Preserving History... While Building the Future... Whistles by the Depot

Hello followers,

Tonight's contribution comes in the form of both traditional blog text and video narrative in an effort to expand word on our Whistles by the Depot multimedia programs held each Spring and Autumn in Saint Albans, West Virginia.

As a young, dinky and impressionable kid with more enthusiasm than common sense, I spent some of my earliest years of "railfanning" from the park benches of the Chesapeake & Ohio Saint Albans Depot. By the time I had already developed an interest in railroads and photography, the depot was being maintained and operated by the Women's Club of St. Albans with some participation from a local model railroad organization.

The model railroad group and its affiliated members served as great mentors in my teenage years and I attribute a great deal of that knowledge and information I learned from the core group of the organization.

As I developed an interest in community involvement and social gatherings related to rail preservation and photography, I wanted to feature Saint Albans in a project titled, "Whistles by the Depot". The multimedia program brings together some of West Virginia's most accomplished rail photographers, authors, and historians for an evening of railroad photography and art presentations twice each year.

Today, we have a continuous waiting list of railroad photographers and a consistent attendance that fluctuates between 60 and 75 people each program. While not a huge number, we are grateful for the participation we've received from the community and the awareness we've generated on preserving rail infrastructure and specifically, the St. Albans Depot.

Take a look at your new promotional YouTube video promoting Whistles by the Depot!

Join us in St. Albans on Saturday, October 4th, 2014 for our Fall '14 segment!

Also, check us out online at Facebook: www.facebook.com/whistlesbythedepot

It's beginning to look a lot like... Fall...

With the celebration of Labor Day now in the archives and into the second week of September, it's only a matter of time before the humid days and mild nights transition into breezy afternoons and chilly nights. The humidity will become a thing of the past and soon, we'll be franticly searching for our ice scrapers and gloves... To many, the end of summer in West Virginia means that winter (and Christmas!) is just around the corner... And, that's not too awfully far from reality.

Similar to Spring, the fall season in West Virginia and Appalachia often suffers from an identity crisis. Above average temperatures into October result in a sharp transition to below average temperatures by the time November arrives and vise versa... Ideally, September, October, and the first days of November would gradually introduce us to the inevitable wintertime season. A subtle temperature change.. That rarely happens, though. 

Regardless of the temperature and climate outcome, we are generally guaranteed at least a few premiere days of fall foliage in the mountains of West Virginia... Somewhere... Foliage is always a challenge to predict across the state, attributed to different levels of precipitation, wind, temperature, and moisture. In the northern and eastern counties, color change becomes noticeable as early as mid September. When visiting our state's mountain counties over the weekend, I observed some subtle color transition along Cheat Mountain above Huttonsville, W.Va. Elevations above 3,600 feet will notice premature color changes as a result of cooler temperatures.

While it is relatively early to predict exactly when we may see our peak foliage days across the state, I hope to closely monitor the foliage situation (as I attempt each season) and report my observations back to this blog for our leaf-peeping followers.