Western Railroad Discussion > The Day After

Twenty years ago this morning, I was woken up by the phone ringing, it was the wife of the friend I was staying with yelling at me to turn on the TV. The first images were of a burning tower. then a few seconds later cameras caught the second plane flying onto the other tower. Instantly realized this was an attack on the US. I was sick to my stomach watching those scenes! It was a rough day at work, listening to the radio reports of the towers burning and then collapsing. There was also sporadic reports about the Pentagon and another plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. Was holding my breath about what would be hit by a passenger plane next....Congress? the White House?
9-11-2001 was my last day of work before a week long planned vacation with friends railfanning, one of whom had just flown in from New England. Unable to sleep that night, I decided to get a early start on the day and left for the Snake River country to photograph the UP and the Camas Prairie Railnet by chance. But there was plenty of uncertainty as I left home....would everything be shut down the next day? would I be arrested for photographing trains? would there be more attacks? As I headed through Spokane late that night, banners of encouragement were hanging from most of the bridges over I-90 in Spokane. While the news was so very depressing in those moments, the people of this great country knew we could get through this trying time, and I started to feel a little better. The next day was decent and I caught several trains along the Snake River. Near the end of the day I caught this southbound manifest with a St Lawrence & Hudson SD40-2 #5619 leading a CP SD40-2 #5925 across the Joso Trestle with my first digital camera, a 2mp Olympus I had purchased a few months prior. My video camera that I had been using prior to the digital camera is also in the frame.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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Very Nice bride shot in trying times!

Larry

Great bridge!
9/11 is sad day for all, for sure. The world changed forever since then.

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

Thank you for sharing your experience with us Ted.

I just love that old times classic photo of the CP grain train with the sd's up front.

Thanks for your recollections, Ted, and the fine photo of a train that remained defiantly at work days after the 9-11 attack, still serving the nation and its people. Even crossing a structure that, in a nation that might have coered in fear and closed the trestle for risk of its destruction, instead remained defiantly and loyally in service to the people of the nation. The same people whom you had seen putting banners and flags up, telling the forces of evil that that this nation would not succumb. That we would remain strong, unified, and resolute in the face such horrors.

Now twenty years later, your story and photo reminds us that the seemingly simple acts of regular life say to our enemies that we will not give in, that we will live our lives, that you will not make us cower in fear.

Today's observances spoke many messages about the strength and resolute quality of our nation. But even the photos of a train on a great trestle days later speaks the same message. We will go on. We will live our lives, and serve our nation. We will carry on in the service of our freedom. And we will not forget.

MC

Nice pic!!