Human Connections

Africa

Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) steam locomotive no. 305 pulls a passenger train out of the Central Railway Station in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) towards Ressano Garcia, Mozambique at 12:31 P.M., on October 1, 1966. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-CFM-11-638

Three women walk along the tracks near South African Railway (SAR) steam locomotive no. 2683 getting ready to leave Rondevlei, Western Cape, South Africa, on March 23, 1995. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-So.Africa(1)-16-25

Coal dockworkers pose while filling up the tender of a South African Railways (SAR) steam locomotive in Komatipoort, Transvaal, South Africa, on September 7, 1965. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-SAR-07-693

A group of children gather to wave at a passenger train pulled by South African Railway (SAR) steam locomotive no. 1882 as it travels through Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, South Africa, on March 24, 1995. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-So.Africa(1)-17-01

Passengers peek out of a Metrorail Western Cape car stopped at a platform in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa, on April 2, 1995. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-So.Africa-NOR-SWE-06-19

A group of children sit on a concrete berm and watch the passing trains along a National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) mainline in Mbalabala, Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, on August 3, 1991. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Hedjaz-ZimZam(1)-20-21

Asia

Cyclists ride past the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, China, on November 11, 2005. © Scott Lothes

Two departing (wide gauge trains designed to hold more passengers) trains on parallel tracks gather speed a mile north of Victoria Station in Mumbai on a very hot and humid late afternoon, as passengers stand by open doors for cooler air in the non air-conditioned coaches, in 2011. © Todd Halamka

An interurban train has just arrived at Dadar Station, where many trains offer women only cars. This image captures the beautiful collage of color and textures of local dress boarding the train in Mumbai, India, in 2011. © Todd Halamka

Children amuse themselves at an engine shop in Jatinegara, Java, Indonesia, on September 22, 1971. To the left Perusahaan Jawatan Kereta Api (PJKA) steam locomotive no. D52-031, which is still wearing the paint of its predecessor Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api (PNKA), gets a wash. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-PNKA-22-218

Curious children gather on a station platform in Bindjei, Sumatra, Indonesia, on September 10, 1971. They walk along a mixed train traveling to Medan, and led by Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api (PNKA) steam locomotive no. 62. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-PNKA-22-061

Shop workers wearing only sandals turn Perusahaan Jawatan Kereta Api (PJKA) steam locomotive no. B51-24 on a turntable in an engine yard in Tanahabang, Java, Indonesia, on September 22, 1971. The engine still wears the paint of its predecessor Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api (PNKA). Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-PNKA-22-207

Perusahaan Jawatan Kereta Api (PJKA) steam locomotive no. B51-24 pulls a 1400 Tanahabang-Rankasbitung passenger train through the district of Tanahabang, Java, Indonesia, on September 22, 1971. Smiling riders look back at the photographer. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-PNKA-C22-13

"Ten minutes of refreshments, Japan, c. 1902." Stereograph view of riders on a passenger train leaning out the windows for refreshments served by vendors on a railroad platform. Stereograph by C.H. Graves. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-96090

The Tōkaidō Shinkansen "bullet train" pauses at Hamamatsucho Station in Tōkyō, Japan, on June 21, 1966. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-JNR-10-206

Evening commuters hurry along a platform in Tokyo's Shinjuku Station on January 6, 2007. Handling some two million daily passengers, the staton is the busiest in the world. © Scott Lothes

A young railfan enjoys the view from the front of a suburban train in Kyoto, Japan, on January 2, 2007. © Scott Lothes

Two women wait for their ride to go shopping, a JR Hokkaido local passenger train, at Hiragishi station in Hokkaido, Japan, on September 27, 2006. © Scott Lothes

The conductor of Japanese National Railways (JNR) steam locomotive no. 59656 looks back while pulling away from Iwamizawa, Japan, on June 8, 1966. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-JNR-10-027

The conductor of a 500-series Shinkansen train prepares to depart from Kyoto, Japan, on January 4, 2007. © Scott Lothes

A JR Hokkaido local passenger train rolls past a high school baseball game in the steel mill town of Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan, on May 16, 2007. © Scott Lothes

Japanese National Railways (JNR) steam locomotive no. D511-63 pulls a freight train north on the Uetsu Line through the city of Kuwagawa, Niigata, Japan, on January 13, 1971. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-JNR-18-003

A JR Hokkaido car attendant poses with her train, a Super Ozora limited express for Kushiro, in Sapporo station on June 10, 2007. © Scott Lothes

High school students board a JR Hokkaido local passenger train, their regular ride to school, at Kita-Funaoka station in Hokkaido, Japan, on June 20, 2007. © Scott Lothes

The engineer of JR Hokkaido's Hokutosei overnight train for Tokyo prepares to pull out of Sapporo station on June 20, 2007. Like engineers around the world, he looks at the ground to watch for movement to ensure a smooth start to his train. © Scott Lothes

