Whilst raking through the archives at the Seligman & Pender Gazette, I came across this old print taken back early in the last century.

A manuscript note was attached to it, with the initials JR at the bottom. I presume that this was Josiah Rock, the Seligman & Pender photographer at that time.

The note suggested that this photograph was the final one in a sequence that he had taken over a number of days that Winter, recording the journey between Pender and Seligman, up the notorious hill. The other photographs have so far failed to materialise, but I will keep looking in the hopes that they are buried somewhere in the jumbled attic.....

"Started today what will probably turn out to be a very uncomfortable week, even if the weather holds.

There are so many tales of the hill, and the difficulty that the engineers have in reaching Seligman, that I feel a need to see for myself what it is like at this time of the year.

The snow has, indeed, been particularly heavy this winter, but there has recently been a thaw, and the relative warmth should make the exercise that much more bearable..."

"What a day I had of it yesterday. The journey to Pender was not particularly pleasant. There was no passenger service running, therefore I was thrown upon the need to request passage to Pender in the Caboose.

This would normally have been a relatively enjoyable experience, but unfortunately the stove couldn't be got to light, and both myself and the conductor spent the entire journey muffled up and not speaking to each other.

I was not sure who would have the worst of the situation, the conductor continuing on to Eureka in that ice box, or myself, struggling through snow to gain a point of vantage, but keeping warm whilst I did so. I soon cooled off however, and started to envy my former companion for his being able to keep out of the wind.

Managed to take several plates, one that I have great hopes for where I climbed a hill a mile to the West of Pender..."

"Having had such difficulty two days before, I decided it was not prudent to venture too far into the backwoods, despite the weather being slightly more clement than of late. I therefore arranged to be dropped more close to Seligman than I had originally intended.

I reasoned that my experiences outside Pender, where I had found it difficult to walk back to the settlement, owing to my feet being frozen, had given me enough personal experience of the "hill", and that I could still reasonably accomplish my task by substituting plates taken nearer to civilisation (or as close to civilisation as Seligman becomes).

This was done, and I am convinced, once I have printed these plates, that no-one will be any the wiser..."

"My stratagem, whilst certainly making life more comfortable for myself, nonetheless made me feel slightly mean, and lacking in spirit, especially when I consider the engineers, brakemen and conductors who travel this line, whatever the conditions, day or night.

Still, we are not all made the same, and for what to some might be nothing more than the effort needed to swat a fly, for others that same task might appear to be impossible to complete. We are what we are, and what is important is to be happy in that..."

"By happy circumstance, yesterday was fine and a lot warmer.

I was able to complete my self appointed task, and I have hopes that some of these plates might take pride of place on the front of the Bugle..."

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Rod,

As always, those pictures were great!!!

Sort of made you really feel sorry for JR as he had to make his way through the snow to set up and then take each picture.

Paul

Thanks Paul - shouldn't have posted them here, but for some reason I suddenly can't post on the screenshot forum.

Rod

pnrailway was reported saying:


Just goes to show what strange things railfans will do to take a picture of a train.