75586605560206145682011-08-29T07:31:00.001-05:002011-08-29T07:35:35.242-05:00

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad "Polar Express" passenger train with Alco C420 no. 365 stopping at the depot in Peninsula, Ohio, on the evening of December 18, 2003. Digital photography for me began in earnest on December 18, 2003. That was the day that I came home from work and found the box that contained the grand prize from the 2003 Trains Magazine and Canon Photography Contest: a Canon

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-12475909617363326212011-08-29T07:24:00.002-05:002011-08-30T07:21:55.458-05:00

I think that editing your own photography collection is one of the most difficult, and important, activities for a photographer to undertake. We can have so much emotional connection to our photographs, so well aware of all the situational details that went into each and every image. I can look at one of my photos from a decade ago, and so clearly recall the crispness in the fall air and the

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-21476722705403589252011-03-31T23:05:00.000-05:002011-04-01T11:07:31.213-05:00

Former Souther Pacific wood chip car on the Portland & Western's Toledo Hauler near Eddyville, Oregon. 'Nuf said.

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-47238989025127508562011-03-30T22:59:00.000-05:002011-03-30T23:01:53.088-05:00

Wi-Fi notification sticker in window of Amtrak Cascades train. Research for an upcoming article took me to the Tacoma library today, with all travel accomplished by Amtrak Cascades service and some walking. Amtrak has been touting its new Wi-Fi service aboard the Cascades and I'm pleased to note that it worked very well on both trains 500 and 509. It also meant that I could both take today's

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-23826347077634468582011-03-26T16:53:00.000-05:002011-03-26T16:55:51.306-05:00

Portland & Western's Toledo Hauler running along the Yaquina River near Toledo, Oregon. Just four years ago, three active railroads traversed western Oregon's Coast Range. Today, there is only one: the Portland & Western's Toledo Branch, which runs from Albany to a Georgia Pacific kraft paper mill at Toledo, on Yaquina Bay. The floods of November 2007 wiped out the Port of Tillamook Bay

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-14492270134611189732011-03-23T17:54:00.000-05:002011-03-23T18:08:39.197-05:00

Japanese train driver in Sapporo station, June 20, 2007. Between September 2005 and July 2007, I traveled in China for almost three months, spent two weeks in Vietnam, and lived in Japan for 19 months. Since returning to the U.S., I frequently field the question, “What are the people there like?” For three years I answered by underscoring the differences, feeling comfortably smug in my

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-38789903719611752522011-03-22T00:10:00.000-05:002011-03-22T00:11:49.879-05:00

Amtrak train no. 28 crossing the Willamette River at North Portland, Oregon. I'm back, at least for now, and I hope to add some other recent photos, backdated to the appropriate day. For now, I'll start by revisiting an old theme. My friend, mentor, and fellow photographer Kevin Scanlon and I used to have a running "competition" of sorts: making the train as small as possible in a photo that

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-61829673581689343092011-03-17T23:45:00.000-05:002011-03-23T18:57:19.014-05:00

Union Pacific freight train on the "gauntlet" in Portland, Oregon's near-eastside. (Written on March 23.) The luck of the Irish was with me and fellow photographer Kyle Weismann-Yee on St. Patrick's Day, as Union Pacific's daily Portland to Roseville freight train, the QPDRV, threaded the gauntlet of grade crossings on Portland's near-eastside while the remnants of a rainbow hung in the

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-13930813822401559342011-03-08T21:44:00.000-06:002011-03-23T19:03:49.944-05:00

The now-closed Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City. (Written on March 23.) One night while walking with Maureen along the bluff in Oregon City, I was struck by how dark and quiet the hulking forms of the Blue Heron paper mill appeared since its closure on February 25. I since have gone back through my photos of its operations and identified several to re-photograph for a before-and-after

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-42513448008933155012011-02-26T12:31:00.000-06:002011-02-27T22:38:49.062-06:00

Union Pacific's OC Switcher pulls the last car out of the Blue Heron paper mill in downtown Oregon City. On Wednesday, with no prior warning, the Blue Heron Paper Company announced that its mill in Oregon City was closing. The last day for hourly employees would be just two days later. The mill ceased production on Friday afternoon, and for the first time since 1829, the hum of industry fell

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-73005800136818677962011-02-25T15:57:00.000-06:002011-03-23T10:29:59.823-05:00

Southbound train of empty centerbeam cars passing the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City. (Written on March 23.) This afternoon was the final shift at the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City, a clear and cold winter day that produced billowing clouds of steam at sunrise, looking for all the world like the very symbol of corporate health. I was surprised to hear a southbound train

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-6777781297822307772011-02-24T10:36:00.000-06:002011-03-23T10:19:38.221-05:00

Amtrak Cascades train no. 500 running along the Willamette River in Oregon City. (Written on March 23.) I had planned to sleep late after a long night of photographing the Blue Heron mill and the OC Switcher, but when Maureen woke up at 6:30, looked outside and saw an inch of fresh snow, I was up quickly. Snow is rare in the lower elevations of Willamette Valley, and snow photos in general

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-26309016049839689912011-02-23T21:35:00.000-06:002011-03-23T10:09:15.328-05:00

Union Pacific's Hinkle to Roseville freight train passing the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City. (Written on March 23.) I emerged sooner than expected from my hiatus to document the final days of operations at the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City. Its closure was announced on this day, with the final shift scheduled for Friday, only two days hence. The mill had been in bankruptcy since

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-15031901713958743652011-02-20T18:03:00.000-06:002011-02-20T18:14:06.460-06:00

I'm going on hiatus again. Too much Web and writing work right now, on top of planning the Center's conference, to photograph everyday, but that's a good problem to have...

