View allAll Photos Tagged athol
“Anybody who thinks there's nothing wrong with this world needs to have his head examined. Just when things are going all right, without fail someone or something will come along and spoil everything. Somebody should write that down as a fundamental law of the Universe. The principle of perpetual disappointment. If there is a God who created this world, he should scrap it and try again.”
Athol Fugard
BNSF’s Sandpoint local, led by EMD GP60M-3 No. 105, flies through the curve approaching Athol, Idaho, on February 3, 2022.
Last night in Sydney.
Saturday, 24th January, 2026.
The view across Sydney harbour from Athol Beach at Mosman, beside the Sydney Harbour National Park.
Athol Beach (at Mosman) is 8 kilometres from the Sydney CBD, but if you zoom in you can read the signs on the city towers.
So after finishing work at 5.00pm I cruised down the M2 to the harbour, aiming for the Sydney Harbour National Park. I managed to find parking at the Bradleys Head car-park (a miracle), right next to a 1952 Rolls Royce wedding car.
From there I spent a lot of time on the east-facing rock platform, taking pictures of ferries, cruise ships and the jetboats on the harbour, before walking along the Bradleys Head Forest Track (western, city, side of the National Park) to locate Athol Beach.
This is a beach I have not ever been to before. It was a steep descent to Athol Beach but amazingly I got there, and - after sunset - managed to get up the rocky chasm and find the forest pathway.
I got back to the car in darkness and my car was the only one remaining in the car-park. I drove up the winding road beside the harbour like James Bond and got to the main National Park gate at 8.58pm - with two minutes to spare before the gate was locked.
I have a stack of Sydney harbour sunset pictures, as well as pictures of Athol Beach, yet to process!!
And here is Terry Jacks with his classic track 'Seasons In The Sun' (1974):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tPcc1ftj8E
My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
Processed in Adobe Lightroom.
ST POED is seen entering the single track at CPF 363 in Athol, MA with freshly repainted CSX C40-8 # 9280 leading. Since CSX took over Pan Am last year, this unit is the only dash 8 so far to be repainted and renumbered back into CSX's official roster.
If you set out to satisfy your subject, you’ll end up getting rid of all the bloody wrinkle lines :-)
Athol Shmith
HSS! Hands Off Higher Education! Resist the Despicable Authoritarian Orange Cockroach and his Cabinet of Stooges and Buffoons!!
rose, 'Crimson Bouquet', little theater rose garden, raleigh, north carolina
you set out to satisfy your subject, you’ll end up getting rid of all the bloody wrinkle lines :-)
Athol Shmith
HSS! Ukraine Matters!
peony, 'Scarlett O'Hara', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina
D&H C424M 461 leads LA-PY (Lawrence, MA to Potomac Yard) past the former B&M station in Athol. Judging from the brake smoke, this job will be meeting an eastbound at 'Tyter'.
Scanned from a slide K64 Canon F-1
© Robert C Barnett 2022
So it's Athol Beach, my new favourite beach on Sydney harbour.
This is the view looking south-west across the harbour to the city, with Mosman and the Sydney Harbour National Park to the left.
Here's my new favourite band 'Leonid & Friends' with their amazing cover version of Chicago's '25 Or 6 To 4':
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_torOTK5qc
My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
Processed in Adobe Lightroom.
Pan Am's OCS rolls west into the interlocking at CPF363 in Athol, Massachusetts, also known as Tyters. This interlocking is one of a few that still has an equilateral switch, a feature that used to be much more common on the old B&M, but most have been replaced over the years. The light rain falling at the time of this photo will have given way to a downpour and nightfall by the time the OCS reaches East Deerfield, and yards the train.
As EDRU recedes past the station, WAED comes off the hill at Athol with a former NS high hood GP35 leading.
So this is my newly discovered beach on Sydney harbour.
Photographed on Saturday evening, 24th January, 2026.
Athol Beach is on the western side of Bradleys Headland, at Mosman. It is s part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.
One gets to this beach via a walking track through the forest from either Athol House (an historic cottage now a cafe) or from the Bradleys Head car-park.
As sunset approaches a small flotilla of boats arrive and wait for the sunset colours across Sydney harbour.
My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
Processed in Adobe Lightroom.
We called in to Blair Athol to see if my favourite Highland cattle were in the paddock at the front of the estate. They weren't, but then I spotted two black bulls in another paddock. This one was standing in a small stream, possibly trying to cool off.
I have been a bit slow commenting since coming home. I have an excuse - I developed a very bad cold which hit me Friday night. I am finally beginning to feel human again.
Autumn color touches the trees and the waters of Upper Doane's Fall, thanks to all the mud and runoff from a recent hard rain. 1.3 seconds, tripod-mounted in the creek.
Thanks very much for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of light and color.
So this is Athol Beach in the Sydney Harbour National Park.
A truly wild beach which is less than 6 kilometres from the heart of the busy Sydney CBD.
You can access this beach by parking your car at the Bradleys Head car-park, and walking along the Bradleys Head Forest Walking Track. Then you have to clamber down a steep ravine of rocks to reach the sand - it's an adventure!!
And so here is the legendary 'Talking Heads' with their song 'Wild Wild Life':
www.youtube.com/watch?v=616-QGQyx-I
My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
Processed in Adobe Lightroom.
ST's one and only SD35 614 is leading PO-DH in the late afternoon just west of the old B&M station in Athol. The 614 was built by EMD in 1964 for the Western Maryland. For all of you who know me well, oh god there is a PLM lease unit last out!!!!! Yikes.....
Scanned from a slide K64 Canon A-1
Looking north-west across the harbour from the Bradleys Head Forest Walking Track. Near Mosman.
