I USED TO WORK ON THE RAILS: Up in Alaska. One of these years, I’ll get my shit together and make a proper post or chapter on this site dedicated to my four grueling “summers on the rail” up there in the last frontier. Washing dishes and cooking. Ugh. It’s easy to get romantic about those long hours, you know, due to the surrounding beauty of Alaska’s interior and all. But man, I’m just gonna give it to you straight: That shit sucked.

I’m a pretty tough cookie, or so I say. In all honesty, each and every morning getting on to that train were some of the lowest points of my life. Getting up at 5 A.M. and knowing only one thing: For the next 40 hours, I am theirs.

Summers 1996, ‘97, ‘98 & ‘99: Horseshit rules. Politics. Fake smiles. Big hair. Nervous guys with mustaches and clipboards. And cook’s whites. Yeah, cook clothes. Those over-starched death traps used to mess me up good. Mean servers. Mean cooks. Spirited maintenance crew.

And ladies and gentleman, the cleanest, tightest and most-efficient dishpit ever to be run on those rails. Truth hurts, Fanning!

Nevertheless, here’s a beautiful set of train posters from back in the day, and you don’t want to miss these.

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HOW LOGOS CHANGE, OVER A CENTURY: Illinois Central Railroad Logos.

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EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT SHEET FIRES ME UP: A CSX Microscale Decal sheet to check out. So good.

And the Pennsylvania Railroad…all of it.

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I JUST LIKE SAYING IT: Railroadiana. Dig around in there. Tons of fun. Miles and miles of rail.

For instance, check their “baggage tags” section. Man.

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SIMPLY TITLED: “A railroad logo - Lima, Ohio”

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ON THE PLAYER:

01. Old 97s - Too Far To Care
02. Backsliders - Southern Lines
03. Railroad Jerk - One Track Mind