Some thoughts on the TRAINS article

I picked up a copy on Friday to check out the story. Although I'm only an occasional and casual reader of the railfan press, there was something different about this article that set it apart from most that I've seen. The difference was in its journalistic style and the photography. The photos captured the theme of the article which was about contemporary people running a narrow gauge mountain railroad using the technology and crafts of the 1930's.
For me, the photos of the employees made the story. The shot of Bob Wright and Orlando Ulibarri inside the Chama depot was terrific. Look around the office and see the painted beaded pine with the Rio Grande herald stenciled above several rows of clipboards and various bulletins. Look at the mail and papers piled on the desk. This isn't some roped-off museum display, there's real work going on here. Check out the printer behind the CMO. This is the ultimate kind of preservation. There's a purpose being served, a railroad being run. This ain't no performance art funded by the NEA.
But my favorite shot is the one of Bill Collins throwing a switch for his speeder just below Lobato. Look at the lonely sweep of the high country landscape and the very apparent 4% grade just before it levels out at the trestle. It's the antithesis of a class 1 mainline. The same shot with a train dominating the photo would have changed the mood and character completely.
I guess I'm a sucker for fresh angles in photographing the C&TS. Other thoughts?
Brian Shoup