The sun twinkles between the trees and across the water of the Black Warrior River in Downtown Tuscaloosa as Alabama Southern train 131 snakes its way back towards Birmingham.

How high? 238 feet to be exact. That's how high above the Animas River train 261 finds itself with the last coal burner, 481, taking point.

After a summer exploring angles of this line in the remote San Juans, I came to a simple conclusion for these high-angle shots: fly the drone, don't climb. This was an angle I scoped out over the ... (more)

Atop the famous rock overlooking Shalona Lake and the Silverton Branch, 476 snakes its way into Rockwood delivering a scene straight out of the late 20th century.

In a view cleared out by the 2012 "Goblin Fire", Extra 476 rolls by photographers at MP 480.5 with Pigeon and Turret Peaks standing 13,000 feet tall behind the train.

Fireman Kylah Breeden has just finished filling the tender of 476 with water at Tank Creek and lifts the groundwater-fed spout back into its resting position.

Locomotives galore gather around the turntable of the Durango roundhouse. The last coal burner, 481, simmers outside next to a 70s deco 476. 482 and 480 flank both sides of the frame as they under... (more)

As the stars rise in the newfound darkness of yet another chilly night, the roundhouse crew of the Durango & Silverton create some warmth as they drop the ashes of the last coal-burning steam loco... (more)

After working Intrepid Potash outside Moab, the famed Potash Local works hard to get above the Colorado River and cut through Bootlegger Canyon.

The Nickel Plate's slogan "High Speed Service" is being dragged through the mud as NS 245 to Dallas runs a day late down the AGS South.

Under a turnstile of stars, CN 3115 cools off in Alabama Southern's Coker Yard after bringing in a loaded tanker train the night previous.

Under the cover of darkness, the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express departs Meridian, Miss. for Shreveport, La. led by KCS 2 and the rest of the business entourage.

After waiting for the Southbound "Illini" to pass, CN A407 to Gary, Ind. starts north out of Champaign Yard limits with two veteran Illinois Central SD70s under a fading sun.

Unfortunately for those familiar with CW McCall's song "The Silverton Train," the Animas River Gorge only finds itself 230-ish feet from rail to river, as opposed to the 400-feet McCall ... (more)

Union Pacific's Big Boy has just spun around on the wye and is headed towards the Moffatt Subdivision to spend the night with Denver's skyline standing tall behind them.