Two young boys admire a specially-painted DD51 diesel-hydraulic locomotive used on overnight passenger trains at Sapporo station in Hokkaido, Japan, on June 20, 2007. © Scott Lothes

Pedestrians and cyclists cross the Odakyu Railway's Odawara Line between Shinjuku and Minami-Shinjuku stations in Tokyo, Japan, on the afternoon of January 10, 2007. © Scott Lothes

Shop and engine crewmembers tend to Royal State Railways of Siam (RSR) steam locomotive no. 251 at Khao Chum Thong Junction, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, on October 18, 1971. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-RSR-22-732

Soviet Railways (SZD) diesel locomotive 2TE-10L-2224 pauses in Ekibastuz, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, on July 23, 1995. As a mother and daughter pass by the engine, the little girl looks up at the crew in the cab. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-SZD-265-20

On a humid spring afternoon in southern Vietnam, boys aboard train SE6 closely observe a game of Uno between Americans Maureen Muldoon and her mother, Lyn Corder. © Scott Lothes

In predawn darkness at Hanoi, Vietnam, passengers disembarking from train SE2 pass diners eating breakfast at the station, on April 9, 2007.

Australia

The crew of Queensland Government Railways steam locomotive no. 752 stop in Benarkin, Australia for lunch while pulling a freight train from Yarraman to Ipswich, on May 26, 1967. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-NSW-QR-SAR-VR-12-0780

Passengers at Perth Station wait to board their connecting Transperth urban commuter trains, on April 8, 1998. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Australia-11-29

Two women watch a Weka Pass Railway steam locomotive pull a tourist train through the unique limestone beauty of the Weka Pass in Waipara, Australia, on January 16, 1994. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-NZ(1)-11-34

Onlookers watch Victorian Railways steam locomotive no. J553 pull into Dimboola Station with an extra passenger train coming from Horsham, Australia, on April 11, 1967. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-NSW-QR-SAR-VR-12-089

The Taieria Gorge Railway tourist train stops to let passengers enjoy the views in Dunedin, New Zealand, on January 19, 1994. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-NZ(1)-16-25

Central America

"A typical passenger train of Costa Rica, Central America, c. 1904." A stereograph view of a passenger car stopped while female vendors approach with trays, filled with goods, balanced on their heads. Created and copyright by the American Stereoscopic Company. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-128703

Local residents of Sitio del Niño, El Salvador greet Ferrocarril de El Salvador (FES) steam locomotive no. 12 as it pulls into the station, on February 15, 1974. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-FES-FENALdeSAL-24-419

Ferrocarriles de Guatemala (FEGUA) steam locomotive no. 200 pulls into a busy passenger station in Ipala, Chiquimula, Guatemala, on November 30, 1977. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-FEGUA-24-504

A Ferrocarril Chihuahua Al Pacifico (CHP) passenger train waits at a yard in San Juanito, Chihuahua, Mexico, in April 1967. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Mexico1-14-01

A Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico (N de M) passenger train passes through a village in Mexico, allowing the photographer to spot two siblings playing on their front porch, just feet away from the tracks, on March 17, 1993. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Mexico-Australia-06-07

Workers gather around National Railways of Mexico (N de M) steam locomotive no. 2518 inside an engine house in Acambaro, Mexico, on August 30, 1960. Photograph by Ted Rose. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Rose-01-125-002

A Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico (N de M) passenger trains stops to load passengers at a busy station in Veracruz, Mexico, in 1963. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Mexico1-07-07

Europe

Passengers at the open air Uherský Brod station prepare to board a local passenger train led by Czechoslovak State Railway (CSD) steam locomotive no. 475-194 in Uhersky Brod, Zlín, Czech Republic, on May 22, 1971. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-DB-OBB-CSD-GKB-20-187

A cathedral to rail transportation, Prague Main Station passengers’ board cross-country and Europe trains beneath a vaulted stained glass train shed, in 2013. © Todd Halamka

Two Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) commuter trains pull out of Embasy, England in opposite directions, on February 2, 1997. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Australia-UK-17-27

Departing passengers traverse the main concourse to the train sheds below while arriving passengers escalate up to street level at London’s Liverpool Station, in 2012. © Todd Halamka

A group of friends laugh on a platform between two Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) HST commuter trains at Newcastle station, on March 1, 2000. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-UK-NZ-CO-05-22

"Passenger train in front of Pavilion of Algeria on L'Esplanade des Invalides, Paris Exposition, 1889." Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-109484

Passengers gather in front of Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) steam locomotive no. 231-D 767 at a busy Gare du Havre in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France, on September 7, 1964. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-SNCF-05-619

A crowded Gare de Lyon Station in Paris is a blur of visitors from across France and Europe arriving and departing via interurban and TGV high-speed trains, in 2017. © Todd Halamka

