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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Three: Stirring emotions through atmosphere and mood. > Train depot, Williams, Arizona, 2007
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06-AUG-2007

Train depot, Williams, Arizona, 2007

A century ago, most visitors arrived at the Grand Canyon by rail. Today, the historic railroad still makes the 65 mile, two hour journey from Williams to the canyon, using steam locomotives and vintage railroad cars. I photographed the train while parked in Williams overnight, using a fence post to support my camera for this one-second exposure. The image is rich in the atmosphere of twilight, with the light glinting off the old tracks and the fading hint of daylight still visible in the cloud streaked sky. The silver train seems as quiet as its surroundings. In the distance, the colonnades of the original Williams depot can be seen. I rode this very train to the canyon the next morning. (For another image featuring this unique railroad, click on the thumbnail below.)

Leica V-Lux 1
1s f/3.2 at 10.7mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis16-Jan-2009 02:37
I don't know if the locomotives are still originals, but the cars they use are from the 1930s. I tried to evoke a nostalgic mood in this image. The station was deserted, the light perfect, and the old railroad cars do their part. Glad this image awakened old memories for you, Cyndy.
Guest 15-Jan-2009 07:13
We did this trip about 15 years ago. It was, I believe, the original steam locomotive. You could feel the rails rattling under the floorboards of the old wooden car. Thanks for this lovely memory; the image is beautiful.
JSWaters19-Aug-2007 04:25
The golden glow of nostalgia is unmistakeable. A very romantic image paying homage to the past.
Jenene
Phil Douglis15-Aug-2007 16:23
The color was there, Mo -- all I did was to allow my Leica to translate it to its own rich palette.
monique jansen15-Aug-2007 06:23
I like the rich colorisation in this image, the dark hues of blue and the golden light
Phil Douglis13-Aug-2007 18:58
Thanks, Celia. I would not have shot this with a black sky, because the nostalgic quality of the image would have been weakened. It would have looked bleak and lonesome under a black sky. I like your "tinge of hope" metaphor here -- that's what a color combination such as this can do so well. I can assure you that the actual journey lived up to the this buildup.The sound of that whistle, the smell of the 1923 railroad car, and the breeze from the open windows on our faces brought back a lot of memories. I half expected to look up at the luggage rack and see my canoe paddle -- a flash back to my youth, when I took just such trains to summer camp in Northern Wisconsin.
Cecilia Lim13-Aug-2007 18:48
What I love about this image is the feeling of anticipation and the promise that a train-waiting-on-the-tracks always brings. If you had shot this when the sky was black, it would have probably created a completely different mood. But because this train now sits glowing in the golden light with a tinge of hope coming through the blue sky, it creates a positive mood that is alluring as it is excitingly mysterious. I am holding my breath waiting for that wonderful journey by train to unfold...
Phil Douglis12-Aug-2007 18:29
Thanks, Iris. I walked past this spot four times during our overnight stay in Williams. I saw it by day and then by night. I saw it both both with and without parked trains. The fourth time was the charm -- everything fell into place for me. And yes, it is hard to look at this image without thinking of the mournful train whistle. The next morning, as I rolled past this spot while on the train itself, that whistle sang its song. I can still hear it in my mind, and when I look at this image, I think of it just as you do.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)12-Aug-2007 16:17
The mood you have evoked in this image does indeed stir my emotions and elicits many fond memories of trains. If I try hard enough, I can even hear the sound of the train whistle.
Phil Douglis12-Aug-2007 01:20
I agree. The reason we love "golden nostalgia" is that we remember it selectively. Everything seemed "better in the old days" because we associate it with our pleasures. Like riding on a train. And like this image. Actually, you can drive to the Grand Canyon much more quickly than taking this train. However, the steam train seems like more fun because it is old and relatively rare. It is like stopping time. (The train also reduces automobile traffic at Grand Canyon National Park by thousands of cars a year. And that is a value offered by the present, not the past.)
Tim May11-Aug-2007 22:53
I (we?) tend to paint the past with a golden nostalgia. I think what I like about this image is that it speaks to that nostalgia, YET, the scene exists in the present. Maybe we can have our joy in the present rather than glorify the past.
Phil Douglis11-Aug-2007 20:23
Thanks, Degsy, for coming to this image. I hope you will find it useful.
Derek M John11-Aug-2007 19:40
Cracking shot!
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