Welcome to the RRPictureArchives.NET contributor site of Ronald E Estes.  

Hello everyone, I am Ron Estes and I currently live in 

Stroud, Oklahoma. I was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma, 

son of William “Bill” Estes (b 1926 - d 2022) and 

Margie R (Drumm) Estes (b 1929 - d 2003). 

My father was a WWII Merchant Marine veteran and 

retried from the Santa Fe Railway in 1989. In 1947 he 

began his railroad career with the Union Pacific in Hays, 

Kansas. He then went to work for the Santa Fe Railway

in 1948 as a depot agent/control clerk (1948-1989). 

I grew up in northwest Oklahoma in the small town of 

Cherokee (1962 – 1976) and then we moved to Enid, OK

in 1976 (1976-1980). 

Upon graduation from Enid High I moved in with my brother 

David in Oklahoma City, who also worked for the Santa Fe 

Railway, he retired February 2020 after nearly 43 years of 

service (1977-2020) with ATSF/BNSF. 

My oldest brother Charles (b 1949 - d 2021) retired from 

the Santa Fe Railway as a Foreman for the Steel

Bridge & Building (1972-1995).

My interest in trains started at a very young age, as 

I would spend many hours at the Cherokee depot. 

There I met many train crews and watched as my 

father would send and receive messages via the 

telegraph. I rode many trains with the crews during those 

years. 

During the summer I would ride my bike to the depot 

taking my father lunch. Wheat harvest was my favorite 

time as many trains would come through until late at night 

around midnight.

It was the summer of 1973 and my father had to go to 

Burlington Oklahoma to give a southbound grain train their

train orders to proceed. The engineer asked me if I would 

like to climb aboard and run the train. I said yes, and so

began the journey from Burlington OK to Cherokee OK 

and this was one of many fond memories of my days in

Cherokee. When we moved to Enid, Joe Chandler asked me 

if I would like to do some yard switching with the crew

and that was in the fall of 1977 on a Sunday afternoon. 

I spent 8 hours with the crew switching in the Enid yard at 10th

and Cherry streets.

I started photographing trains in 1969, however not very many 

and then in 1982 I began taking more photographs of trains. 

In 2011 I bought my first Nikon digital 35mm camera and the 

sky to my photography had no limits. I now average

2,000 photo's per month.

If you are out and about in the Edmond/Oklahoma City area or 

Stroud as I moved from Edmond to Stroud Jan 2022, you may 

run into me. if you wish to contact me when in the area my cell 

number is 405-513-0629. I work 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM 

M-Th & Fri 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM and sometimes spend my lunch 

hour by the railroad tracks. 

On weekends I drive to many locations throughout Oklahoma 

photographing anything and everything and driving a Hyundai 

Tucson graphite gray.

Many of my photo's can be found here and on Facebook

www.facebook.com/ronald.eugene.estes or www.facebook.co...

I also do video while taking pictures and videos can be found on youtube www.youtube.com/user/railimages1/featured?disable_polymer=1

Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/people/ronald_e_estes_photography/ 

Facebook Group - Mid America Rails - www.facebook.com/groups/488481825083171