In the foreground is Athol Beach.
In the distance is the headland that is home to Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo.
If you zoom in you can see the white sails that cover the aquatic areas for the Australian Sea Lions, Californian Sea Lions, and Long-nosed Fur Seals.
My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens.
Processed in Adobe Lightroom.
About two minutes after taking the previous picture of EDPO in my photostream, POED came into view. Freshly repainted C40-8 7635 is leading another unrepainted sibling through the former yard in Athol, about an hour away from their destination at East Deerfield.
Taken in Scotland near Blair Athol. We called in to see if my favourite Highland Bulls were there and were disappointed to see that they weren't. As we were going back to the car, I spotted two black bulls in another paddock. This one looked like he was in long grass, but as I got closer, I could see he was standing in a stream.
This is also my photo for the 52 in 2017 Challenge - #52 - Wet.
A form of magical realism at Athol Park.
May Moonwalkers meet, Steele, sedge and I tracking slowly down the trail.
I have a fairly healthy disdain for car trails normally but once again, I must concede this one is probably better for it.
MEC 371 leads POED, after the previous crew sat at Athol Station for almost three hours waiting on a "live recrew". Finally the crew showed up and with the high hood in lead position, the train throttled up on Track 1 and headed west towards East Deerfield. At one time this was a much busier yard than just a parking lot for MOW equipment. Interesting to see six units on this train, the entire consist was; MEC 371, MEC 515, MEC 379, MEC 617, MEC 601, and LTEX 6528.
The Carnival Adventure (Nassau) approaching North Head, on Sydney harbour.
The ship will soon veer to the right (around the lighthouse) and travel out into the ocean through the Sydney Heads.
Photographed from along the Taylors Bay Walking Track in the Sydney Harbour National Park (on the eastern side of Bradleys Head - the opposite side to Athol Beach and the city.
My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV with the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens.
Processed in Adobe Lightroom.
FIE002 and FIE001 twist through Athol with 8148, a loaded Fletcher's service from Dubbo to Port Botany.
Athol, NSW.
Monday, 27 June 2022.
A return to Athol Park, with Sydney photog Stephane Millbank on a little night tour.
For other things and further elaborations, visit (and like):
Extra ...extra......read all about it. Wait, maybe not, apparently the crew on this westbound POSE with mixed B&M and D&H EMDs have used all available newspapers to shield the sun and seal the cracks in the door to make the trip to Deerfield manageable. B&M 313 leading POSE is passing Tyters interlocking in Athol, MA on a cold January day in 1982. Robert C. Barnett photo SC collection.
Burlington Northern 9297, 9273, 7160 and 6756 (2 SD60m's and 2 SD40-2's) head West at Athol, ID with a loaded MCHX coal train on 4/30/91.
After having no luck with train timing on a previous trip, it was nice to score a couple of afternoon westbounds from atop of the cutting at Athol Idaho.
Pictured is the Minot, North Dakota to Pasco Washington manifest.
I think it's' time to head back to some scans from Bob Barnett's collection. For a matched Maine Central Monday, here is westbound Guilford train LASE with 3 Maine Central (former Rock Island) U25B's 225-229-230 passing the former B&M station in downtown Athol, MA on a crystal clear September 1982 day. Little did I know an hour after this slide was taken , I would stand next to Bob and his son Rich, at the East Deerfield bridge. Funny how 10 years later would we all would come to know each other and be friends for over 30 years. Kodachrome scan from Robert C. Barnett SC Collection.
NS SD70 2525 leads an empty Bow coal train through Athol on this nice Fall afternoon. Thankfully the former LMS turd was not leading. These were fun times even in the early Pan Am years, too bad it's for the most part turned pretty sour.
Creating long shadows, NR116, NR57 and NR39 lead 1YN2, a Pacific National Infrabuild steel train from Whyalla to Morandoo (Newcastle).
Athol, NSW.
Monday, 27 June 2022.
When Mellon purchased the Maine Central , the mixed lash-ups on the former Boston & Maine really became interesting. Seen here is three Maine Central U25B's leading LA-SE past the B&M station in Athol, MA
Photo taken on 9/15/1982
Scanned from a K64 slide
© Robert C. Barnett 2023
Rich Barnett collection
37427 heads downgrade on the Highland Main Line near Struan and makes for Blair Athol with the 9.45 Inverness Glasgow "Young Explorer" service.
Yesterday my friend Derek and I went down to Ayer on Pan Am, with intentions of getting a freshly rebuilt CP AC44CWM leading I2K, along with a CN SD60 on 28N. While I2K was waiting to get going, POED was also in the area with the second of Pan Am's repainted C40-8s leading, so we decided to intercept them. While waiting at Athol for POED, we heard horns to the west of us, and a few minutes later, were pleasantly surprised to see EDPO roll around the corner with a pair of SD40-2s. They're seen here rolling past the remnants of the Boston & Albany yard here, with snoot nosed 606 leading the short train.
Berkshire & Eastern AYED rolls past the remnants of Athol Yard, led by two units representing the old regime and the new, hauling 18 empties bound for East Deerfield.
Empty John Holland ballast train 8M25 ascends the winding grades up to Athol with 8049, 4910 and 44204 at the lead.
2026 kicked off with chasing a pair of SD45 rebuilds across the Kyle in north central Kansas on January 3rd. The pair belch a little smoke climbing out of Athol as they make their way toward Phillipsburg.
We always call past Blair Castle in Blair Athol to see the Highland cattle that are in the paddock outside the entrance to the castle. They are owned by the Laird of the Castle. I think this one must be related to the big orange/brown bulls that we have always seen there before as you can see a touch of the red in his coat.