Category Archives: Publications

Winter 2025: Western Maryland, Chicago’s Field Museum, John Signor, and more

The Winter 2025 issue of Railroad Heritage, our quarterly magazine, is filled with plenty of gifts just in time for the holidays. Inside you’ll find inspiring photography, art, and stories:

  • A stunning photo essay by Roger Cook and Karl Zimmermann about their 1970s Western Maryland experiences in Williamsport, Maryland;
  • The surprising connections between railroads and Chicago’s Field Museum, examined by Fred Ash, illustrated by historic photography and beautiful color Illinois Central posters;
  • Archivist Heather Sonntag interviews John Signor, artist, railroader, and author of western railroading books such as Tehachapi, Donner Pass, and more, and we include eight of his great oil paintings;
  • The winning images of the 2024 John E. Gruber Creative Photography Awards;
  • Learn about requesting images from the Center in the “Out of the Archives” column by director of archives & collections Adrienne Evans and reference & processing archivist Gil Taylor;
  • The 60th anniversary of Japan’s bullet trains, with photos by Victor Hand;
  • News of exhibitions and events – we’ve already planned several Zoom topics for 2025!

Fall 2024: Railroads & Public Art, Portland’s Switchers, Big Boy, and more

The Fall 2024 issue of Railroad Heritage, our quarterly journal, focuses on the “Art” in the Center’s name. But that’s not all … highlights of this beautiful magazine include:

  • Railroads and Public Art: From Montana to Texas to New York, Justin Franz looks at creative public art installations that pay tribute to railroads, their people, and their history;
  • Portland’s Switchers – Railroads and the Art of Place: Kyle Weismann-Yee explores BNSF and Union Pacific urban switch jobs with fifteen years of photographing the back streets and forgotten sidings of Portland, Oregon;
  • Painting for a Cause: Elrond Lawrence interviews artist Jim Potterton of Santa Cruz, California, whose dynamic artwork celebrates railroads while helping efforts to save a former Southern Pacific line;
  • A special edition of “Out of the Archives” goes underground with Adrienne Evans and Inga Velten, who show us many of the MTA Arts & Design program installations across New York’s subway system and commuter lines;
  • Steaming West with the Big Boy: The Center followed UP 4014 across Nevada to California, hosting a special member event in Roseville; Elrond Lawrence takes you along for the fun.

Also: The Art of Trains exhibition in New York City, our fantastic “Conversations” conference in June, the arrival of the Kalmbach Art Collection, Center news, and more!

Summer 2024: Burlington steam, Amtrak’s color evolution, Cimarron gold & more

The Summer 2024 issue of Railroad Heritage–the Center’s quarterly magazine–began mailing to members’ mailboxes in early June. Inside you’ll enjoy:

  • Norman Carlson writes about the 1950s-1960s Burlington steam program, accompanied by spectacular John Gruber photographs;
  • The art of creating Amtrak’s new Phase VII livery, by Justin Franz, with a photographic look at the passenger railroad’s paint scheme evolution;
  • Cimarron Gold: Rick Malo explores railroads and the art of place on the Kansas prairies;
  • A pause to manage growth: Adrienne Evans writes about the Center’s review of its photography collection policies and how members can share their thoughts;
  • A preview of The Art of Trains, a New York City exhibition showcasing highlights from the extraordinary collection of Peter and Christine Mosse, running July 11-August 23 at Hirschl & Adler;
  • Meet Lisa Hardy, the Center’s new program administrator;
  • Event and exhibition news, reviews, and more.

Spring 2024: Women railroaders, Benson in New Mexico, Boyd tribute & more

The Spring 2024 issue features an all-star lineup of feature articles and photography, just in time to get you fired up for a summer road trip. Highlights include:

  • A photographic gallery that spotlights Shirley Burman’s forty-five year project to document women in railroading, which led to her book Sisters of the Iron Road;
  • Read about Jim Boyd, the legendary Railfan & Railroad magazine editor, and 50 years of his influential “Camera Bag” column in a lively story by Justin Franz;
  • Ted Benson, one of railroading’s finest photojournalists, searches for the “Soul of the Santa Fe” in a photo essay that explores northern New Mexico and reveals far more than surviving semaphore signals;
  • Adrienne Evans’ “Out of the Archives” column covers our recent digitizing work on Henry Posner III’s one-of-a-kind photography collection, which covers railroading in fifty-four countries;
  • Elrond Lawrence and Inga Velten interview Peter Hasler, who has pledged his unparalleled postcard collection (more than 30,000!) to the Center;
  • Our four-page honor roll thanking all of you who supported the Center in 2024.

Winter 2024: Fred Frailey interview, Maine steam, rail photography star, & more

Our newest issue of Railroad Heritage magazine features news and photography of the Center’s collections, upcoming events, interviews, and more. Inside you’ll find these highlights:

  • Rick Malo’s interview with rising rail photography star Isaiah Bradford, accompanied by a beautiful selection of his images, including BNSF and NS in Illinois;
  • Justin Franz interviews Fred Frailey: the veteran railroad journalist talks about writing for David P. Morgan, covering the Class Ones, and his first novel, Seldom Willing.
  • Railroaders and the art of place: Oren B. Helbok takes us to the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Maine (as seen on the cover);
  • Adrienne Evans’ column “Out of the Archives”: learn about the Center’s Print Acquisition Program, including an interview with Peter Mosse, CRP&A board member and co-chair of the collections & acquisitions committee;
  • Meet the poster artist for Caltrain’s new electric trainsets.