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-50657267792705148352011-02-20T00:55:00.000-06:002011-02-20T11:40:42.237-06:00

Westbound Union Pacific intermodal train at Bridal Veil, Oregon. Heading back to Portland following an afternoon of hiking in the Columbia Gorge, Maureen and I stopped at Bridal Veil to enjoy the sunset, where I photographed this westbound Union Pacific container train at twilight. When my mind wandered to photography today during our hike, I often considered the differences between

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-9956642188792837892011-02-19T01:59:00.000-06:002011-02-19T02:02:24.052-06:00

Oregon Pacific freight train bound for Milwaukie, Oregon, seen from the Ross Island Bridge The Oregon Pacific Railroad's Molalla and East Portland branches served as bookends to my week, starting on the Molalla branch in Canby on Monday morning and ending on the East Portland branch in Milwaukie on Friday afternoon. Locomotive no. 100, an SW1 from 1952, took four refrigerated boxcars to the

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-39050519940382178092011-02-17T13:56:00.000-06:002011-02-17T13:56:06.079-06:00

Roseville to Hinkle freight train seen from the bluff in Oregon City. A late winter storm system is blowing through the Pacific Northwest right now, creating dramatic skies in the valley, low-elevation snowfall, and heavy snows in the mountains. Snow can wreck havoc on railroad operations, as extra crews are required to run special trains to keep the line open. Union Pacific is already running

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-33621228899369692502011-02-16T19:46:00.000-06:002011-02-16T19:46:30.548-06:00

Hinkle to Roseville freight train passing Willamette Falls. Between showers this afternoon, the sun emerged spectacularly, as it often does this time of year in the Willamette Valley. Union Pacific's daily Hinkle to Roseville (QHKRV) freight train was running early, making for a timely appearance along the river at Willamette Falls. Its rear locomotives (operating in distributed power mode)

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-81611784759849261952011-02-15T19:42:00.000-06:002011-02-15T19:42:47.956-06:00

Portland to Roseville freight train crossing Abernethy Creek in Oregon City On the northern end of Oregon City's business district, the Union Pacific main line crosses Abernethy Creek on a wooden trestle. Once common throughout the nation, and especially in the West, wood trestles are becoming increasing rare on American railroads, particularly on main lines, where steel and/or concrete have

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-84948567790514595032011-02-14T15:05:00.000-06:002011-02-15T19:34:26.354-06:00

Oregon Pacific SW8 no. 801 pulling six covered hoppers across highway 99E in Canby, Oregon. Nothing says Valentine's Day like a pretty red-and-white...locomotive. Every Sunday night a southbound Union Pacific freight train drops off the week's business for the Oregon Pacific's Molalla Branch at Canby, and every Monday morning the OPR goes to work serving its customers. There were 27 cars on

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-91465960911034926122011-02-14T00:16:00.000-06:002011-02-14T00:16:07.046-06:00

Amtrak Cascades train on. 509 passing the Blue Heron mill in Oregon City. Amtrak Cascades train no. 509 departed Portland almost half an hour late tonight and, although it's not visible in this view, was powered by a Union Pacific freight locomotive pushing on the rear. The train is shown here passing the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City, in my first attempt at an angle I've been eyeing

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-69389520027910029722011-02-12T21:44:00.000-06:002011-02-12T21:44:43.620-06:00

Union Pacific's Lake Transfer with Montana Rail Link locomotives entering Albina Yard in Portland. It's the end of the line for these "pretty blue ones" (in the words of the yardmaster): Montana Rail Link locomotives coming to Portland to be scrapped. This afternoon the Lake Transfer brought a total six MRL SD45-2s into Albina Yard, nos. 313, 304, 303, 302, 314, and 310; they will go to

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-87954119718952570042011-02-11T20:10:00.000-06:002011-02-11T20:10:02.516-06:00

Unused wood chip unloading equipment at the Blue Heron Paper Company in Oregon City, Oregon. It's good to be back. I had a very productive trip to Wisconsin, but I was battling a nasty cold most of the time. Thankfully I seem to be recovering. This afternoon I walked the loop down Singer Hill, through downtown, under the tracks, along 99E to the pedestrian overpass and back along the bluff. It

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-25746884096850183472011-02-06T22:13:00.000-06:002011-02-06T22:18:04.668-06:00

Passing a railroad crossing in Madison, Wisconsin. Often when I visit Madison, there's limited time for photography. Today seemed like the best opportunity during this trip, and there had been hope of a spreader run on the Wisconsin & Southern. A quick trip by the yard showed everything tied down, however, with most of the crews likely laying off to watching the Packers beat the Steelers.

