Page 90 - Demo

88A Startling Sightmammoth, streamlined, aluminum snout loomed out of the foliage, pointing straight toward State Road 54. John and I gasped as we drove by. We were near Dugger, in western Greene County, on a photo trip for our third book, Second Stories, when we spotted the derelict Amtrak engine just yards from the highway. Because we didn%u2019t have time to stop and shoot it that day, I made a note of the location. We knew we%u2019d come back someday.But someday didn%u2019t arrive until a few years later, when we were working on this book, our sixth. Finally, on a sunny September morning, we returned. John pulled into the gravel drive between the once-startling engine and two Amtrak cars that were less visibly threatening, and stopped. A man walked towards our Pontiac Vibe. He turned out to be Ted Monier, owner of this place%u2014Ted Monier Parts and Salvage. Ted was a distinctive-looking fellow with a long beard, wearing an aging hat with his company%u2019s name embroidered on the front.When we asked how the engine and cars got here, Ted explained that the former owner of his salvage yard once had a contract to scrap retired rolling stock at Amtrak%u2019s Beech Grove repair facility. Because he thought they%u2019d make interesting storage buildings or cottages, he trucked six of them down here about 20 years ago. Since then, one was Asold for a river cabin, and two ended up being dismantled for scrap. That left the three we%u2019d spotted. %u201cTake as many photos as you want of them,%u201d he said, %u201cjust be careful.%u201dThen, as an aside, he told us, %u201cYou know, you%u2019re not the first to take pictures of those old cars. Every so often, someone stops by to ask permission. Sometimes, a local photographer even uses them as a backdrop for highschool senior-class pictures.%u201dSoon, John and I were eagerly investigating the once ultramodern, fast-looking, cars. Sadly, their weather-worn metal skins were scratched and pock marked with bullet holes. Red-white-and-blue stripes, that used to race boldly along their sides, were now faded. Windows were cracked or missing. The interiors had been gutted. Adding to the dereliction, there was an exuberant overabundance of weeds and scrubby trees starting to engulf and swallow them up. All this made for great compositions. John took photo, after photo, after photo.Amtrak Engine%u2014rural Greene Co. (874.05)Amtrak Car%u2014rural Greene Co. (874.11)