A Little About Me

Tehachapi
UP Anaheim Branches
Fullerton
3751 Excursion
La Habra/Fullerton Branch
BNSF Locals
Tours and Cab Rides
Vancouver, B.C.

Ok, so I guess you're all wondering who I am... I'm Mark - Mark Borja, specifically. That's me in the picture, doing what I do best.

Alright, I suppose that's a little overly simplistic. I was born in Anaheim, California in 1982, but moved shortly thereafter at the age of 6 months to the nearby city of La Mirada. It was there, I suppose, where I got my fascination with trains, as the apartments where my family lived were just a stones throw away from the Santa Fe mainline. From the time I could stand up and walk I was drawn to the knot-hole in the patio fence that was just at eye level, and afforded an excellent toddler's-eye-view of the tracks. I quickly became familiar with that tell-tale low rumble that meant a freight train was coming, and would run outside to see it go by. I guess you could say that I never stopped loving trains.

Growing up by the Santa Fe main line, of course, made it easy to pick a favorite railroad - SANTA FE ALL THE WAY!! As far as I'm concerned there was, is, and never will be again a railroad like the Santa Fe. BNSF might come close, but it just doesn't quite have that special Santa Fe magic. My childhood train book showed pictures of glossy Warbonnet Santa Fe F units with streamlined passenger trains, and even before the Warbonnet returned, it was my favorite paint scheme. As you can imagine, the first time I saw a brace of Warbonnet FP45's march by with a hot intermodal train, all I could do was stand there with my mouth hanging open.

When I was younger, I frequently drew pictures of the trains I saw, and I suppose this is how I eventually progressed into photography. I've only been photographing trains for about 2 years, so I guess you could call my photos a work in progress. One thing I really like about photography is that it allows me to document the trains I've seen and then share them with the world. I hope, that through this site, I can not only get some enjoyment out of it (as I already have) but allow people who might otherwise view a train as just an annoying wait at a grade crossing with new appreciation.

So what do I do currently? Well, I am a student at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Eventually, I hope to become a professor of organic chemistry or biochemistry. Why not trains? Well, who knows just what the future holds? But for the moment, trains are just my hobby and stress relief. I like to say I'm rarely bored (and it's true) because it's so easy to find trains and just start clicking away.

Click on the link below for a compilation of "Santa Fe Memories."