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-80677359606804457272011-02-05T21:02:00.000-06:002011-02-05T21:02:51.078-06:00

Discarded cigarette pack on the tracks by our train. Yesterday morning, I paid for my first cup of coffee in the cafe car and received free refills on account of our tardiness. The good news was that today, even the first cup was free. The bad news was that was because we were running even later. By the time we crawled into Minneapolis-St. Paul at 1:00 this afternoon – more than

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-13694067403549324832011-02-04T22:21:00.000-06:002011-02-04T22:22:40.135-06:00

Train time at Whitefish. We've been in Montana since long before I woke up this morning, and we still are nine hours later with over 200 miles of Big Sky country to go. Since leaving the eastern boundary of Glacier National Park, we've been rolling through the flat, high prairies that comprise the eastern two-thirds of the state, dubbed “flyover country” in the age of jetliners. Nothing like

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-2247107786311598062011-02-03T18:42:00.000-06:002011-02-03T18:43:31.120-06:00

Go by train? Don't mind if I do! We have a train, it's facing the right way, I'm sitting in a window seat with a power outlet and a bag of hot Indian food from a Portland food cart. Wisconsin, ho!

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-61578153672496228422011-02-03T12:50:00.000-06:002011-02-03T12:53:29.732-06:00

I'm supposed to be heading east on this afternoon's Empire Builder, train no. 28, out of Portland. Destination is CRPA Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. As I've posted before, the afternoon eastbound departure of train 28 uses the same equipment that arrives in the morning as westbound train no. 27. A quick check of the Amtrak website this morning revealed that train 27 is running almost 12

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-73137150321551488132011-02-02T14:36:00.000-06:002011-02-02T14:38:26.993-06:00

OC Switcher at Route 99E in Oregon City. I rose before 5:00 this morning, ostensibly to get more work done but also with the hope that I might catch the OC Switcher in town, and I've been successful on both counts. The train was only halfway through its work at Blue Heron when I went out to the bluff, and it's shown here on the switching lead that extends across Oregon State Highway 99E and

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-54689520663894645212011-02-02T00:13:00.000-06:002011-02-02T00:13:21.826-06:00

Amtrak train no. 500 meeting the OC Switcher in Oregon City. Last night was another long one for the OC Switcher, which was just finishing its work at the Blue Heron mill when I got up this morning. It returned to the junction with the main line where it waited for one train to pass in each direction: first, Portland & Western run-through train no. 663, and then Amtrak Cascades no. 500. Once

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-53998508360444660302011-01-31T22:05:00.000-06:002011-01-31T23:11:28.862-06:00

BNSF switcher in northwest Portland's Guilds Lake industrial district. Guilds Lake in northwest Portland is the best remaining example of the city's once-numerous switching districts: highly industrialized areas served by a dense rail network. Another local photographer, Alexander Craghead, is working on a photography project to document the remnants. As industry has declined around downtown

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-83787889304349158452011-01-31T00:17:00.000-06:002011-01-31T00:18:02.201-06:00

Amtrak Cascades train no. 504 passing the Singer Hill steps in Oregon City. Today I tried an angle that I've been examining for a while, during each one of Maureen's and my frequent walks up and down the Singer Hill steps. The view is looking up the hill from near its base by the municipal elevator, as northbound Amtrak Cascades train no. 504 streaks past on its way to Portland. The steps were

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-78973085209921897352011-01-29T21:10:00.000-06:002011-01-29T21:33:12.346-06:00

Loading paper into a boxcar at the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City. Rail activity has returned to the "short track" in Oregon City's Blue Heron paper mill. Contrary to my concerns expressed on January 17, on Thursday the track was cleared and that night the OC Switcher spotted two cars for loading, which was going on today. Am I exhibiting OCD tendencies by paying so much attention to a

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-42651003723835640802011-01-29T01:24:00.000-06:002011-01-29T01:25:24.360-06:00

Distributed power units on the rear of the BNSF's Vancouver to Barstow freight train at Shearers Bridge, Oregon. Today's excursion into the Columbia Gorge included a side trip on the Oregon Trunk (OT), the BNSF line that runs north-south through the middle of the state. All indications pointed to two southbound trains in daylight, an auspicious line-up for this scenic but lightly-traveled line

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-36652581129023908712011-01-27T20:38:00.000-06:002011-01-27T20:39:42.251-06:00

Union Pacific's Portland to Hinkle freight train along the Willamette River in downtown Portland. Today's morning fog lasted well past lunch but cleared in time for this late afternoon view of Union Pacific's MPDHK, the Portland to Hinkle mixed freight, departing Albina Yard along the Willamette River in downtown Portland. The Steel Bridge is on the right, while the Portland Memorial Coliseum,

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-73289989814520844872011-01-26T09:47:00.000-06:002011-01-26T09:48:49.425-06:00

OC Switcher along the Willamette River in Oregon City. As I was sitting down to my computer at 6:30 this morning, I was surprised to hear a horn outside that sounded distinctly like one of UP's SW1500s (the technical term used at Portland's Albina yard is "little switchy engine"). Guessing correctly that the OC Switcher was making a late switch down at the Blue Heron mill, I headed out into

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-52435366531906128142011-01-25T23:19:00.000-06:002011-01-25T23:20:33.282-06:00

Singer Creek falls and Union Pacific locomotive in Oregon City. After yesterday's discovery about Singer Creek falls, today I decided to try a different angle with them, this time from street level in downtown. Curiously, Maureen likes this photo a good deal more than I do. I like the spot, but I'd like to try it again with some motion blur in the train and water. Incidentally, in the enlarged

