Robert Swanson's photos

Taken as we cruised the Bosporus. These fortifications are quite impressive. (We were not allowed to leave the ship in Istanbul, so this cruise up to the Black Sea was a "consolation prize". The views are very interesting, and apparently cruise ships rarely travel this far above Istanbul.) Image processed with GIMP.

Taken in Skagway, Alaska during our cruise/visit in 2000. We did not take the train that day, but were able to walk right up to the steam equipment as it was prepared to ascend White Pass. Print film, professionally scanned, enhanced with GIMP.

This is a snapshot from a collection that was generously shared with me. The photos were taken in Agate Beach, Oregon in 1918, when this fellow was in the Army. He was a "Spruce Soldier", the workers who logged the spruce lumber in the Pacific Northwest for the War effort. To get to the spruce stands, these soldiers created roads and railroads, usually by hand. See: swansongrp.com/spruce Image processed with GIMP.

During our stay in the Canary Islands, we stopped and looked around Tenerife. In the harbor was the "C. Columbus 2" a cruise ship from Hapag-Lloyd. This ship design was very familiar to us, as we cruised on a "sister" of this ship, one of the old R-ships. When Renaissance went broke, they sold their ships to a number of other cruise lines. Image processed with GIMP.

Taken with our very first digital camera, a Sony Mavica (used floppy disks to store the images). That was our car (Ford Explorer), entering our driveway on Maui. The stone wall is typical work of the Tongans in Hawai'i. We ended up with 3 such wall projects. Image processed with GIMP.

The "super loo" in Taupo, New Zealand. They advertise it from many kilometers away. Definitely a "destination". We made use of it during our visit in 2001. We gave it an Excellent rating! Image processed with GIMP. (PS: the camera used was our first digital camera, the Sony Mavica; the one that recorded photos on a floppy disk.) (PPS: there was a superb restaurant near this in Taupo. Need to look it up....)

Taken in the Zion National Park. I enjoy trying to get the right perspective and view of walking paths. This one had the right amount of shade. Image processed with GIMP.

Outside display of a F15A fighter at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Image processed with GIMP.

Taken on a road trip several years ago. We now live in South Dakota. Image processed with GIMP.

Taken quite a few years ago, during a photography class outing. We visited an area of Iao Valley that is missed by many tourists. There is a complete Japanese-style water garden deep into the valley. This bridge and native stone wall are just part of the display.

This is a static display of a Big Boy steam locomotive, the largest ever built. You can view our videos of a relative of this engine passing by at: swansongrp.com/4014 and www.ipernity.com/doc/2543754/49660724//in/album/1261348 The park is located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Note the well-placed bench for enjoying the view of this remarkable machine. There are others in static display throughout the U. S. Of course, I also have photos of the 4014, which was restored and has been running through the U. S. starting in 2019. Thank you for all of your kind comments. Yes, this was the largest, with a combined weight (tender and engine) of over 1,000,000 pounds. It did indeed create the tractive force of two locomotives, and was created partly to prevent the need for a "double header", where two locomotives were tied together to provide more pulling power. One crew could operate this "double sized" engine. These engines were built during WW II in order to haul heavy freight over the Rocky Mountains (primarily Cheyenne, Wyoming to Ogden, Utah) at a uniform speed of 45 miles per hour. That is, they maintained that speed up steep mountains and down steep canyons. Other compound locomotives were built at that time, almost as massive as the "Big Boys". In addition, very powerful non-compound road engines were built at the same time, such as UP 844 (which see). Those engines were designed to haul pretty much anything, and could achieve speeds of 90 miles per hour. Image processed with GIMP.

We had a great time riding on the railroad in Gisbourne, NZ. This is just one of many photos I took. In this case, the loco is arriving to pull us back to the port area. Image processed with GIMP.

Taken during our cruise through Rio in 2011. We were touring the interesting district across the bay from the more famous parts of the city. Looks like someone was taking a break. All I could see were the feet, so there they are. "Have A Nice Weekend", everyone! Taken with Nikon D700, processed with GIMP.

Advertisement on the wall of a cafe along the Canal du Midi. I do like chocolate... There are other words and letters in there, all nearly faded away for the Sunday Challenge. Image processed with GIMP.

Looking up the hill that is Monaco. Many buildings, and many fences. Impressive. Image processed with GIMP.

In 2016, we had the pleasure of visiting Avery Island, Louisiana, home of the Tabasco sauce factory. Their gift shop has amazing things, and we had to control ourselves and only buy a few items. These "paint cans" contain chocolate infused with the tabasco sauce. The design on the can (diamond with green lettering) is the LOGO of the McIlhenny Co. Image processed with GIMP.

This classic railway trestle in central Pennsylvania, was abandoned by the railroad. After that, it was used for various railroad excursions, until a major storm caused most of the bridge to collapse into the valley below. This image is taken looking down from the end of the existing bridge (now a state park) at the wreckage in the valley below. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinzua_Bridge Image processed with GIMP.

The Folkston Funnel is a section of track where many of the east coast US trains pass. There is a visitors center set up, and you can spend quite an interesting day of train watching.