Seven new experiences in one year at Trains magazine

June 18 marked my one year anniversary at Trains magazine, and I've seen a lot in my first year here. In no particular order, here are some favorites:

WINTERAIL – In March I traveled to Stockton, Calif., to attend Winterail, a large railroad multimedia event held annually. The premise, of course, is that Trains sends a representative to staff a table and be available to contributors, both established and potential. What the event turned out to be, however, was a chance for me to meet some of my greatest influences in railroad photography, including Ted Benson, Dave Styffe, Dick Dorn, and Stan Kistler. Yes, I was there to be available to the photographers, but the event really made my heroes available to me. While I was in Stockton I got my first taste of California railroading, too.

CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM – I will be the first to tell you, I'm not a "museum guy." I want to see the trains roll by, hear them thunder across the countryside, and feel the ground shake as 13,200 hp defy gravity. But there's still something special about the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. The displays are incredibly well done and relevant, the old shops are amazing, and where else can you climb up in a Cab-Forward? (No, really, I'm asking, where else? That was neat!)

CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR – I'm cheating here. The first three items on my list are from the same trip, but since I'm making up the rules as I go, that doesn't really matter. On the return from Winterail, I split a Superliner Roomette with friend Scott Lothes. This was my first trip on the legendary train. We boarded in Sacramento and rode all the way to Chicago, where I connected with a Hiawatha to Milwaukee. The food and onboard service were great, the scenery is spectacular, and we were an hour early into Chicago! A perfect trip all around!

TALGO – I missed the chance to help with the January 2013 feature on Talgo's manufacturing operation in Milwaukee, but I did arrive in time to see both new Oregon train sets depart the city. In late November, I saw the first set pass the Waukesha depot on its way to Pueblo, Colo., for testing. In May, I saw the second Oregon set depart from the factory on its way to Seattle to enter revenue service. I also got to see the two largely forgotten Wisconsin sets at the Talgo plant. Those sets are stuck in limbo pending the outcome of litigation between Talgo and the state. Hopefully soon we will have a resolution to the matter.

HERITAGE UNITS – I arrived at the Trains offices about two weeks before the rest of the staff traveled to Spencer, N.C., to cover the Norfolk Southern heritage unit extravaganza. Hey, someone had to stay back and answer the phone. (At least that's what Jim told me.) Even though I left Ohio for Wisconsin soon after the first NS units hit the road, I have still managed to see five of them: Conrail, Illinois Terminal, Lackawanna, Monongahela, and Penn Central. I've also seen a few of the Amtrak and Union Pacific heritage units in my years of train-watching. Who says railroading today is boring?

MIAMI — In January 2013 I flew to Florida to attend the Nation Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association's annual convention in Miami Beach. (Life's rough that way some times.) There are many more aspects to railroading than just locomotives, and this convention is a great place to see them. While in Florida, I also got to visit the fine folks at TriRail and photograph their shops and trains and see the Gold Coast Railroad Museum.

NATIONAL TRAIN DAY, TWICE! —Most people are content to celebrate National Train Day once, but I had such a good time I wanted to do it again. The first weekend in May, I attended National Train Day in Toledo, Ohio, a city that has held its event "early" due to the availability of Amtrak display equipment. A week later I joined the "real" National Train Day in Chicago, and got to take Amtrak there!