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-56558468137224458022011-01-24T23:45:00.000-06:002011-01-24T23:45:18.129-06:00

Union Pacific freight train and Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City. Another day, another photo of a freight train from the bluff in Oregon City. This is a wider, horizontal version of January 10th's post, and it's the same train, the daily Portland to Roseville freight. In this view, you can see part of the walkway along the edge of the bluff, a city park that essentially comprises my

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-77524624821330542132011-01-23T22:47:00.000-06:002011-01-24T11:10:04.560-06:00

Abandoned trestle at Tophill, Oregon. This abandoned trestle in western Oregon ends abruptly after crossing state highway 47, six miles north of Buxton. From 1922 this line was part of the United Railways and connected the Oregon-American Company's sawmill in Vernonia to the national rail network, via the town Banks. The mill, which was the line's primary reason for existence, closed in 1957

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-47283187829740716632011-01-23T01:20:00.000-06:002011-01-24T11:09:29.104-06:00

Trestle on Rex Hill near Newberg, Oregon. This impressive pile of timbers is one of many large wooden railroad trestles in western Oregon. This one stands on a Portland & Western line near Newberg, on a grade called Rex Hill. Currently, the line is only used for storing freight cars and sees no regular traffic. Once part of Southern Pacific's empire, in the late 1910s and throughout the 1920s

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-31088925629978079852011-01-22T00:15:00.000-06:002011-01-22T01:16:57.479-06:00

Union Pacific's Lake Transfer freight train at Portland Union Station. So here's the deal. You're working second trick at the West Tower of Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon, and you have a mess on your hands. It's 1630, and the Lake Transfer, the train that takes cars from your yard to the Portland Terminal's Lake Yard on the other side of the Willamette River, hasn't left yet. The crew has

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-58133824002951930872011-01-20T22:52:00.000-06:002011-01-20T22:57:51.752-06:00

Mini-typology of grade crossings in Oregon City. Yesterday's post reminded me of my on-going project of photographing grade crossings. The project employs a photographic technique called a typology, where similar subjects are photographed in an identical manner to make for easy comparisons. (Railroad equipment roster photographers have been doing this for decades.) The German husband-and-wife

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-84148501809223213782011-01-19T14:07:00.000-06:002011-01-19T20:35:10.384-06:00

Southbound Union Pacific freight train in the grade crossing gauntlet of Portland's near east side. There are 11 grade crossings in the span of 1/2-mile on the two main tracks of Union Pacific's Brooklyn Subdivision in the near east side of Portland, Oregon. The neighborhood is a mix of industry--both active and abandoned--and redevelopment, and most of the new restaurants and cafes give a nod

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-24686654367350593692011-01-19T00:02:00.000-06:002011-01-19T00:02:37.574-06:00

Amtrak Cascades train no. 509 passing through Oregon City. I've been intrigued with this location, a five-minute walk from my apartment, since moving to Oregon City four and a half months ago. The pedestrian stairs that descend the bluff next to the municipal elevator make a 90-degree turn in front of a stream that stair-steps its way down the hill through an urban water feature. The tracks

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-32679090379620876252011-01-17T18:19:00.000-06:002011-01-17T18:19:41.645-06:00

Detail of the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City. The "Short Track" is the name of a siding within the Blue Heron paper mill complex in Oregon City. It comes off the main switching lead that runs through the center of the mill and makes a 90-degree turn into a covered loading platform in the space of about 100 feet, and then ends near the bank of the Willamette River. It has room for two 50-

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1495975972018437722011-01-16T23:44:00.000-06:002011-01-16T23:44:16.517-06:00

BNSF Railway freight train passing the Temco elevator in Tacoma, Washington. While returning home from the 2011 "Tracks in the Snow" weekend, I enjoyed tours of Seattle and Tacoma rail facilities thanks to my guides, Steve Eshom and Robert Scott. We made our last photographs of the day at the Tacoma Export Marketing Company's elevator and dock along the south end of Tacoma's water front. 

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-9416419159378291232011-01-16T01:10:00.000-06:002011-01-16T01:10:55.454-06:00

BNSF empty grain train crossing a creek near Skykomish, Washington. The Pineapple Express is not the train in this photo, but a winter weather event in the Northwest that occurs when the jet stream is positioned to bring warm, wet air into the region. That's been happening here since the middle of the week, and is supposed to intensify overnight. Snow levels have risen to 9000 feet and up to

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-2017708517250002012011-01-15T01:05:00.000-06:002011-01-15T07:10:45.785-06:00

BNSF Railway intermodal train from South Seattle to Chicago passing orchards near Cashmere, Washington. It's been a surprisingly good first day of photography on Stevens Pass in Washington's North Cascades. I'm traveling with Robert Scott and Steve Eshom, who know the pass well. A warm front has left unseasonably warm temperatures across the region, and the rain came down in buckets this

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-64884233083617896122011-01-13T22:50:00.000-06:002011-01-13T22:50:51.399-06:00

Bulk carrier Premnitz at CLD Pacific Grain's O'Dock in downtown Portland. Continuing with the recent grain theme, since it is grain season, a swing through downtown Portland today yielded this image of the bulk carrier Premnitz taking on a load of export wheat CLD Pacific's O'Dock. At right is the dock's trackmobile, helping to unloaded covered hoppers. I'm writing from the Cascadia Inn at

