Private Varnish
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Reflections of a stained glass window on a stair railing (varnished wood).
Central Library building, Federal University of Pernambuco
Happiness is catching a streamlined passenger train dashing through new snow. UP's Provo, Utah - Council Bluffs, Iowa officer special is on the old D&RGW near Bluffdale, Utah on April 5, 2023.
Desert storms, microorganisms, and soil create dramatic and colorful paintings on canyon walls. I added a little of my own artistic drama.
A westbound Union Pacific passenger train passes through colorful Red Canyon just after crossing the Colorado River between Dell and Range, Colorado, on August 3, 2014. This location is on the Dotsero Cutoff on UP’s Glenwood Canyon Subdivision.
The Union Pacific can sure put together a nice looking business train as witness the P-GJDV 22 descending into the Denver area this afternoon. The 11-car train, powered by the 4533 and the 3001, is shown approaching Blue Mountain crossing between Plainview and Eisele, Colorado, about 22.5 miles west of the Mile High City. Photo by Joe McMillan, September 22, 2021, 3:24 p.m.
Conrail’s Office Car Special traverses the former Reading bridge at West Falls, Pennsylvania. The train has left Philadelphia, and is entering the West Trenton line as it heads to North Jersey.
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Union Pacific Rio Grande heritage SD70ACe No. 1989 leads an eastbound Operation Lifesaver special east of Payne on Colorado’s North Fork Subdivision on June 14, 2009. Behind 1989 is UP E9B No. 963B, and on the other end is GE AC4400CW No. 7250 used as lead locomotive on westbound trips on the branch.
It's not very easy to get a morning northtbound on the INRD. Only a weekly wayfreight on Fridays crosses Tulip Trestle, and usually only rates 3-5 cars. Yes, this train isn't very long either, but INRD doesn't get the varnish out often anymore. This was the consist for the previous weekend's Santa train deadheading back to Indy for storage.
Here, the BNSF 3696, a very clean ET44C4 is at Tecumseh, KS on the home stretch of its trip with the O-BIRTOP. This is on the east side of Tecumseh, at Shadden Rd., which is the first town east of Topeka.
Video of the train can be seen here: youtu.be/OKx43-L6aXg
The Empire Builder accelerates west after its station stop in Shelby, Montana. Railroad location is Teton, where the Sweet Grass Sub branches off the Hi Line toward the Canadian border. October 6, 2000.
Given the news of the day regarding the donation of a large amount of Union Pacific equipment to the new museum complex in Silvis, IL (railfan.com/up-donates-two-steam-locomotives-to-non-profi...), I thought that I'd rehash this image of mine from 2008.
Here, UP's Centennial #6936 is leading a Wimmer Inspection Train eastbound through Topeka, KS on the Kansas Sub. I seem to recall that it had just come off of the Golden State from Herington, but perhaps I'm misremembering this.
Unfortunately, I was photographing with an early, point and shoot digital and deleted the full-sized image, but this at least works well for the Web, and I'm happy to have this memory. This was a NEAT engine to see out on the road, and hopefully, the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America organization will get it out on the high iron again.
Temporary loss of Insanity
no wait... I mean a permanent fracture of sanity.. anyway...
Title is a joke for a friend
I'll have to fix this later but for now, what ever you do, don't look at this!:
My cleanest tintype up to now. I polished the surface just a bit before varnishing, which makes the highlights a tad brighter. The polishing marks however are visible.
B40-31 shoves back through Airline Junction into joint KCS/CP Knoche yard after dropping down from Ottumwa on CP's Laredo and Kansas City subdivisions.
The cars from this train will soon be tacked on the end of the KCS business train, already tucked away in the yard, for a run south to Texas and Louisiana the week of 6 June.
Thanks to WR and ER for the heads-up on this early-morning run. Although I got CF-ed in Chillicothe, I am somewhat OK with this crap high-sun shot. First look for me at a CP heritage unit.
Scoresby Sund, Greenland
Tar streaks on the rock cliffs facing Scoresby Sund in Eastern Greenland. I was drawn to the rock face with complex strong lines and the contrast with organic shapes of tar marks.
This is the platform at Grosmont station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
On the left is the beautiful varnished teak carriage set, comprised of eight carriages, dates from 1930 to 1950. These carriages have regularly appeared in films and television.
The NYMR can operate a genuine Pullman train bedecked in the famed Umber & Cream livery (on the right). There are four Pullman carriages, the oldest and most popular dates from 1928 and is known as Car No. 79.
In the middle is the steam train 926 ‘Repton’ which was completed at Eastleigh in May 1934. Repton was withdrawn from service on 30 December, 1962. Restored at Eastleigh by 1966 and went to Steamtown USA in Vermont, then Cape Breton Steam Railway in Canada. Repton is now back in service, in Southern Railways Olive Green under her old number 926 on the NYMR
A Union Pacific OCS (Office Car Special) toured the former Denver & Rio Grande Western main line between Denver and Salt Lake City on June 29th and July 1st, 2025.
