My fascination with railroads began when I was a child, sparked by a wind-up train that was one of my first toys.

When I was four, my family moved to Long Island, New York. Our backyard had a swingset, and I quickly discovered that climbing to the top of the monkey bars gave me a perfect view over the fence—and of the Long Island Rail Road trains passing on their way toward New York City.

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Trips into the City only deepened that fascination. I was captivated by the activity of Penn Station, including the voices announcing the trains and their destinations. One of those early memories—hearing the announcement for the Capitol Limited and its stops along the way—helped make the railroad world feel like a gateway to somewhere else.

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My parents encouraged that fascination by taking me on tourist trains and visiting railroad museums. As I grew older, my interest developed into railfanning: watching, documenting, and photographing trains.

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Today, Hamilton, Ohio, serves as my home base for railfanning, but the hobby has taken me far beyond southwestern Ohio. Following the rails has given me opportunities to visit communities, historic sites, museums, and places I might never otherwise have discovered.

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For me, railfanning has never been only about trains. It's about the places they connect, the people who built and operated them, and the stories found along the tracks.