The Railroad and the Art of Place: An Anthology

The imprint of the railroad on the North American landscape remains indelible across space and time. A handsome hardcover book from the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, The Railroad and the Art of Place: An Anthology, examines the industry’s history and physical presence to match its status as an economic or cultural force. Noted editors and authors Jeff Brouws, Alexander Craghead, David Kahler, and Kevin Keefe have assembled the work of 25 contemporary photographers who explore the post-industrial railroad landscape beyond the mere portrayal of passing trains. Narrative essays by many of the photographers offer historical context and deeply personal insights into what drives their art.

In The Railroad and the Art of Place: An Anthology, readers experience a rich world of isolated prairie towns, once-grand railway terminals and small-town depots, imperious mountain main lines, sprawling locomotive facilities, congested factories and steel mills, and lonely grade crossings. In every image, the emphasis is on exploring the broader railroad environment — its architecture, its sense of place, its essence, its feeling.

Produced to the highest standards and featuring 230 color and black-and-white photographs, this deluxe 372-page book is printed on heavy stock and portrays a storied industrial culture in an entirely new context. Generously funded by the Kahler Family Charitable Fund.

$60 plus $5 for domestic shipping, hardcover, 11×11 inches, 372 pages, 230 photographs

International shipping is available; please inquire by email at info [at] railphoto-art.org

Cover of the book "The Railroad and the Art of Place: An Anthology"

Digital Excerpts

Michael Froio, “From the Main Line“
Kevin Keefe, “Roundhouses From Above“
Lewis Ableidinger, “North Dakota“
Alexander Craghead, “Switching Districts“

Railroad Heritage, Spring 2021: Masters, Sullivan, Jordan

Savor of the work of two supremely talented graphite artists whose work falls a century apart. Frank Bird Masters illustrated railroad fiction stories in the early twentieth century with dramatic drawings that appeared regularly in national magazines. Gregory P. Ames brings Masters’ work back into print with an in-depth look into his life and art, which includes an unexpected trove of cyanotype photography. Kate Sullivan, a contemporary artist from Boston, revels in eastern Europe’s steam locomotives, which she portrays in vivid drawings that get at the essence of these dynamic machines. Join native New Yorker Richard Jordan III for a tour of the beauty and tragedy that is Buffalo Central Terminal in this issue’s “Art of Place” feature.

Adrienne Evans, our archivist, shares more about cyanotypes in her “Out of the Archives” column, which also introduces the newest members of our archives team. In “Art of the Railway Poster,” Arjan den Boer presents the Art Deco influence on Germany’s Mitropa services. Inga Velten shares the Center’s early history in an interview with Bonnie Gruber, widow of our principal founder, John Gruber. We also present our annual Honor Roll with great thanks to our 2020 donors, who helped us thrive in a challenging year.

$7.95, 84 pages, color and b/w

Railroad Heritage, Winter 2021: Postcards, Hallock, Stanley

Steam into a new year with the spectacular winter photography of Ralph Hallock, featuring the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Tennessee Pass with commentary by Mark W. Hemphill, in this issue’s cover story. Get inspired to keep in touch with “The Rise and Fall of the Railroad Postcard,” an in-depth history of railroad postcards by Den Adler, which includes more than seventy images from his extensive collection. Explore railroading on the San Francisco Peninsula in the 1970s with Dave Stanley in our latest installment of “The Railroad and the Art of Place.”

In our columns, learn about our new research and usage fees in “Out of the Archives” by Adrienne Evans, which also includes an update on our processing efforts. Arjan den Boer shares the work of British artist Paul B. Mann in “Art of the Railway Poster.” Inga Velten interviews Richard Tower, a member of our board of directors, in a new column spotlighting the people of the Center. Kevin P. Keefe reviews the new book Logomotive: Railroad Graphics and the American Dream by Ian Logan and Jonathan Glancey, while Hailey Paige provides a rundown of our traveling exhibitions and online events.

$7.95, 72 pages, color and b/w

Keep in touch with CRP&A postcards

In conjunction with an article in Railroad Heritage 2021:1 by Den Adler, “The Rise and Fall of the Railroad Postcard,” the Center has published a set of six postcards with images from our collections. In this time of limited contact and so much electronic communication, we want to encourage physical, tangible correspondence. Our postcards are printed on 130-pound linen cover stock, and they feature the work of photographers Katherine Botkin, William Botkin, Victor Hand, Ronald Hill, Thomas McIlwraith, and James Shaughnessy.

$5 per set of six cards, which includes domestic postage

Creativity & Covid

Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, our creative spirit is alive and well. In late June, we sent out a call for submissions to our members, asking how you were faring during this time. More than seventy of you responded by sending us nearly 200 images from around the world, along with heartfelt descriptions of your time so far.

We expanded the fall 2020 issue of Railroad Heritage to an all-time high of eighty-four pages, dedicating forty-eight of those pages to sharing your submissions. Even then, we ran out of room, and so we also created a web gallery for additional content.

To see the results, you can browse our web gallery and order a copy of the magazine if you do not already have one. To everyone who submitted work for our consideration, all of us at the Center send you our great thanks. It has been a privilege and an inspiration to see your works and read your words.