North of Boston, commuter trains roll through suburban neighborhoods, fly past backyards, and sometimes race by homes so close it looks like people hanging out on their back porch could reach out and touch them. Photographer and educator David Oxton wondered what everday life in such close proximity to these enormous, rushing trains looked like. His curiosity resulted in two projects: Trackside: Backyards and Trackside: Stations.

James Prochnik’s photo project started from the opposite perspective — inside the train looking out. When Prochnik’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he began taking frequent trips on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor from New York City to Washington, DC to help out his father. These trips were melancholy, and he often didn’t feel like doing much but stare out the window. What he saw sparked a growing fascination — first at the expressive graffiti giving voice to the communities they passed through, and later at the whole sprawling mess. He began making pictures, using his practice as a street photographer to find moments and stories in the trackside landscapes speeding by. Track Record, the result of those pictures, is a unique journey through America’s urban, industrial, and rural backyards.

In this free talk co-presented by the NYC Photo Community and StrudelmediaLive, these two photographers will share their photos and train stories.