Zoom program: Chip and Leslie Savoye’s 50-year love for trains

Join the Center on Tuesday, February 25, for “I Love Trains: Our Journey Over 50 Years,” an evening webinar with Chip and Leslie Savoye, accomplished railroaders and photographers, as they share their lifelong love of trains and their wonderful photography.

Leslie holds groundbreaking achievements in the railroad industry: she was the first female locomotive engineer for the Chicago and North Western (C&NW) and later became the first female road foreman for Amtrak. Over her distinguished career, Leslie worked for nine different railroads. Chip began as a locomotive engineer for Penn Central and Conrail, and advanced through various leadership roles including road foreman, trainmaster, superintendent, director, and vice president of operations. Today they are principles at Iron Horse Consulting, LLC, where they provide professional transportation services to the railroad industry.

Register here

Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 7:00 pm Central Time (8 pm Eastern, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific)

Chip and Leslie are also breeders of dual champion wirehair Dachshunds (both in the field and ring). They love travel, sports, tennis, biking, and of course railroad photography. Viewers will be given a front row seat to Chip & Leslie’s favorite images from their adventures together. You don’t want to miss this presentation!

This free program will be recorded and posted on the Center’s YouTube page at @railphotoart

Pictured: Images by Chip and Leslie Savoye from their presentation.

Zoom program: The Creation of Railfan Atlas

Join us Tuesday evening, January 14, for an engaging webinar with Nick Benson, railroad photographer, web developer, and aircraft enthusiast, who delves into the history and development of Railfan Atlas — the popular website that has become a resource for all railroad fans. Learn about the inspiration behind its creation and its evolution over time.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 7:00 pm Central Time (8 pm Eastern, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific)

Thanks to the huge crowd who attended! This program will be posted soon to the Center’s YouTube page at @railphotoart.

Nick first attended a CRP&A conference in 2010 and made connections with people and concepts that have shaped his photography ever since. His work has been published in many railroad magazines and promotional materials. With a background in web development, he has now become a self-proclaimed aviation geek and his JetTip service helps enthusiasts to see unusual aircraft.

Photos by Nick Benson

Member-exclusive program: CRP&A Collections Update

Join us Tuesday, December 17, for this members-only presentation! Executive director Scott Lothes will provide an update on the changes we’re making to the Center’s photography collections policy, which will shape future accessions. He’ll share results and takeaways from the recent members survey about our collections work, as well as next steps for 2025.

And of course, we’ll illustrate the program with favorite images from several collections, as well as a few newly processed images.

Registration is CLOSED. If you’re a Center member, email info(a)railphoto-art.org to receive a recorded copy of the presentation later this month.

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

7:00 PM (U.S. Central Time), on Zoom; 5 pm PT / 6 pm MT / 8 pm ET

If you’re not a member, please join today to support our preservation work and receive our quarterly magazine Railroad Heritage, plus access to our members-only Zoom programs.

Western Maryland F7 64 leads an eastbound at Helmstetter’s Curve in Cumberland, Md., on March 23, 1975. Photo by John F. Bjorklund, Bjorklund-92-07-04.

Pennsylvania Railroad 4-6-2 5497 leads an eastbound out of Chicago at 21st Street Tower in October 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, Abbey-01-130-05.

Zoom program: Catching up with emerging rail photographers

Join us Tuesday evening, November 12 for “Rails of Inspiration: Past Scholarship Winners and their Railroad Photographer Heroes.” In this Zoom program, you’ll meet three talented young photographers – Eric Hudson, Samuel Phillips, and John Riley – who offer fresh perspectives on railroad photography. All received scholarships several years ago to attend the Center’s annual “Conversations” conference and showcase their work.

This program was recorded and will be posted soon to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@railphotoart

We’re excited to catch up with them on Tuesday, November 12, at 7:00 pm Central Time (8 pm Eastern, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific). Eric, Sam, and John will present their railroad photography from recent years, talk about their heroes, share how the conference inspired them and their hopes for the future. Join our free program at the link below and expect a night of exciting contemporary photography!

Tuesday, November 12, at 7:00 pm Central Time (8 pm Eastern, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific)

Photos (top to bottom): Norfolk Southern’s Virginian heritage unit at Fostoria, OH, by Eric Hudson; CSX in Clinchco, Virginia, by Samuel Phillips; Reading & Northern 2102 at Peacock’s Lock Viaduct outside Reading, PA, by John Riley.

Zoom event: Burlington’s Spectacular Steam Program

Join Norman Carlson and Scott Lothes for a look at the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy’s mid-century steam excursions and a preview of the Center’s upcoming book, Burlington’s Spectacular Steam Program, featuring the photography of John Gruber.

Carlson, railroad historian and CRP&A board member, and Lothes, CRP&A executive director, will host the public Zoom program on Monday, October 7, at 7:00 pm Central Time (8 pm Eastern, 6 pm Mountain, and 5 pm Pacific). The softcover book, scheduled for a November 1 release, is authored by Carlson and Justin Franz, rail journalist and CRP&A board member, with design and editing by Lothes.

View the program now on YouTube.

For steam programs in the 1950s and 1960s, no railroad could compare to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. Lovingly known as the “Q,” the road operated an incredible number of steam-powered fan trips after the rise of diesel locomotives. From July 3, 1955, to July 17, 1966, the Q ran more than 260 steam-powered excursion trains! Heavyweight coaches, stainless steel Vista Dome cars from the California Zephyr pool, suburban bi-level cars, open gondolas, and more could be found on the wildly popular trains.

Among the numerous steam locomotives called upon to power the excursions, CB&Q’s Northern 4-8-4 5632 and Mikado 2-8-2 4960 became beloved celebrities. For many young people, a Q fan trip was their first experience of seeing a steam locomotive in action or riding behind one of them, and it was an eye-opening experience … and also for everyday Americans, who gazed in wonder.

John Gruber, the Center’s principal founder and one of railroading’s great journalists, was there to capture the story on film. Where most fans focused on images that recreated classic steam scenes, Gruber photographed the steam runs as modern cultural events, making the people as much the story as the trains. Join us for a night of spectacular railroad photography and a trip back in time!

Hudson locomotive 3003 performs a photo runby at Barstow, Illinois, during an Illini Railroad Club trip on September 1, 1957. Photo by John Gruber, Gruber-01-71-010.

A boxcar sitting on a siding in Rochelle, Illinois, offered a prime vantage point for photographers of 4960’s trip from Chicago to Rockford, Illinois, for the Illini Railroad Club on August 20, 1961. Photograph by John Gruber, Gruber-03-034-032.