GodFatherRails || About GodfatherRails

Over the years, railfan friends of John Dziobko Jr. have been entertained by his vast collection of transparencies of rail subjects, a collection dating back to the era when railroads were converting from steam to diesel power, the late 1940s and early 1950s. Be it a group in a Saturday night slide show in somebody's basement, or the National Railway Historical Society where John has been a member for over 50 years, railfans interested in seeing the past come to life through photography are always wowed by the surprises projected on the screen.

During that time, numerous railfan publications including Trains, Classic Trains, and Railfan and Railroad have published many of John's images, and several books of his work have been offered. But there is a limit to the available space to print photos, and the advent of the internet allows more of John's slides to be seen by an even greater number of railfans worldwide. John is thrilled that his pictures can be seen instead of being closed up in some box stashed deep in the closet. Thus, GodfatherRails.com came to be.

Utilizing the code developed by Wilkerson Development Services, John's friends are able to scan and upload a continual supply of classic rail images on a weekly basis to GodfatherRails.com.

Be sure to click on the 'Photos' tab and explore galleries by type of photo, railroad, or locomotive model. 'Updates' tab takes you to a chronology of the updates. Review the 'Trips' tab for groups of photos taken on a specific trips, 'Links' tab will take you to a list of links that further detail many of the subjects seen in the photos. 'FAQ' can be interesting as John responds, and of course the 'Subscribe' tab will allow you to get automatic e-notification of updates. Considering John estimates having a collection of slides that numbers upwards of a half-million, it may take a while to fully scan and upload them! Meanwhile, the stories that go with the pictures and related by John will be chronicled here. It is interesting to put those memories with the photos, many in the days before interstates, jets, and fast food restaurants.

Thanks for visiting GodfatherRails.com featuring the rail photography of John Dziobko, Jr.

John would like to dedicate this site to the memory of Gloria Roselle Dziobko, 1930-1979, who always urged him to show his pictures.