My avatar is the SP4449 at Willbridge outbound to Bend. Deschutes River Canyon. 
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Describe your avatar photo
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I was thinking the same thing as I was reading through these posts. For newer members who have joined since I last answered this, mine is of both Empire Builders, #7 and #8, at the platform in Spokane.
Maglev
Conductor
Mine is the California Zephyr at Glenwood Springs in May, 1994. This was my first trip in a sleeper on Amtrak (I had previously made a cross-country round-trip in coach and had also crossed Canada in the lower of an open section). We had Bedrooms from Oakland, California to Greensburg, Pennsylvania. On this day, I had catfish for lunch and ahi for dinner. The "Genesis" locomotives were fairly new at that time, and I deemed it worthy of a rare film exposure.
December 2021 shot of a southbound early morning Pacific Surfliner between Camarillo and Oxnard. I've got a half dozen other photos form that morning I really like. The fog was perfect for lighting.
Trains in fog are so cool. One of the best weathers, visually speaking, for railroading.
When I finally had a picture worthy of being my AU avatar (my old one was just a professional head-shot), I switched.
I have a love of sleeper trains.
This is the Sunrise Izumo, just after it splits from the Sunrise Seto at Okayama in the south of Honshu in December 2023. A sizable group seems to gather often to watch the split.
I have a love of sleeper trains.
This is the Sunrise Izumo, just after it splits from the Sunrise Seto at Okayama in the south of Honshu in December 2023. A sizable group seems to gather often to watch the split.
Love that photo. I rode an SP&S excursion and a UP excursion on the Oregon Trunk, but never had the opportunity to do it behind steam. What the steam fans have developed in Portland amazes me. As a "juice fan" I have been involved with restoration and operation of streetcars, but the complexity of "modern" steam requires a lot of volunteer hours.
Mine is one of the hubby's favorite Civil War generals, William Rosecrans. He was a convert to Catholicism (as I am), and so seemed an appropriate avatar for the hubby at his blogs, The American Catholic and Almost Chosen People.
What else do I need to say?
jis
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I just noticed that the post that I have about my avatar upthread is about a previous avatar. My avatar has changed since then, so here is some information about my current avatar...
The locomotive depicted in the avatar is that of an Indian Railways (South Eastern Railway, ex-Bengal Nagpur Railway) N Class Garratt. The N class 4-8-0-0-8-4 and its cousin the P Class 4-8-2-2-8-4 were the largest steam locomotives to operate anywhere in Asia. The similarly sized Garratts that went to Russia were never operated in Asia. They were operated in the Donbas region.
The special connection for me to the N and P Class are two. One is that they were operated by the pre-independence railway (BNR) that my Grandfather worked for. and 2. some of these behemoths landed up in the Bhilai area pulling iron ore trains between the Dalli Rajhara Iron Ore Mines and the Bhilai Steel Plant, where my Dad worked back when it was being built with Soviet aid. He was the Chief Commissioning Engineer (Electrical) from the Indian side (there was a corresponding Russian Engineer too, and he participated in the commissioning of the first Blast Furnace, Coke Ovens, Open Hearth Furnace and Rails and Beams Rolling Mill. All this was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away in a manner of speaking.
Anyway, they were finally retired in the early '70s. There are two N Classes preserved one at the National Railway Museum in New Delhi (Chankyapuri), and the other at the Kharagpur Workshop of South Eastern Railway (ex-BNR) closer to its original home which was in Jharsuguda. The latter has been restored to operating condition and operates under its own steam from time to time. See BNR class N - Wikipedia. The photo in the avatar was taken by me at the NRM New Delhi. It is of the same locomotive that appears in the Wikipedia article.
The locomotive depicted in the avatar is that of an Indian Railways (South Eastern Railway, ex-Bengal Nagpur Railway) N Class Garratt. The N class 4-8-0-0-8-4 and its cousin the P Class 4-8-2-2-8-4 were the largest steam locomotives to operate anywhere in Asia. The similarly sized Garratts that went to Russia were never operated in Asia. They were operated in the Donbas region.
The special connection for me to the N and P Class are two. One is that they were operated by the pre-independence railway (BNR) that my Grandfather worked for. and 2. some of these behemoths landed up in the Bhilai area pulling iron ore trains between the Dalli Rajhara Iron Ore Mines and the Bhilai Steel Plant, where my Dad worked back when it was being built with Soviet aid. He was the Chief Commissioning Engineer (Electrical) from the Indian side (there was a corresponding Russian Engineer too, and he participated in the commissioning of the first Blast Furnace, Coke Ovens, Open Hearth Furnace and Rails and Beams Rolling Mill. All this was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away in a manner of speaking.
Anyway, they were finally retired in the early '70s. There are two N Classes preserved one at the National Railway Museum in New Delhi (Chankyapuri), and the other at the Kharagpur Workshop of South Eastern Railway (ex-BNR) closer to its original home which was in Jharsuguda. The latter has been restored to operating condition and operates under its own steam from time to time. See BNR class N - Wikipedia. The photo in the avatar was taken by me at the NRM New Delhi. It is of the same locomotive that appears in the Wikipedia article.
