A still life Kodachrome Transparency of Rio Grande's engine servicing facility at Thistle, Utah. All of the trappings of the steam age are present in this perspective shot in 1959, looking northea... (more)

A vibrant 35mm Kodachrome Transparency captures a warm sunny morning at Rio Grande's depot and engine servicing facility at Thistle, Utah. At the time, the Rio Grande Cafe (inside the depot) was s... (more)

After performing geometry tests in Spanish Fork Canyon, an FRA test train departs Thistle with a high green signal aspect east to Rio, Narrows, Gilluly, Soldier Summit and ultimately, Helper. Rio ... (more)

An FRA track geometry test train has stopped at the west end of Rio Grande's Thistle Yard. D&RGW business car 'Wilson McCarthy' is along for the ride, spotted near the location of 1983's mudslide ... (more)

United States Department of Transportation track geometry cars T-1 and T-3 (with Federal Railroad Administration staff on board) test Rio Grande's eastward main through Spanish Fork Canyon. D&RGW ... (more)

A BNSF trackage right train starts up towards Soldier Summit near Thistle, Utah. The entire train is in view but doesn't even compare in size against the mountain backdrop.

The iconic Rio Grande Zephyr train #18 roars east through Spanish Fork Canyon approaching Thistle. The toe of land to the left of the 5771 would in six years become the huge Thistle landslide that... (more)

Rio Grande Zephyr train #18 climbs east through the tiny railroad town of Thistle, Utah.

The Rio Grande Zephyr train #18 curves eastward over Thistle Creek through the tiny railroad town of Thistle.

Dashing through new fallen snow, the Rio Grande Zephyr train #18 approaches the small railroad town of Thistle. A big landslide would bury this right of way and riverbed in five years, leading to ... (more)

This and the previous Zepher shot up loaded are at Thistle.

A bright moon illuminates the struggle of machine against the mountain. In this case, the mountain won. With two units on the front and a single DPU on the rear, this train could not make it up th... (more)

For my 2,000th image uploaded to Railpictures.net, I have posted a scan of my very first Kodachrome transparency, shot back in October of 1973. My parents gave me a new 'Cosmic 35' camera for my 1... (more)