There are people on this list who really like old trains (hi @ggbutcher 
), so maybe these photographs might be of interest:
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Thanks, @elle, I find it all fascinating, old and new.
Theyāre restoring to operation the old āpark locomotiveā from Colorado Springsā Antlers park, D&RGW #168. Maybe not clearly, but in the commission hearings about it i brought up the STEM aspect of the old equipment - not only how it works, but how and why did folks come up with such, and what new things brought on their replacement. The old trolleys and interurbans that are Ms Rollās subjects in the article are interesting study; while rails across the nation are still economically compelling, rails in the streets became less economical in the face of the bus. A fine discussion for pixls.usā¦ 
So, hereās the obligatory picture:
Itās in pieces in Antonito, Colorado now, will probably be running later next yearā¦
āFusees and Torpedosā '(#52). WTF is that? Signals put ahead on the track to signal a stopped train (called āpĆ©tardsā in France). But why ātorpedosā?
A torpedo is a bit of explosive strapped to the rail, usually behind a stopped train. If an approaching train rolls over it, it explodes, warning the crew of the stopped train ahead. Not enough to damage things, but enough to make a loud noise.
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@ggbutcher - thanks! for the information about the torpedo sign. I never heard of such a thing, and like @Ofnuts I was curious.
Another thing I was curious about is the intense colors in a lot of the images, especially the pinks, greens, cyans and such. What decades/time-frame were those colors painted in and on trains? And are the colors actually still that saturated after all this time? Or is there some heavy post-processing going on?
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My money on some heavy post-processing.
Some of the exterior colors look ābleachedā, from years of UV exposure. Iād bet the pink and green of #1 were originally something like red and blueā¦
I do see some over-processing, thoughā¦
Well, I was actually thinking about the interior cyan-green, cyan, and pink colors, from for example 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 50 (putting to one side the lovely shade of blue in 32, and the outrageous blue in 35). Those colors, especially the cyan-green, cyan, and pink, along with all the yellow, I think those colors were popular at specific points in time, yes? no?
I agree the images look overprocessed. I wish the photographer had used a tripod, smaller apertures, and longer exposures (itās not like those trains are moving around or anything) to get more of each shot in focus. For too many of the images the stuff I wanted to examine in more detail was out of focus.
That green in #13 is actually common for ānon-revenueā equipment, where the employees rode. Most cabooses (cabeese) Iāve been in have interiors painted this color. I donāt know whyā¦
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More photos than I expected to see. Thanks for sharing @Elle.
I love running photos of dilapidated mechanical and industrial things through some of the more āexperimentalā processing things that I have and I couldnāt resist:
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Was gathering with pleasure disputes I dont understand that looking for past nostalgic approach, but its art work done with love. Thanks for sharing.
OK, speaking of photographs of old trains:
This Was the Worldās Largest Camera Back in 1900
constructed specifically to photograph a train. The photographs of the camera are really interesting. Alas the included image of the actual photograph of the train is too small to make out details.
Hmm, now that you mention it, I recall seeing old government office buildings with rooms painted that sort of green. Itās not exactly a cheery or inspiring color.