Steam Train in 3D, composite

A steam train engine, modeled and rendered in Maya. Original render composited in Photoshop.

Compare this image to the real thing from the Teton Valley, in Idaho.

Tombstone Website

The final design and code for the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce. The site can be viewed in action at www.tombstonechamber.com

Soda Springs, Idaho

Soda Springs, Idaho has made a name for itself by turning a small natural hot spring in the area into a full fledged, albeit man made, geyser. Some inspired entrepreneurs tried to market soda water (under the brand name Idan-ha) by drilling for carbon dioxide from a spring near town, kegging the gas, and carbonating local water in the bottle. This turned out to be a bad idea, as the gas was impregnated with a sulfur smell, which made any water all but unbearable.

Said entrepreneurs then decided to make the best of a bad situation, and to turn their fledgling seltzer company into a hot springs bath house. Expanding their drill hole, they hit hot water which shot out of the bore a la There Will Be Blood. Once they contained their gusher, the town now had a fully functional geyser that they could throw on at the turn of a valve. The joke in Yellowstone is that tourists ask where the pump house is for Old Faithful. Here, it is located several feet from the pipe that emits the geyser water every hour, on the hour.

Completion of the Teton Valley Railroad - 1913

By 1913, the Union Pacific railroad had completed a line from Aston, Idaho to Victor, five years after offering the first "Yellowstone Special" on June 11. 1908. The rail dead-ended in Victor, and steam trains were turned around there on a wye (a triangle shaped junction that allowed a trail to back up and turn around.) Passengers heading to Jackson, Wyoming then took a carriage, or later, a bus, over the Teton pass, which by then was still a difficult, though not impossible, journey. The photo above shows the inaugural train - UP #684 - with a second engine and at least 6 passenger cars, probably somewhere between Driggs and Victor. The photo below, given the position of the boxcar with people standing on it in both photos, is probably taken on the top of a car on the track, either before or after the first train rolled through. The population shown in the photo below most likely represents the sum total of residents in the Driggs/Victor corridor.
More information about the UP Victor line (circa 1965) here.