Saturday, January 3, 2015

Railroad Switch

 Shadow of hand operated railroad switch stand, Uxbridge

Last Friday my husband and I visited the York-Durham Railway station in Uxbridge.

Hand operated railroad switch stand

 The yellow handle moves the...

 Rod from switch stand to tracks

rod that...

 Where tracks move to change direction of train

moves the rail causing trains....

Railroad switch

to turn onto the desired tracks.

I am linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2 HERE.

44 comments:

colleen said...

The pump shadow stands so imposing, almost regal. We should be loyal to what it stands for.

TexWisGirl said...

pretty amazing that switch can do that. :)

Malyss said...

Like in good old times !

Sylvia K said...

Amazing and what an interesting post for the day along with great shadows!! Like in the good old days!! Amazing indeed!!

MadSnapper said...

the first shot looks like a male and female about to dance with each other, reaching out their hands.. i love the one of the rod that switches.. these are wonderful

eileeninmd said...

Cool shadow captures! The first shot is my favorite. Not many hand operated items around nowadays!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Awesome pictures! I love trains and we hear them pass close by all the time. Something about the light, and the color, they just pop out, and are so beautiful. I don't think I have ever seen one of these railroad switches before. Is this the old fashioned way, now how is it done? Is it done from the train itself?

Revrunner said...

Just like the Lionel set I enjoyed as a kid. :-)

William Kendall said...

I think my parents visited that years ago.

Judy said...

I've sort of wondered what the switch looked like and how it worked, but not enough to find out...
Now I know!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Very interesting shots.

Anonymous said...

We love trains and always watch as they go by. Neat shadow and sun photos.

jp@A Green Ridge said...

A great place to learn about changing course!!!...:)JP

Pamela Gordon said...

I sure miss hearing the train that use to run up through the valley. Nice photos of the rails and the switch.

Hilary said...

I love Uxbridge and your photos are lovely and informative. The first shadow of the switch puts me in mind of Olive Oil walking with her mink stole over her shoulders, her long neck and head sporting a tiny pillbox hat.

Taken For Granted said...

Great to see this railroad equipment. Not much of it around these days.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Looks like some light snow framing the switch and carriages. The snow has a pretty effect on the setting. Amazing that the switch can be operated manually. It looks as if it would take some persistent strength. Fascinating photos.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

How interesting. Is it still being used?

Ralph said...

I love that the shadows add a delicate detail ti the switches and tracks made out of gold hard iron, The metal makes the trains work better, the shadows make the softer. Nice!

DeniseinVA said...

That all looks so interesting. Great photos up close at the railway tracks.

Leovi said...

Great photos, I love these trains, awesome!!

Stephanie said...

Fabulous shots! I do love trains and anything to do with them. :-))

RedPat said...

Very cool, EG! I had no idea this was in Uxbridge.

The Furry Gnome said...

I can't believe you still have a real train there!

robin. said...

I love the railroad!! Great series of shadow shots!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

The motion of one hand can move an entire train. Simple but effective.

Randy said...

Nice shadows.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

I love old train stuff, I love new train stuff for that matter. How come they don't have museums showing new train stuff?

Bethany Carson said...

That's pretty neat! My grandpa was just showing me how that worked a couple months ago!

Cloudia said...

Fascinating era in technology. Steam punk!



ALOHA and Happy New Year from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
<3

BasiaW said...

The York-Durham Railway station is wery interesting:-)

Lowell said...

Ah, the good ol' days. I've always been wary of the ol' "switcheroo"!

21 Wits said...

Amazing the power of some things, you might not even think about, until you take time to understand them! very nice captures too!

VP said...

Love these details!

Michelle said...

Can't imagine being responsible for operating that switch!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

I love visiting places like this and the first shot is my favourite.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Just a hint of snow mixed with the shadows to mark a perfect start to 2015!

Shadowy Blue Window

Unknown said...

This is something I never paid attention. Glad you posted on the subject. Very cool!

Christine said...

Shadows soften the cold, utilitarian objects, which move larger, heavier objects, and enhance their sturdy beauty.

Jenn Jilks said...

Hubby adores trains. Love the patterns!

Unknown said...

it is rather regal isnt it
interesting post :)

fredamans said...

Lovely shadows. Love the pump. My granddad had one in his yard I always played with as a kid.

Angie said...

Great shadow shots!

NatureFootstep said...

a beautiful piece of machinery. :)

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.