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-45587205196816135842011-01-13T00:58:00.000-06:002011-01-13T00:59:21.934-06:00

BNSF grain train at East Portland Junction. The flow of grain continues through Portland at a rapid pace. Both downtown grain elevators, the O'Dock pictured here and Irving just to the north, are currently loading boats. Late this afternoon, a loaded BNSF grain train entered Union Pacific trackage, coming through Union Station and across the Steel Bridge, from whence it proceeded to Albina

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-62284296544644973422011-01-11T20:13:00.000-06:002011-01-11T20:14:22.060-06:00

Pedestrian railroad crossing at 11th Street in Oregon City. This pedestrian corral railroad crossing is at 11th Street in downtown Oregon City, on the Union Pacific main line. The crossing was closed at some point in the past and the street terminated on either side of the tracks, yet this curious arrangement remains for pedestrians wishing to cross the railroad here. The 11th Street crossing

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-66132411709564689612011-01-10T23:52:00.000-06:002011-01-11T01:01:54.339-06:00

Union Pacific's Portland, Oregon, to Roseville, California, freight train at Oregon City. As high pressure passed over the Northwest prior to an approaching storm, we enjoyed a cold but clear day in Portland. This afternoon, Union Pacific's daily freight train from Portland to Roseville, California, is seen passing the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City on its southbound trek. This train

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-85163789880795392322011-01-09T21:10:00.000-06:002011-01-09T21:40:43.838-06:00

Amtrak train no. 14, the northbound Coast Starlight passing Willamette Falls in Oregon City, Oregon. During a temporary schedule change due to track work between Albany and Eugene, Amtrak's northbound Coast Starlight is frequently passing through Oregon City after dark right now, allowing the opportunity for night photographs of this train that normally runs in the mid-afternoon. When it comes

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-8988126383287381202011-01-09T01:40:00.000-06:002011-01-09T01:40:44.995-06:00

Union Pacific freight train along the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon. Union Pacific's Kansas City to Portland intermodal train rolling along the Willamette River at sunset in downtown Portland. Covered hoppers of grain fill the adjacent sidings, waiting their turn to unload in the Irving elevator in the background, which would receive another ship later in the evening. Across

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-11195392368366045812011-01-08T00:44:00.000-06:002011-01-08T00:44:36.909-06:00

Willamette Shore Trolley tracks beneath the Sellwood Bridge in Portland, Oregon This convergence of tracks and bridged roads is at the west end of the Sellwood Bridge in Portland. The railroad, which runs along the west bank of the Willamette River, dates back to the 1887 narrow gauge line Portland & Willamette Valley. Most recently, it has hosted the historic cars of the Willamette Shore

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-34796065268139871122011-01-06T23:10:00.000-06:002011-01-06T23:10:00.164-06:00

Amtrak's Empire Builder at East Portland Junction. Every morning (unless it's really late), the Portland section of Amtrak's westbound Empire Builder arrives at Portland Union Station, and every afternoon it departs heading east. In between, the four-car consist turns around by taking a spin on the wye at East Portland Junction. That usually happens around the middle of the day, but today it

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-25844428739737407282011-01-05T19:01:00.000-06:002011-01-05T19:01:52.872-06:00

UMAX containers rolling south through Oregon City. This afternoon a solid wall of navy blue passed through Oregon City, 19 feet high and over a mile long. It consisted of 184 brand-new, empty UMAX shipping containers. UMAX is a domestic interline container program between the Union Pacific and CSX railroads. The containers are manufactured in China and shipped to Portland, where they are

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-56207938167567773542011-01-04T22:21:00.001-06:002011-01-04T22:21:32.512-06:00

Amtrak Cascades no. 507 crossing the Pudding River at Aurora, Oregon. Just two days after blogging about my current preference for daytime photography, I submit my first nocturnal entry of the year, southbound Amtrak Cascades train no. 507 crossing the Pudding River just north of Aurora, Oregon. The train was running about 10 minutes late after waiting in Clackamas siding for a much

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-75082016235089168162011-01-03T18:57:00.000-06:002011-01-03T19:02:13.247-06:00

CLD Pacific's Irving elevator along the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon. Morning errands at the print shop and camera store afforded me the opportunity to take a look around downtown Portland, as the hum of industry returned on the first Monday of the new year. The flow of export wheat through the city continues, arriving from the prairies by rail, truck, and barge, for

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-19567193779218076752011-01-03T00:43:00.000-06:002011-01-03T00:47:10.800-06:00

Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad tracks and cars in Glendale, Oregon, on January 2, 2011. In 2011, I hope to make at least one rail-related photo everyday and share it on this blog. Not likely, right? Actually, impossible, given that I made zero photos on New Year's Day. (A shame, too, since I actually spotted a decent rail subject that went un-photographed for want of a camera during my walk

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-83565883290870954792008-05-24T03:14:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:28.508-06:00

I now have a homepage, featuring selections of my photography and writing:www.scottlothes.com

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-39734070616470232482007-12-28T12:52:00.000-06:002008-12-10T14:38:30.634-06:00