The crew of a Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) steam locomotive pose in Calais, France, on June 17, 1962. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-SNCF-X14-021

The crew of a Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) steam locomotive no. 141-R poses on a platform at Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles in Marseille, France, on June 27, 1962. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-SNCF-X14-133

Passengers fill the tired platforms transferring between local & regional trains to high-speed ICE express trains at Berlin Main Station in Germany, in 2013. © Todd Halamka

Onlookers from a small traffic bridge are cloaked in smoke as Renfe Operadora (RENFE) steam locomotive no. 242-0286 sets off from Lerida, Spain en route from Barcelona to Barbastro, on May 28, 1968. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-RENFE-15-063

The crew of Renfe Operadora (RENFE) steam locomotive no. 030-2145 poses at a stop in Medina del Campo, Spain, on July 3, 1962. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-RENFE-X06-145

Renfe Operadora (RENFE) steam locomotive no. 242-0278 prepares to leave Medina del Campo train station with a destination to Fuentes de Oñoro, Spain, on January 23, 1965. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-RENFE-06-051

Renfe Operadora (RENFE) steam locomotive no. 241-2210 pauses on a turntable in a roundhouse in Zaragoza, Spain, on May 29, 1968. In prepping the engine, a shop worker passes a bucket of water up to the engine crew. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-RENFE-15-074

Arriving and departing trains greet passengers at Leningradsky Station, Moscow, in 2013. © Todd Halamka

The crew of a Eurostar high-speed rail service stops to help a tourist with directions, in London, England, on August 15, 1998. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Swiss(1)-01-24

Middle East

A group of young boys gather near the track of the Hedjaz Jordan Railway (HJR), in Amman, Jordan, on July 15, 1991. HJR steam locomotive no. 71 pulls a passenger train along the outskirts of the city. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Hedjaz-ZimZam(1)-02-27

The Istanbul Tram climbs the sloping streetscape of Istanbul, in 2011. © Todd Halamka

General Establishment of Syrian Railways (CFS) steam locomotive no. 130 leads a passenger train through a traffic intersection in Damascus, Syria, on July 20, 1991. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Hedjaz-ZimZam(1)-09-27

Two boys scurry across some tracks while General Establishment of Syrian Railways (CFS) steam locomotive no. 263 prepares to pull a passenger train out of Daraa, Syria, on July 21, 1991. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Hedjaz-ZimZam(1)-11-05

General Establishment of Syrian Railways (CFS) steam locomotive no. 263 picks up speed as it exits the city limits of Bosra, Syria, on July 21, 1991. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-Hedjaz-ZimZam(1)-12-11

North America

During a time before stricter rules were enforced, kids play on the tracks at Chatham station in Chatham, Ontario as Canadian National Railway (CN) diesel locomotive no. 4102 prepares to pull away, in June 1974. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Bjorklund-19-28-17

A mother and her two sons walk the length of the train platform at Canadian National Railway (CN) Mont-Royal station in Montreal, Quebec, on August 18, 1986. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Bjorklund-22-05-18

"A tourist sleeper [car] musical, c. 1905." A woman plays a mandolin for her fellow female passengers. Photograph by George R. Lawrence Co. © George T. Nicholson. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-29465

"All aboard for the clouds! Trains at Mt. Washington's base ready for trip to summit (6290 ft.), New Hampshire, c. 1905." A stereograph view showing a railroad platform with two Mount Washington railroad cars filled with passengers, leaning out of windows, and three men sitting on step of last railroad car. Stereograph and copyright by Underwood & Underwood, Publishers. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-31315

Chic passengers occupy a New York Central Railroad (NYC) passenger car en route from Chicago, Illinois to New York, New York, on June 3, 1964. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-05-111-18

A group of school children run and laugh in front of Chicago and North Western Railroad (CNW) diesel locomotive no. 4080-A at an undefined location, on October 29, 1951. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-02-005-05

"All aboard for the Limited, c. 1905." Happy passengers board the California Limited of the Santa Fe Railroad. Photograph and copyright by George R. Lawrence Co. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-33526

"A game of chess in a tourist sleeper [car], c. 1906." Photograph by George R. Lawrence Co. © George T. Nicholson. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-100218

Rail passengers sit relaxed and unaware as they prepare to depart Chicago in a bi-level car, in July 1957. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-04-017-02

A view looking out from a passenger rail car as a couple strolls the rail platform at White River Junction, Vermont, on August 23, 1953. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-02-021-06

A group of children on a school tour from Hopkins, Minnesota gaze up in awe at a Soo Line Railroad diesel locomotive at the Shoreham Shops in Minneapolis, in November 1959. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-04-129-04

Two men show great interest in the Soo Line's new 300-ton-capacity flatcars in North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in October 1961. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-05-037-07

