This was my twenty-somethingth Winterail, so I’ve seen a fair number of presentations over the years. Most were quite good, with a handful of barkers thrown in. The switch to digital has certainly smoothed out the presentation process, yet I fear some who possess older transparencies are reluctant, or unable to make the digital conversion. Those images may never be seen by future Winterail patrons. It’s hard to imagine what photographic gems may be hidden away.

Compared to past shows, I felt this one rated well. Due to my penchant to jaw with old friends, and reestablish old friendships (good to see you again Don A.!), I always manage to miss some presentations.

Of those I did see this year, one standout was the Cumbres & Toltec presentation. He showed us a fresh view of a railroad many take for granted, and his shots redefined cold and perseverance!

The two McCloud shows were an unexpected surprise. Both presenters managed to capture the true essence of the railroad and the town, in ways that showed a personal, if not emotional attachment to the subject matter.

The Peavine show got off to a so-so start, with what I felt was far too much reliance on digital efforts during the dissolves. Yet he quickly came up to speed and hit his stride with a stunning compilation of historical images, good storytelling, and the superbly done “then – now” comparison shots.

The Key System show presented a neat view of rail operations that many of us never saw, or knew little about

What is particularly evident is the graying of the Winterail crowd. The twenty and thirty - something crowd of years past is now the fifties and sixties crowd. Happily, there are younger people in attendance, but not in numbers that suggest that this is going concern.

I’ll admit, I prefer shows of a historical nature, as opposed to current day operations. The magic of seeing “what was” really attracts my attention. Steam of most any flavor or vintage gets a nod. Historical movies such as Don Olsen’s presentations were always a treat. The best still image can’t compare to action captured and preserved on film.

Just my .02 worth…

sda