Great photo Jim.
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Men like Mel influenced a generation of future railfans and railroaders. It is a shame that opportunities to interact with railroaders are so drastically reduced for the present generation
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Thanks for your positive comment, Terry! And Bernie, I appreciate your comments, which are so true! I cherish all the interactions I had with all kinds of railroaders during my teen years, and in fact, one of those friendships lead to a 28+ year career as a signal maintainer (Thanks LJC!!). This photo was intially rejected, but thanks to the appeal process, it is now in the data base for all to view. One of the arguments I made in my appeal is this photo depicts a period in railroad history that has slowly vanished over time. Big dispatching centers have replaced the small outposts such as Ironville, but I feel very fortunate that I was able to experience a portion of it before it passed away...
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This photo brings back memories of two places I worked on the Iowa Division of the Illinois Central where Operators had CTC boards--Scales Mound and East Cabin. Thanks for posting, Jim.
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Great shot Jim! Reminds me of my visits to North Yard in Danville, IL in the late 80's/early 90's.
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Excellent shot, Jim. The lighting and shadow play is superb! This is one of the few pictures on this website that even shows a human being. I know the site is about trains; but people are vitally important in getting those trains to move. This shot, like so many of yours, brings a human touch to railroads and railroading that is missing in many of these photos. Keep up the good work!
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