California Memories - Union Pacific Railroad E8A #942 and Ventura Railroad Steam Locomotive #2 - Southern California Railway Museum

 If you have been following my blog for any time at all you have probably deduced that Southern California Railway Museum (Formally the Orange Empire Railway Museum) is one of my favorite places on Earth. If you were thinking that, you would be absolutely right. In fact if you were to ask me right now where I would like to be, I would honestly answer that I would want to be back in Perris, California looking at all the trains.

 

I woke up early this morning and decided to spend some time going through old photographs on the computer. For some time now I have been digging through my old images and posting them here on my blog. I was looking for such images when I came across this one of the ex Union Pacific E8A diesel locomotive parked next to the old ex Ventura Railroad 2-6-2 steam locomotive in the railway museum engine house. This has always been one of my favorite photographs, and it really pops in color, but I decided to feature a black and white version that my darling wife created some years back.

I suppose that the reason I like this black and white version so much is the fact that looking at it reminds me of the glory days of American railroading. My imagination allows me to believe that the image my have been taken at some old Union Pacific Railroad facility back in the 1950s. Though I am way too young to have ever experienced those days when steam and diesel locomotives worked in tandem together to pull train after train filled with goods and passengers from one side of this great nation to the other, being in the presence of two such perfectly preserved relics from that time gave me the opportunity to at least pretend that I was there.

If only for a brief period of time.

Actually, spending time walking around the museum grounds gave me many opportunities to time travel via my own imagination due to the fact that the property contains a plethora of perfectly preserved vintage railroad facilities, equipment and structures. 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33 NIV

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Check Out:

California Through My Lens - An Afternoon Of Steam Locomotives And Streetcars at the Southern California Railway Museum

Great Locomotives Still With Us: Union Pacific E-8 No. 942

Steam Locomotives Still With Us: Ventura County Railway No. 2

A Brief Stopover At The Southern California Railroad Museum

Photo Of The Day - An Abandoned Restaurant Shaped Like A Streamlined Train - Perris, California