While talking with my friend Paul a few days ago, he commented that St. Albans, WV looks to be full of gloomy weather, signals, and coal trains, based on the past photos I've sent him from the area. That theme is continued this year (with the addition of Amtrak), although it will probably be the last time I'll see many of the old C&O cantilever signals. New masts, some with heads, already line

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-34501281057357677942007-07-16T01:26:00.000-05:002007-07-16T02:10:48.173-05:00

At 12,000 feet, we dropped below the cloud cover. To my right, the Olympic Mountains rose nearly to eye level, green-gray and still flecked with snow, the first American land I had seen in nearly two years. I looked away, rubbed my eyes, and then dried my hands. We banked to the right over Puget Sound, and there was Seattle, skyscrapers and waterfront, close and inviting, a haven of safety and

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-59656437260398194082007-07-11T07:28:00.000-05:002007-07-11T09:00:51.823-05:00

This will be my last post from Japan, as I'm leaving tomorrow. There are a lot of things that have happened recently that I've wanted to tell you about: How Mo and I nearly climbed the highest mountain on the Shiretoko Peninsula. About watching the moonset over Karikachi Pass. About a crackling campfire, a ukulele, and good friends singing into the night. About a hidden gorge and a man with a

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-76476122658479935312007-07-07T18:10:00.001-05:002007-07-07T18:21:55.107-05:00

Great news! My recent post about high school baseball in Japan has been picked up by Matador Travel, an online travel website. It's now a featured article in their "Sport" section, and be seen at:http://matadortravel.com/travel-writing/japan/sport/one-in-4-000-high-school-baseball-in-japanMatador Travel is a new, online community of people who are passionate about traveling, experiencing, and

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-32071791563916641202007-07-05T19:56:00.001-05:002008-12-10T14:38:31.540-06:00

It’s 8:00 on Monday morning in Kushiro and the station is humming with the morning commute. Business suits and school uniforms pass in a steady stream from the ticket gates to the exit doors. In the men’s room, three high school boys stand in front of the mirror, liberally dousing their spiky heads with aerosol hairspray. Westerners may laugh, but in a country where appearances are valued so

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-29731193454178356842007-07-02T19:57:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:34.043-06:00

By the time the overnight bus from Sapporo arrived in Utoro, Maureen and I comprised half the passengers. Most of the riders on the less-than-half-filled bus had gotten off in Shari, an hour earlier. Utoro is a fishing and tourism village on the west coast of the Shiretoko peninsula, in far northeastern Hokkaido. Shiretoko comes from the indigenous Ainu word for “the end of the earth,” and that’s

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-81972585675661691652007-06-19T19:47:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:34.261-06:00

I leave Japan in 22 days. After making a life here for the past year and a half, it's hard to believe it will all end so quickly. Before leaving, there's time for one more trip, and I'm departing presently. Today, I'll take a train to Sapporo, where Maureen will meet me after she finishes work. Tonight, we're taking the night bus to the Shiretoko peninsula in far northeastern Hokkaido. Shiretoko

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-75017808721204834962007-06-19T07:40:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:35.355-06:00

Well, it seems I couldn't even make it a month into this "revival" of my blog without lapsing into nearly two weeks of no updates. For a guy without a job, I certainly manage to keep myself busy. Since his retirement 21 years ago, my grandfather loves to say that he doesn't know how he ever had time to work. I think I know what he means.Two weekends ago, June 9-10, was the 16th annual Yosakoi

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-76907935173917483812007-06-07T08:23:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:36.502-06:00

On the map, it looked like about 8 kilometers from Kanayama station to the Lake Kanayama campground. I’m normally not one to shy away from an 8K walk along the side of a lake, but considering how much walking I’d already done in the past few days, combined with all the camping gear weighing down my backpack, further combined with the knowledge that I’d still have a good bit of walking to do in

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-34412555931588119042007-06-05T20:59:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:36.985-06:00

There were only a few other people aboard the one-car local when it pulled up to the low, flat-roofed building that is the Esashi train station. There are no sidings or extra tracks at the end of the line, just the single stub of rails running into a pile of gravel and a steel buffer. The open field beside that one track told me that it hadn’t always been that way, but the weeds between the rails

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-52641230209444079872007-05-27T07:34:00.000-05:002007-05-27T07:39:11.677-05:00

When I came to Hokkaido 18 months ago, I endeavored to ride all of the island's 2500 km of railway. I only have one line to go, a branchline to the coastal city of Esashi in the far southwest. I'm going there this week to ride it, as well as to take photographs along the nearby Kaikyo mainline, which goes through the Seikan Tunnel, beneath the Tsuruga Straights. So, I won't be online for a few

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-50597772164905796212007-05-27T06:13:00.000-05:002007-06-05T21:10:19.510-05:00

Last night, Maureen and I watched The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise. If you're not familiar with the movie, it's a lot like Dances With Wolves meets the Meiji Restoration. Cruise plays an Army capitan, haunted by his part in a massacre of native Americans, who goes to Japan to teach fighting techniques to the new Japanese military, whose primary objective is to crush a rebellion led by

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-9996224765846363962007-05-24T01:36:00.001-05:002008-12-10T14:38:37.766-06:00

I’ve just returned from my first camping trip of the year, a single overnight in the mountains near Niseko, to the southwest of here. My muscles ache from carrying the heavy pack over rough terrain, my heels are blistered, there are about a dozen little cuts on my hands, and I’m trying hard not to scratch the countless places that now itch from various bug bites and leaf contact. And of course I’

