Loose_Grip/Pete's photos with the keyword: 1979

The beautiful gold and silver of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway on the locomotives and baggage car contrasts with the light covering of snow on the approach to Glenwood Canyon in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. The conductor allowed me to take this view from the open door of our passenger train travelling from Denver to Salt Lake City (where we changed in the middle of the night to an Amtrak train to San Francisco). The lead locomotive is F9 diesel 5771. This was the last private long distance passenger train in the USA but it has long since been taken over by Amtrak. We were moving homes via San Francisco & Australia after a 2 year assignment in New Orleans to live in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The early morning view from Norway House at 2501 Vallejo, San Francisco. The Fort Mason Center with the red roofs is on the bay front to the right & Alcatraz is the island in the bay. The main hill left is Angel Island State Park. We were staying at the Norwegian Sailor's Mission although we were not Norwegian or sailors! In fact it was very reasonably priced & open to anyone but this was not generally known. It had been recommended by our neighbour in New Orleans who was a retired Norwegian-American sailor.

A sailing boat passing the lighthouse near the mouth of Sydney bay. We spent a week in Sydney back in 1979 en route to Medan in Sumatra. Having said that I'm not sure which lighthouse this is. Any ideas? Thanks to Graham I now realise this is Hornby lighthouse and the pic was taken from the harbour cruise ship.

En route to Indonesia from the US we were going to take the train from Sydney to Perth but the railwaymen went on strike. We took the plane instead & so we had 3 more days in Western Australia. We rented a car and drove out of the city. This beautiful deserted beach on the Indian Ocean was just off the road north of Perth I think. Anyone recognise it?

Another shot from my second trip to California via a 1250 mile railway journey from Denver to San Francisco which started on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad to Ogden. After a bus ride from there to Salt Lake City city centre we changed to Amtrak & from there to San Francisco we took the Southern Pacific route through the Sierra Nevadas via the snow-covered Donner Pass. This shot was taken looking east from the open end-of-carriage connecting door in eastern California

The other end of the train seen in the previous post! Denver & Rio Grande Railroad "first generation" F9 diesel 5771 up front with Budd stainless steel observation car "Silver Sky" visible on the tail-end of the Rio Grande Zephyr at Grand Junction station, an intermediate stop on from Denver to Salt Lake City. This train was the last non-Amtrak long distance train in the USA after the Southern Railway stopped running the Southern Crescent from New Orleans. It was a great railroading experience and had a brilliant 1940s-50s atmosphere. We changed at Salt Lake City during the night but the Amtrak train bore no comparison although the journey through the mountains & onward to San Francisco was certainly spectacular.

Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Budd stainless steel observation car "Silver Sky" on the tail-end of the Rio Grande Zephyr at Grand Junction station, an intermediate stop on from Denver to Salt Lake City. D&RG "first generation" F9 diesel 5771 is at the front. This train was the last non-Amtrak long distance train in the USA after the Southern Railway stopped running the Southern Crescent from New Orleans. It was a great railroading experience and had a brilliant 1940s-50s atmosphere. We changed at Salt Lake City during the night but the Amtrak train bore no comparison although the journey through the mountains & onward to San Francisco was certainly spectacular. The train & engine were withdrawn in 1984 & the locomotive is now preserved at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. We were en route from New Orleans to San Francisco, Australia & ultimately Medan in Indonesia where I worked for 2 years for Mobil Oil Corp. I booked the journey myself through Mobil's travel department & they took some convincing that I really wanted to travel by train. "But it is so much slower & I could be in San Francisco within hours by plane & anyway who in America, especially working for an oil company, would even want to travel by train and anyway we don't know how to book it, it's not in our system!"

We were en route by boat from Jakarta to Pulau Seribu in the Java Sea when we passed this classic sailing ship carrying timber probably from Sulawesi. It made a fine sight. Lots of other working sailing ships in the background.

The best of friends at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

New Orleans tramcar number 922 glides along the central reservation on St Charles heading through the Garden District towards downtown. When we lived here I either walked into the office or took this tram which was a real buzz, given the alternative commuting options. The subtropical nature of southern Louisiana is clear from this view. The palm trees thrived in the hot & humid climate. For a few weeks in January/February it could get cold as the weather fronts, normally stalled in the north of the state, pushed through. Then very occasionally even a frost was possible which killed the banana trees instantly although the palms were sturdier.

A shot from our Amtrak railway journey from Salt Lake City to San Francisco on the Southern Pacific route in 1979. This was taken from the open end-of-carriage connecting door. We were passing through the snow-covered Sierra Nevada in eastern California between Truckee & Colfax but I can't be any more precise on the actual location. HFF to everyone & have a great weekend.

My second trip to California was via a 1250 mile railway journey from Denver to San Francisco which started on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad to Ogden & after a bus ride from there to Salt Lake City city centre we changed to Amtrak. From Salt Lake to San Francisco we took the Southern Pacific route through the Sierra Nevadas via the snow-covered Donner Pass. This shot was taken from the open end-of-carriage connecting door in eastern California between Truckee & Colfax. Note the caboose on the tail end of an eastbound freight train heading uphill.

The massive motors of a Saturn rocket outside the Houston Space Centre, home of NASA Mission Control in 1979. This is probably no longer on outdoor display. From Google Earth there is clearly now a very large hanger at the Rocket Park.