D.C. Jesse Burkhardt 112 pages softcover
The Art of Abandonment: Railroad Abandonments in the Pacific Northwest
illustrates how economic challenges have worked to dramatically alter
the Northwest's railroad network. Hundreds of miles of track across the
region have been abandoned in recent years. Indeed, across a landscape
that includes Washington, Oregon, and Northern Idaho, the number of
miles where trains continue to operate now totals less than the mileage
of corridors where rail lines have been dismantled.
With 180 unique and artistic photographs, coupled with extensive
research, the book explores the rapid pace of change in the region over
the past four decades. Featured are scenes from a variety of locations
where only memories now remain, including deserted branch lines, freight
yards overgrown with weeds, and roadbeds stripped of rails and ties
where mainline trains once thundered. Also highlighted is the loss of an
entire railroad--the iconic Southern Pacific, which was taken over by
Union Pacific in 1996 and effectively ceased to exist.
The Art of Abandonment celebrates the history of discarded
routes, providing a photojournalistic journey into the sometimes
heartbreaking evolution of the rail transportation network in the
Northwest region of the United States.