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-76523286966290299412007-05-21T07:53:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:38.778-06:00

Top of the seventh, two outs, runners on first and second. As the next hitter steps in, the man on first takes a long lead. The midday sun shines down unforgivingly on the brown earth of the infield, and the pitcher looks intently to home plate, getting his sign from the catcher. With a nod he leans back and prepares to go into his windup. Then suddenly, with a deft flick of the wrist, he fires

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-3672170336041412112007-05-20T09:14:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:39.583-06:00

After three days of rain, I awoke this morning to deep blue, cloud-dappled skies. Everything, including the air, had been washed clean by the rain. The hills are coming alive in their new green, and farmers are busy flooding their fields for the summer rice crop. After lunch, I caught a local train to Usu station, 45 minutes to the southwest, where I back tracked along the coastal roads. The wind

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-40042913141750713202007-05-18T02:14:00.000-05:002007-05-18T02:21:46.074-05:00

It was a warm, spring day in southern Hokkaido, and I was homeward bound on the Etomo peninsula, nearing the end of a 20-km bike ride. The low road follows the railway out the peninsula from Higashi Muroran station, and the ride is flat on a wide, uncluttered sidewalk as far as Misaki station. That’s where the hills begin. There are four altogether, and while none are very long or steep, all are

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-86188361687914850282007-05-16T18:48:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:40.163-06:00

Muroran station is at the end of an 8-km branchline on the Etomo Peninsula. There are 23 passenger trains per day in each direction, running to and from the junction with the mainline at Higashi-Muroran (higashi=east). Usually, to go very far from Muroran, you have to change trains in Higashi-Muroran. However, five of the trains are direct expresses to and from Sapporo. They're four cars long (

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-46848257917138002972007-05-16T08:04:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:38:40.511-06:00

It's the middle of May, and nearly two months after the first cherry trees starting blooming in southern Japan, the pink-and-white blossoms have finally come to Hokkaido. On Saturday, Maureen and I took a short trip to Date (dah-tay), the next city to the west, where we found the trees along the Kimonbetsu River in full bloom. There were also a few trees next to the railway, so (with Maureen's

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-27146976933959143172007-05-16T07:27:00.000-05:002007-05-16T07:38:19.488-05:00

I think it's time I did some blogging again. While I was teaching, I kept a journal, but for a number of reasons those writings weren't very suitable for my blog. Now that I've finished, I've lost that direction for my journal, and I'm hoping that by re-invigorating my blog, I'll find some new incentive for writing. I'll also use this an online photo diary.In the meantime, I'm also working on a

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1159794652546244582006-10-02T08:09:00.000-05:002006-10-02T08:16:22.083-05:00

The Port of Muroran, normally called on only by freighters and tankers, entertained a unique visitor last Tuesday. The Sapphire Princess, one of 17 ships in the Princess Cruise fleet, brought her 2,600 passengers and 1,300 staff into Muroran for a one-day visit. That’s nearly 4,000 people, or about twice the size of the town where I went to high school. The ship is so big that it could not fit

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1158677327003390372006-09-19T09:34:00.000-05:002006-10-02T17:33:41.483-05:00

Yeah, it's been a while. I know. For some time, I’ve been contemplating whether to make a “last post” and officially bring this little piece of blogging to a close. The only reason I didn’t do that is because every now and then, something interesting would happen, and I’d think “maybe I should put that on my blog.” I didn’t, though. I’ve been keeping busy with lots of photography and writing

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1150079712193226102006-06-11T21:34:00.000-05:002006-06-11T21:37:27.870-05:00

In 1991, a student at the University of Hokkaido went to the southern island of Shikoku during his summer vacation where he saw the Yosakoi Festival. Yosakoi is a form of traditional dance from Kochi prefecture in Shikoku. The student was so impressed that he wanted to bring the dance back to Hokkaido and combine it with elements of modern dance and the traditional Soran Bushi fishing folksongs

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1146205046132178052006-04-28T01:15:00.000-05:002006-04-28T01:17:26.190-05:00

Okay, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t exactly Prom King or Class President when I was in high school. I was more the quiz-team-and-chess-club quiet type, especially during my first two years. Oh, but I longed to be popular. I’d go to school dances and stand in some dark corner, secretly wishing to be slow-dance-necking with a cheerleader. I’d sit in the stands on Friday night football games and dream I

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1145023061151913102006-04-14T08:45:00.000-05:002006-05-25T19:31:58.383-05:00

Hokkaido will lose 140 kilometers of railway this month. On April 20th, the Hokkaido Chihoku Highland Railway will make its last runs, ending 95 years of rail service to many rural communities, small towns and agricultural valleys of eastern Hokkaido. The north-south oriented line was completed in 1911, making it among Hokkaido’s first railways. At the time it was a mainline linking Ikeda, a city

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1144334341804068132006-04-06T09:19:00.000-05:002006-04-06T09:47:56.896-05:00

One of my favorite photographers is David Plowden, who has been exposing 2-1/4 inch square B&W negatives for about half a century. A love of trains, particularly steam locomotives, is what first made Plowden pick up a camera. Once the steam locomotives were gone from North America, he largely stopped photographing trains, but he by no means stopped photographing. He turned his attention instead

