Thursday, January 15, 2009

Thematic Photographic 32: "Aged" v.1.0 - Rust in Peace


"Back in the Day..."
Raleigh, NC - November 2008 (Click to embiggen)

Thematic Photographic hosted by Carmi - Button Image by Smarmoofus Hosted by Written Inc.

Last time out Carmi had us looking for things that were "New", so it follows that this week we'd be looking for things "old"... or "Aged". This probably isn't the oldest piece of rail in town, but it's pretty old. It makes up part of a siding in what used to be the Seaboard Coast Line rail depot just off Peace St. in downtown Raleigh. The train depot has been inactive for years now -- the Amtrak station is about 10 or 12 blocks to the south -- and the property is now occupied by a small collection of shops and restaurants and one very large garden center and nursery. CTX Transport still apparently hols the title to this piece of the parcel, but the terminal building they used has long ago been boarded up. The closest thing you'lll find to a train here now is the abandoned Pullman car I featured in a Monochrome Monday post a couple of weeks back.

And so the property lives on in its new guise as an upscale strip mall (is that an oxymoron?) but the "Aged" railway terminal is still evident if you stop to look.


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11 comments:

Unknown said...

I have a romantic fascination with trains and anything to do with trains. Mostly the ones of bygone days.

This is a cool picture.

~Just Me Miranda~ said...

Very nice shot! Love it!

Shadow said...

this is lovely. gone are the days where train travel was a luxury experience. sad that is!

Robin said...

That's a cracker of a shot - the b&w really brings out the texture and the gritty feel of the old rail.

(Somehow I missed Carmi's theme this week - it's aged? Good, I've got a few shots of rusted machinary looking for a chance to, err, shine.)

Beth F said...

Nicely composed. I took a look around your blog. You have a great eye. I often forget to look at the little things. Thanks for stopping by yesterday.

carmilevy said...

Thank you for choosing this particular pic to kick off this week's theme. The rails have always spoken to me, for some odd reason, and ever since I first picked up a camera, I've been seeking out old tracks for some morose, often monochrome-tinged inspiration.

There's so much "story" in the details of this shot. I could stick it up on my screen and stare at it for a while. In fact, that's what I'll do.

And I'll have to head back to the nearest track sometime soon. You've got me thinking. Again.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Mojo, I just love this! I particularly like the graininess of the photograph. How did you do that??? So neat! If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Seaboard Coastline owned at one time by Henry Flagler? I think that might have been the railway he built to ferry people south to Florida. Even it it's not, I still love this photograph. It makes me wonder about all the people who traveled these rails.

Good job!

Sheila :-)

Karen said...

Just lovely.

Eaton Bennett aka Berenice Albrecht said...

I particularly like this...inspirational!

Anonymous said...

Oh I LOVE rail shots! You really captured a lonely feel. I can just see a down-and-out railroad tramp jumping into a boxcar to find work in the next town.

Heather said...

Very nice :) ... I, too, love trains and interestingly my photo this week was taken at a railway museum, although it's not of a train or anything to do with a train :)