Canadian Railroads > Someone Just Asked Me Who Roger Puta Was

Maybe I never told this group.

Roger and I went to High School together. He was a good friend and railfan buddy. We grew up in nearby towns along the CB&Q in the Chicago western suburbs. We railfanned together through college, often with our railfan friends from the Chicago area.  He worked for the Santa Fe and Western Pacific and lived in the Washington DC area and San Francisco in the 1970s and 80s.  He was a rare mileage freak, a prolific and darn good train photographer, and focused considerable attention on passenger trains.  He traveled widely in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to meet those interests.  If it ran on rails, or was related to something that ran on rails, he photographed it.  Thus his collection of about ten thousand slides includes many of streetcars, depots, and railroad graphics.  He was known for his slides shows, some of which were at Winter Rail. In 1990 he caught a train to the Pearly Gates.  

I realized his slides sat at a friend's house never to be seen.  Most were unlabled.  So I am now scanning, posting, and archieving his slides.  Fortunately there are railfan forums which are helping me put captions to Roger's photographs. I continue to be surprised how many railfans knew him and respond to my posts of his slides.  He did many railfan trips of multiple days with one or more of his fellow foamers.

I have to say your efforts are appreciated in bringing his photos to a wide audience here on TO.

I appreciate the assistance Train Order folk give me on developing captions.  They make this project possible. 

Also, all Roger's photographs are in this Flickr Collection:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/129679309@N05/collections/72157660036921885/

Marty

I think the quality of his photographs and content are outstanding.  Thanks for posting them.

Interesting question and response in legal technicalites of establishing ownership and copyright. Tremendous photos and also a lesson in why a collection needs to be accounted for in an estate, or included in a will for donation etc.

Can you clarify the pronunciation of his last name?

Pu Ta