RADFORD – Glencoe Mansion, Museum and Gallery is preparing to open its newest art gallery exhibit, “Mountain Rail Tails,” featuring photography by Dale R. Carlson of Bluemoonistic Images.
The exhibit will be on display from June 4 through August 29 and dovetails nicely with the train observatory platform and exhibit found at the edge of the Glencoe grounds Glencoe.
“All across the Appalachian Mountains, culture has been influenced by railroads,” Glencoe Director Scott Gardner wrote in announcing the exhibit. “These iron rails created new communities like Radford, allowed new industries to flourish, and provided convenient transportation for residents. When the railroads ceased all passenger service in this region in the 60s and 70s, many depots were abandoned and the rails were removed. Many of these localities then struggled to find a new identity.
“Fast forward to today and many of those same communities have implemented creative ways to reutilize their railroad heritage to benefit their local economies,” Gardner wrote. “Former depots and train cars have been restored and reutilized. Old rail beds have been replaced with ‘rails to trails,’ permitting hiking and biking where it was not possible before. ‘Mountain Rail Tails’ explores these revitalized aspects of our rail heritage through imagery, evoking its former and current power.”
Photographer Carlson grew up in the waning days of passenger rail service and says he “retained a strong fondness for that mode of travel with its terminals, passenger cars, and their rumble over the rails.”
Carlson is originally from the Midwest, and, according to Glencoe, has “practiced his passion for photography for over 40 years in both his professional and artistic careers.”
Carlson says when he and his wife, Becky, moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains, his photography shifted to focus on the local region. His works have been featured in numerous publications, including Western North Carolina (WNC) and Blue Ridge Country magazines. Carlson and his wife founded their photography business, Bluemoonistic Images, in 2008 to offer his fine art photography online.
Everyone is welcome to visit the museum at 600 Unruh Drive in Radford, and there is no admission charge.