"U.S. railroads engage in all-out war effort, between 1941 and 1945." Photograph shows several men waving from the open windows of a troop train car leaving a Midwestern United States military camp. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-133816

The crew of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) steam locomotive no. 14 poses after the last run of from Chanute to Kansas City in 1950. Pictured: D. A. Nisbett, conductor; L. J. Whitlow, engineer; J.K. Cooper, brakeman; and J. W. Beeney, expressman. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-03-029-01

Passengers bide their time at Chicago Union Station while waiting for their scheduled trains. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-06-001-02

A city within the city, New York City’s Grand Central Station gathers visitors as the first rays of sunlight blanket the storied stone floors, in 2016. © Todd Halamka

A group of young passengers walk along a platform at an unknown Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) station, on April 20, 1953. American soldiers on leave during the Korean War are seen in the background boarding a passenger car. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-01-113-08

A westbound South Shore passenger train collects passengers in Michigan City, Indiana, where the mainline still runs down main street, in 2017. © Todd Halamka

A Chicago and North Western Railroad (CNW) Commoditrain slowly approaches a busy commuter platform in Park Ridge, Illinois, c. 1960. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-04-110-15

An aspiring railfan practices his photography on a National Railway Historical Society fan trip from Milwaukee to Green Bay, Wisconsin, on May 25, 1952. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-01-149-01

A man gazes out a window of an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) passenger car at the passing landscape, on April 20, 1953. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-01-100-03

An older man appears to be imparting some wisdom about steam locomotives at the Sacramento Railfair show, in May 1991. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Lamb-03-024-13

A group of men gather to play cards in the recreation room at the Chicago and North Western Railroad (CNW) deport in Clinton, Iowa, in January 1943. Photograph by Jack Delano. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USW3- 014043-E [P&P] LOT 227

A school class from Hopkins, Minnesota receives lunch onboard a Soo Line Railroad passenger train while touring the Shoreham Shops in Minneapolis, in November 1959. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-04-130-05

A passenger chats with a conductor at Englewood Union Station, in Chicago, Illinois, on October 22, 1965. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-06-040-02

A father and son get a close look at Chicago and North Western Railroad (CNW) steam locomotive no. 2397, while another family admires from afar. Both families were part of a National Railway Historical Society fan trip from Milwaukee to Green Bay, Wisconsin, on May 25, 1952. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-01-149-06

Amtrak employees show off their new uniforms in front of the brand new Acela Train that was put in service in 2000. The Acela is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. It uses tilting technology which allows the train to travel at higher speeds on the sharply curved NEC without disturbing passengers, by lowering lateral centrifugal forces, based on the concept of banked turns. Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-HS503- 1846

A group of young railfans gathers to photograph the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (CSS) in Indiana, on April 1, 1973. Photograph by John F. Bjorkland. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Bjorklund-42-03-05

Scott Lothes, president and executive director of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, never loses his excitement for railroading. Onboard the Lexington Group charter train on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSR), Lothes captures a shot of the locomotive hugging a curve just east of the Los Piños water tank in Chama, New Mexico, on October 26, 2019. © Bill Schafer

South America

An Argentine railfan, Charlie Lewis, and Roger Spotswood talk to the engineer of General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGB) steam locomotive no. 1355, in Tilcara, Argentina, on September 24, 1972. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-FA-24-303

A Viejo Expreso Patagónico (Old Patagonian Express) steam locomotive leads a passenger train over a trestle in Patagonia, Argentina, on October 15, 1990. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-SOAM1-16-31

Two workers pose at National Railways of Colombia (N de C) shops in Flandes, Colombia, on March 22, 1966. Photograph by Victor Hand, Hand-NdeC-09-29

Passengers fill cars lead by Guayaquil-Quito Railway steam locomotive no. 45 in Huigra, Chimborazo, Ecuador, on July 23, 1988. Photograph by Fred M. Springer, © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-ECU1-05-12

En route to Huigra, Guayaquil-Quito Railway locomotive no. 45 leads passenger train near Alausi, Chimborazo, Ecuador, on July 31, 1988. Photograph by Fred M. Springer, © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-ECU1-16-13

Guayaquil-Quito Railway steam locomotive no. 11 leads a passenger train through downtown Milagro, Guayas, Ecuador, on July 9, 1990. Photograph by Fred M. Springer, © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-ECU1-22-12

Guayaquil-Quito Railway steam locomotive no. 43 leads a passenger train through downtown Bucay, Chimborazo, Ecuador, on July 9, 1990. Photograph by Fred M. Springer, © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-ECU1-22-37

Ferrocarril Presidente Carlos Antonio López (FCCAC) steam locomotive no. 59 pulls a passenger train through the town of Coronel Bogado, Paraguay, on October 21, 1991. Photograph by Fred Springer. © 2020, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Springer-ARG-PA-CHI-BO2-04-20