UPDATED in June, 2021

Following the OWL's Footsteps is a guide to the sites photographed by O. Winston Link on the Norfolk & Western Railroad. Starting in 1955, Link spent almost 5 years photographing something that he really loved - steam locomotives. Not only did he photograph them, but he did it at night!

During his campaign to capture steam railroad operations before they died, Link traveled the entire route of the N&W looking for photo opportunities. His travels took him from Hagerstown, MD to Bristol, VA, and from Norfolk, VA to Williamson, WV. He also traveled the Abingdon Branch, which provided him the opportunity to photograph the "Virginia Creeper" in color AND during the day.

After Link competed his project he left his work unseen and stored in a vault for almost 30 years. After testing the popularity of his photographs with shows in several art galleries, Link published his photos in two books that highlighted his work: Steam Steel & Stars was published in 1985, and The Last Steam Railroad in America was published in 1995. After these books were published, the critics recognized Link as the dean of American railroad photographers.

Following Link's footsteps, I also traveled up and down the Shenandoah Valley, across Southern Virginia and even rode a bicycle on the Virginia Creeper Trail to identify the sites where Link took his pictures. Once a site was located, I photographed it to show what the site looks like today.

Following the OWL's Footsteps:

• Catalogs by location all of the photos published in Link's two books
• Provides directions to the site of each picture
• Provides additional information on the sites
• Was updated in 2021 to show the new trestle #7, the Alvarado depot and the refurbished Rural Retreat depot
• Tells an interesting story along the way