With Union Pacific's CEO on board, UP 4404 and 4533 lift the 12-car streamliner through Price Canyon at Castle Gate. The two SD70Ms have special modified gearing for passenger train speeds.
This is the first of three images of the notable Anasazi Fallen Roof Ruin. This ruin survives numerous fallen layers of overhanging stone illustrating an impressive white marbling and dark varnish. Tell me which one you like best.
Union Pacific EMD SD70M No. 4533 and EMD SD70ACe-T4 No. 3001 lead this eastbound 11-car OCS train through East Cliff along South Boulder Creek on September 22, 2021.
PGJDV 22
Pinecliffe, Colorado
This afternoon, I was able to catch the UP 4533 leading the PCBST 31, a business train that was running from Council Bluffs, IA to Santa Teresa, NM. It was definitely occupied, and running on quite the aggressive schedule today.
Here, it's see rolling through CP Z067 in Topeka, shortly before turning onto the Topeka Sub towards Herington.
Members of the Missabe Railroad Historical Society ride in Car Northland behind DM&IR 332 near Palmers.
Two VIA Rail trains are at Brockville, Ontario on this day with no VIA power to lead. A Canadian National MLW RS-18 has varnish on the mainline while an EMD GP-9 hols on the lead to Smith Falls and Ottawa. I remember some sort of connecting trains that would make moves here. These might have been it. I believe a small engine house or facility was here to house the Ottawa power. These Ottawa trains eventually were LRC strongholds that came straight from Toronto.
Calf Creek is a stream located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Lower Calf Creek Falls descends 126 feet into a pool. Mist from the falls and shade from the surrounding cottonwood trees keep the haven cool.
It is a 6-mile out-and-back hike. The trail is relatively flat, and located just off of Utah Scenic Byway 12, the highway between Escalante and Boulder. The hike can be challenging at times due to deep sand. The nature of the canyon, the sites along the way, and the majesty of the desert-varnished Navajo sandstone cliff walls will mesmerize you along the way..
The waterfall unto itself is a sight to behold. Streaming down more than 100 feet along mineral-stained sandstone, the water appears to radiate in its clarity. Mists from the long falls sprays the alcove. This not only helps to make the alcove a cool haven for people but also for the densely-packed greenery.
The Union Pacific engineering special from Mason City to Proviso passes the former Chicago & North Western depot in Clinton, IA.
July 19, 2017.
Desert varnish or rock varnish is an orange-yellow to black coating found on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. Desert varnish is usually around one micrometer thick and represents nanometer-scale layering. Rock rust and desert patina are other terms which are also used for the condition, but less often.
Valley Of Fire State Park, Nevada.
Synchronicity strikes again! I wasn't thrilled about the photo of moi we had posted on GoFundMe www.gofundme.com/care-for-katharine (no makeup, bum lighting, no photoshopping) and was kind of wracking my brain with the thought 'Who do I know who is a professional photographer?!' when a message came in from Candace Freeland, a woman I knew years ago when we both lived in a small town in Iowa. I had not seen her in decades. She lives 20 minutes from our house. She is a professional photographer!!
She was very happy to come to our house (bringing makeup with her ... I no longer own any), and then lit & photographed me, and photoshopped an image after the fact that I feel good about because it brings out more light and life. This is it. Either this chain of events was a wildly unlikely coincidence or my guardian angel is exquisitely alert and responsive. I lean toward the latter. Thank you, Candace!
Union Pacific train PALBN2 04 passes through the former CNW signal bridge at Bain, Wisconsin. The train began at Altoona, Wisconsin and will overnight in Bloomington, Illinois, before visiting points south of there.
On a pleasant Sunday afternoon, I had free time in my day to run up to the St. Joe Sub and photograph this southbound BNSF business train, led by the 7183. This lengthy train was the O-SPOTOP (Office, Spokane-Topeka), and was simply a deadhead move back to the Shops, so it wasn't running with any sort of authority.
Here, it's just north of the siding at Halls, where they put the train in to meet another. Unfortunately, this is where I had to call off my mini-chase, but I'm happy to have seen and photographed this one!
Dark streaks on red sandstone in the desert southwest are pretty common. The prevalent name for them is desert varnish. A Google search for this phenomenon reveals this:
"Desert varnish, the dark coating found on rocks in arid regions, is primarily formed by the interaction of water, microbes, and minerals over long periods of time. Water flowing over rocks allows microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, to grow, and this, in turn, allows windblown clay dust to adhere. Microbes, particularly those that oxidize manganese, play a crucial role in transforming soluble manganese and iron into insoluble forms, which then cement the clay and other minerals to the rock surface, creating the varnish."
This image of the varnish comes from Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona. For perspective, these streaks are around 200 feet long.