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With my move from Maine to Eastern Pennsylvania in 2024, I needed to change both my screen name and avatar. Black Diamond was the name of the Lehigh Valley Railroad's premier passenger train plus also commemorated the main business of the LVRR as well as other railroads in the region including the Lehigh & New England, the Reading, and the Lackawanna, which was the transport of coal. As the use of coal for domestic heating declined, so did the railroads whose primary business was hauling it. Some such as the L&NE were abandoned outright, others struggled on until being absorbed into Conrail in 1976.
The avatar picture was taken while I was a graduate student at Lehigh University 1976 - 1977 and is near the former Central RR of New Jersey passenger station in Bethlehem PA. By this time Conrail had absorbed both the LVRR and CNJ or what was left of them. Today the CNJ line through there no longer exists but the former LVRR on the South side of the river is still very active as a Norfolk Southern mainline. The last passenger service through here on the CNJ was an Allentown - Jersey City run that was discontinued in 1966.
The attractive former CNJ station still exists and is being used for some non RR purpose, maybe a restaurant? Here is how it looked in 1976:
The bridge in the background is the Hill to Hill Bridge over the Lehigh River which connects North and South Bethlehem.
On the tracks next to the station, besides the LVRR Alcos, there were a couple pieces of former Lehigh and New England equipment including a snowplow much the worse for wear. Interesting that this stuff was still around from a RR that was abandoned in 1961. This is from an earlier picture I took in May 1970 when I was an undergraduate there:
The avatar picture was taken while I was a graduate student at Lehigh University 1976 - 1977 and is near the former Central RR of New Jersey passenger station in Bethlehem PA. By this time Conrail had absorbed both the LVRR and CNJ or what was left of them. Today the CNJ line through there no longer exists but the former LVRR on the South side of the river is still very active as a Norfolk Southern mainline. The last passenger service through here on the CNJ was an Allentown - Jersey City run that was discontinued in 1966.
The attractive former CNJ station still exists and is being used for some non RR purpose, maybe a restaurant? Here is how it looked in 1976:
The bridge in the background is the Hill to Hill Bridge over the Lehigh River which connects North and South Bethlehem.
On the tracks next to the station, besides the LVRR Alcos, there were a couple pieces of former Lehigh and New England equipment including a snowplow much the worse for wear. Interesting that this stuff was still around from a RR that was abandoned in 1961. This is from an earlier picture I took in May 1970 when I was an undergraduate there:
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USS Mitscher DDG-35 (former DL-2). Named for World War II Admiral Marc Mitscher, who alternated with John S. McCain for the air assault on Japan. A DDG is a guided missile destroyer, armed with two 5"54 caliber Naval rifles, a short range anti-air missile, and an ASROC Anti-submarine weapon. Also torpedo anti-ship tubes port and starboard.
The former designation was Destroyer Leader, basically a larger destroyer with flag quarters, to be used for destroyer squadron command. Converted in the late 1960s to DDG.
My first ship, which I reported aboard to in 1970, and served aboard until spring 1972. She served until 1978. She was sold for scrap in 1980.
The former designation was Destroyer Leader, basically a larger destroyer with flag quarters, to be used for destroyer squadron command. Converted in the late 1960s to DDG.
My first ship, which I reported aboard to in 1970, and served aboard until spring 1972. She served until 1978. She was sold for scrap in 1980.
TrimetWESFan1003
Train Attendant
I drew an artwork of WES commuter rail to use as my primary channel brand.
Likely my best railroad picture. Me in Australia in front of the Ghan engine which Wikipedia tells me is a Pacific National NR Class. This was taken at a remote siding near Manguri SA. I also have a photo of the plaque on the passenger cars, all sleepers, attesting to their construction by Commonwealth Engineering in Australia under license from the Budd Company.
Mine is me in my car host vest, holding Mrs. Santa on one arm, and a Christmas cookie in the other.
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
Well, here goes. About 18 years ago, I was platonically friendly with an anthro artist who had no money, and I bought her a year subscription to an art site we both used, me for photography. Her response was to draw me a representational character, based on the colors of two cars I had owned or did own, a 1995 MB C220 in green and a 1979 MB 300SD in copper, a copper colored lion with a green mane.
She was not the worlds greatest artist, but I was touched and adopted the character as an avatar and started joining sites thenceforth with some variation of the name “Green Maned Lion,” which has, somewhat amusingly given people the impression I see myself as an animal some how- I don’t. She also told me that not only did I own that particular drawing, but the intellectual property of the character- whom I later named Trabant or Trabi after the East German automobile of that name, being an earlier handle I used.
Not all that long thereafter at the end of 2005 I met another girl from the same site… who was a better artist, but more importantly we really got each other as people on a level never seen before or since. She had a self representational character that was basically a platypus. In 2007 we met in person, and a month later moved in together, and in 2014 we got married. We are still married.
She drew the picture as a birthday gift for me in 2006.
She was not the worlds greatest artist, but I was touched and adopted the character as an avatar and started joining sites thenceforth with some variation of the name “Green Maned Lion,” which has, somewhat amusingly given people the impression I see myself as an animal some how- I don’t. She also told me that not only did I own that particular drawing, but the intellectual property of the character- whom I later named Trabant or Trabi after the East German automobile of that name, being an earlier handle I used.
Not all that long thereafter at the end of 2005 I met another girl from the same site… who was a better artist, but more importantly we really got each other as people on a level never seen before or since. She had a self representational character that was basically a platypus. In 2007 we met in person, and a month later moved in together, and in 2014 we got married. We are still married.
She drew the picture as a birthday gift for me in 2006.
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