Chuck has been a railfan all his life. As a kid he spent a great deal of time on the 35th Street viaduct taking photos of the Milwaukee Road yard in the Menomonee Valley. The yard is all gone now except for two roundhouse chimneys and I hear one of them may be coming down because it's too far gone to restore.
None of the old circa mid-60's images are great compared to other more serious photographers of the time, but these images mean a great deal to Chuck. They remind him of how different his life was back then and how much things have changed in Milwaukee and elsewhere. He is the invisible element in every photo; the young man behind the camera. They are part of his personal history.
I'll get around to finding the old pictures and scanning in a few someday soon so you can see those moments of time captured through younger eyes. Chuck loves the trains.
Railroading touched his life through his grandfather, George Trabert, who worked for the Milwaukee Road some 34 years, but that's another story for later. George's claim to fame is that he was the guard on the first carloads of beer to reach the yard after prohibition was lifted.
We're Milwaukee Road collectors, meaning we buy-sell-trade ephemera, tools, tins, bits and pieces of linens, bags, books, stamps, and even car heaters that are marked CMStP, CMStP&P or Milwaukee Road. We've branched out into Chicago & Northwestern and even some Amtrak collectibles in the last couple of years as more opportunites come our way. We discovered some great sources for finding treasures that most raifans probably don't know about unless they are serious railroad collectors.
For example, if you are a member of the
Milwaukee Road Historical Association and go to the annual convention, there is an opportunity to bid on some great items at the auction, and there is always a room full of quality vendors setup for leisurely shopping within the conference facility. Some things are only available to members so it's something worth considering if you are begining to collect railroadiana.
Many of the fallen flags have historical associations and/or museums that have memberships available for nominal annual fees. We also belong to the
Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL which isn't too far from home. Chuck loves the weekends down there with his video camera in hand. Some clips will be featured here soon. Railroad museums often sell some donated items items to help support thier facilities so a look in the bookstore is always on the agenda for Chuck.
Finding cool old railroad items in antique malls, thrift shops, and even garage sales is still possible every once in awhile. Sometimes when old railfans get off at the last station, their family is unaware of the value that a collection may have and they may just want to get rid of the 'junk'. There are some collectors who know how to ferret this information out and get into a position to purchase many great treasures at incredible prices.
Other times the family is well aware of the value of the collection but wants to keep it together so they might sell the lot or sometimes donate it to a museum. Duplicate items donated to railroad groups are often auctioned off at conventions or sold to dealers to help fund the organizations.
It's the smart collector who knows to sell off non-essential items to pay for the stuff he wants to keep and maybe have enough left over for the next great deal that comes along. We'll get into this in more detail too, but the most consistent place to find railroad collectibles is eBay. If you haven't ever used eBay but you collect railroad items, this will be a good time to learn how to use eBay to add to your collection and sell off your non-essential items to fund your hobby.
More soon!
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We were seated in the Cedar Rapids for this excursion. Here's a shot looking toward the rear of the car.
Here's a shot taken from the back of the car looking forward. No other passengers had boarded.
This was taken in Winona during our layover.
One of my most favorite shots taken just as the engine was powering up for departure after we had disembarked for a two hour layover in Winona.
One of the best things about riding in the Cedar Rapids is being able to see a lot of the scenery. Here's a shot of Dayton's Bluff near St. Paul.
