ShortlinesUSA.com - About the Site

About the photographer:

I have been interested in railroads since I was about 10 years old, and taking photographs almost ever since. Just like any young kid, I wanted to be where I could see as many trains as possible whenver trackside. That trend continued for many years, until September of 1998. I was visiting St. Marys, GA, home of the shortline of the same name, but knew nothing of the operation. Imagine my surprise when they came blasting by my hotel with a great looking end cab switcher and a good size train for the paper mill. I was very intrigued, and took off in pursuit. This was literally my first shortline chase, because like many other class 1 fans, the only thing I ever saw of shortlines was their units parked somewhere, seeming to never run. Needless to say, I've been hooked ever since, and now my railroad photography is almost exclusively shortlines. I still love to watch and photograph trains of any sort, but shortlines are my true passion.

As far as life outside of railroading goes, my career as an airline pilot takes me all over the US and that explains just how in the world I get around so much. My wife and I welcomed our first child to the world May 20, 2005, and that explains why the updates are a little slow at times.

The cameras I shoot with are a Nikon F3 and a Pentax K1000. What can I say? I've got a thing for the classics! I shoot Fujichrome Provia 100F, and recently, like many others, have retired Kodachrome 64 after many years of service. I was shooting both for some time, as I liked to get the best of both worlds in the film department, but the ever decreasing quality, availability and processing steered me away. So, that's brought me screaming into the 1990's with my old camera and slide film, but I don't forsee a format change to digital for some time yet. You can count me in with the five other 30-something film geezers left!

I owe a big thanks to my wife for understanding my hobby and allowing me to enjoy it as I do. A special thanks to my webmaster Chris Starnes for all the hard work in keeping the site up to date, and to photo-scanner Gary Larimer for all the initial scanning work that got this site off the ground. And last, but not least, thanks to all my family and friends who have fostered and enjoyed my hobby with me over the years.

About this site:

Welcome to ShortlinesUSA! We’ve created this site to give railfans a comprehensive look at shortline and regional railroading in the US. This site is by no means a comprehensive guide to these operations, but rather a way to see the variety of equipment and paint schemes of some very unique railroads. With over 500 shortlines presently operating in the US and more companies being created as the major railroads shed excess trackage, the shortline and regional railroads are one of the most dynamic sectors of today’s railroad industry. With all of these companies and more being created, we have no doubt there will be plenty of content with which to update this site. We hope you’ll visit often to see what’s new. If you have questions or comments about the site or its content, feel free to contact us! Again, welcome and enjoy!

Shortline railfanning basics:

Many people do not railfan shortlines for one reason alone: they are unpredictable. Shortlines operate for their customers needs, period. If the customers needs are sporadic, the operations are sporadic. The best advice I can give on shortline railfanning is avail yourself with as much knowledge as you can before visiting. Some good sources to consider are Edward A. Lewis American Shortline Railway Guide and the internet. The guide will give you the basics on where the line is, locomotive roster, location of the enginehouse and scanner frequencies.  There are numerous websites dedicated to regional areas or specific shortlines.  The best way to find information on a road you wish to visit is to start with a Google search.  You will be amazed at how much information is out there.  Other good options for finding information are www.railroadforums.com or a search at http://groups.yahoo.com under "railway enthusiasts" to see if there is a Yahoo group for the road you wish to visit.  Chances are, there probably is.  www.trainorders.com is also a very good source of information, though this site now requires a yearly subscription.  Being well prepared is the key to shortline railfanning.  Doing some advance research goes a long way, and is a lot easier than the frustration of driving a couple hundred miles to find nothing running and the locomotive locked up in the enginehouse. 

We hope you enjoy your visit to ShortlinesUSA.com and we welcome your comments!