Wednesday, January 31, 2001
'He was trying to document an era'
Photographer Link dead at 86
The man who captured images for rail enthusiasts died en route to the
hospital in New York.
By ZEKE BARLOW
The Roanoke Times
A day after the historic Virginian Railroad passenger station burned
down, a much bigger blow was dealt to rail enthusiasts: Photographer O.
Winston Link died of a heart attack. He was 86.
Link chronicled railroad life in the 1950s and became not only an
international name in photography, but also captured the last days of the
American steam locomotive.
He had been sick for some time when he drove himself to the hospital in
Mount Kisco, N.Y., on Tuesday afternoon and suffered a heart attack en
route, said his publicist, Tom Garver. Link died before he got to the
hospital, Garver said.
There has been recent talk of creating an O. Winston Link museum in the
old Norfolk and Western passenger station in downtown Roanoke. Link was
lobbying to have the No. 1218 steam locomotive on display and had said he
wouldn't cooperate with the museum project unless the train he described as
"the most beautiful engine in the world" was part of it.
For many, Link not only captured the last days of the steam engine, but
also froze an innocent time of the world in his camera lens.
Besides the engines billowing steam, Link's photos showed such scenes
as folks sitting around a wood stove sharing a story or a young boy waving
to the engineers as a train chugged by.
"He was trying to document an era," said longtime friend Joan Thomas,
who markets videos for the British Broadcasting Corp. made about Link. "He
knew that not only the steam engines were going but also a way a life."
An internationally known photographer, Link was featured in the January
issue of Vanity Fair, which featured photographers of the 20th century. His
photos would take days to construct sometimes, complete with numerous
flashes and wires galore. N&W would work with Link on his photos,
manipulating the trains to his liking.
"It was an impossibly beautiful relationship," Link said recently.
Many people over the years have said how much Link's works contributed
to the history of the American railroad.
"It's a huge loss," Thomas said.
------------------
Dave Flinn, Northeast Regional Vice President, NRHS
National Director, Cornell Chapter, NRHS
Life Member NMRA, NER, NFR,
Danbury Railway Museum
'He was trying to document an era'
Photographer Link dead at 86
The man who captured images for rail enthusiasts died en route to the
hospital in New York.
By ZEKE BARLOW
The Roanoke Times
A day after the historic Virginian Railroad passenger station burned
down, a much bigger blow was dealt to rail enthusiasts: Photographer O.
Winston Link died of a heart attack. He was 86.
Link chronicled railroad life in the 1950s and became not only an
international name in photography, but also captured the last days of the
American steam locomotive.
He had been sick for some time when he drove himself to the hospital in
Mount Kisco, N.Y., on Tuesday afternoon and suffered a heart attack en
route, said his publicist, Tom Garver. Link died before he got to the
hospital, Garver said.
There has been recent talk of creating an O. Winston Link museum in the
old Norfolk and Western passenger station in downtown Roanoke. Link was
lobbying to have the No. 1218 steam locomotive on display and had said he
wouldn't cooperate with the museum project unless the train he described as
"the most beautiful engine in the world" was part of it.
For many, Link not only captured the last days of the steam engine, but
also froze an innocent time of the world in his camera lens.
Besides the engines billowing steam, Link's photos showed such scenes
as folks sitting around a wood stove sharing a story or a young boy waving
to the engineers as a train chugged by.
"He was trying to document an era," said longtime friend Joan Thomas,
who markets videos for the British Broadcasting Corp. made about Link. "He
knew that not only the steam engines were going but also a way a life."
An internationally known photographer, Link was featured in the January
issue of Vanity Fair, which featured photographers of the 20th century. His
photos would take days to construct sometimes, complete with numerous
flashes and wires galore. N&W would work with Link on his photos,
manipulating the trains to his liking.
"It was an impossibly beautiful relationship," Link said recently.
Many people over the years have said how much Link's works contributed
to the history of the American railroad.
"It's a huge loss," Thomas said.
------------------
Dave Flinn, Northeast Regional Vice President, NRHS
National Director, Cornell Chapter, NRHS
Life Member NMRA, NER, NFR,
Danbury Railway Museum