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1144210433618391162006-04-04T23:13:00.000-05:002006-04-05T00:44:29.743-05:00

Train travel in Japan is expensive, and there’s simply no getting around that. There are, however, a few ways to soften the blows. One is the “seishun juhachi kippu,” which literally means “student 18 ticket.” Despite the name, anyone can buy one, whether student or salaryman, Japanese or foreigner. For 11,500 yen (about $100US at the current exchange rate), you get a pass that is good for

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1143776151212734742006-03-30T21:19:00.000-06:002006-03-30T21:35:51.236-06:00

It will probably be the only time in my life that a pair of sneakers helped me get a job.If you know much about Japanese culture, you probably know that the Japanese are a little finicky about their footwear. Shoes are not to be worn inside a home, although slippers are quite common and often provided for guests. (The slippers are invariably five sizes too small for western males, except for my

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1143247284960498372006-03-24T18:27:00.000-06:002006-03-24T18:41:25.006-06:00

Since the subtitle of my blog advertises photography, and since there's been precious little of that on here recently, I thought I'd share a few photos from this morning. Sunrise comes quite early to Hokkaido, since Japan is all one timezone with Hokkaido on the eastern end. They don't observe daylight savings time here, either, so at the summer solstice the sun will be popping over the horizon

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1142954159293921942006-03-21T09:15:00.000-06:002006-03-21T09:15:59.316-06:00

This week marks my six-month anniversary with breaking the bonds of North America and embarking on this Asian adventure. The half-year point seems a good place to stop, look back, look inward, and reflect on these past 180-odd days lived so far from home. And what better place for reflection than the toilet? (Mature content warning: if you are not comfortable with openly discussing personal

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1141912028180382762006-03-09T07:47:00.000-06:002006-03-09T08:02:01.936-06:00

I like books. I like to read books. I like to look at books. I like to walk through aisles of books. Warmwood aisles with the soft, incandescent glow of drizzly, main street afternoons. I like to pick up books and thumb their pages and wonder at all the possibilities they contain. You could probably say that I’m a bookaholic. In fact, you could definitely say that. I know that because yesterday I

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1141484224423464772006-03-04T08:56:00.000-06:002006-03-04T09:23:20.900-06:00

At the end of lunch today, Maureen directed my attention to the top of the microwave, where sat two small packages containing Japanese desserts. She opened hers to reveal two small pancakes pressed around a sweet bean filling (a common delicacy here). I opened my package to reveal: another package. Japan, it would seem, is a country addicted to packaging. Walk into any convenience store and order

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1141354089588195772006-03-02T19:44:00.000-06:002006-03-03T01:30:49.666-06:00

Wednesday, March 1st was graduation day in Japan. At 10:00 in the morning, every 3rd year high school student in the country graduated. Maureen was able to arrange going to the ceremony at Tomakomai Nishi and invited me to join her.At the school's entrance, we were warmly welcomed by a smiling man in a dark business suit and white sneakers. In fact, nearly all of the staff was wearing either

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1141093508337598182006-02-27T20:07:00.000-06:002006-02-27T20:25:08.356-06:00

On her visits to one of Muroran's high schools, Maureen often teaches with Usami-Sensei. Usami-Sensei is a tiny woman and a big pillar of internationalization in Muroran. She runs the International Center and eagerly opens her home to dinners with foreign residents and students. I've already visited her twice. When we told her we were getting married here, her eyes lit up with a forming plan. "In

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1141092448381366752006-02-27T19:40:00.000-06:002006-02-27T20:07:28.396-06:00

Maureen and I went back to the pool last night. We've been going once or twice a week since our first visit, and can now finally make it through the front doors and back out again without being corrected for any glaring social blunders. On every visit, we've noticed a skeleton of a woman working out in the pool and soaking in the hottub. Maureen is careful not to talk about her publicly, even in

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1139952733913994602006-02-14T15:31:00.000-06:002006-02-14T15:32:13.916-06:00

Faithful readers,At long last, there are many new posts on this site and I can once again claim that it is up-to-date. Please accept my apologies for letting it go so long. There are five new posts below this one, some with photos, covering everything from a "simple" trip to the pool to getting married in a foreign country. In letting things get so behind here, I forsook my own #1 Rule of

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1139920779282726642006-02-14T15:25:00.000-06:002006-02-14T15:25:43.466-06:00

From our former home by the northern Ohio banks of Lake Erie, Maureen and I took broad aim across North America and the Pacific, and managed to slingshot ourselves from the heart of one rustbelt smack into another. Okay, so maybe rustbelt isn’t quite the right term here. The rocky coastlines, rugged volcanic mountains and fields of wildflowers in Japan’s northernmost island hardly bring to mind

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15430483.post-1139887910998197532006-02-14T15:24:00.000-06:002006-02-14T15:24:49.716-06:00

Before my visa status gets upgraded from "tourist" to "dependent alien" (at least I *think* that's an upgrade), I wanted to see as much of Hokkaido's railways as I could, via the Hokkaido Rail Pass, available only to foreigners on a temporary tourist visa. For Y18,000 (about $155), I got a 5-day pass good for travel on all JR trains in Hokkaido, which I used January 30 - February 3.You can track

Scott Lotheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.com1