Join us for an online program featuring the color photography of Dick Neumiller in central Illinois. Bon French, chairman of the Center’s board of directors, will present some of the finest railroad images from Neumiller’s collection—beginning with Peoria railroading during the 1950s and 1960s, followed by Chicago, Burlington & Quincy trains during the same era. You’ll also thrill to terrific CB&Q images along the Mississippi River and several in St. Louis and Denver. Bon and Dick were longtime friends and traveling partners; these crisp images have never been published, and rarely seen until recent years.
Born in Peoria, Illinois in 1931, C. Richard (“Dick”) Neumiller was a lifelong resident until his passing in 2015 at age 83. Dick loved color photography and began shooting Kodachrome slides in 1950. He had excellent equipment including Leicas and other fine cameras and lenses. He belonged to the Peoria Camera Club and often won awards for his work, which included many subjects beyond trains. Unlike some fans, his excitement for rail photography increased as the steam engine faded, since diesel locomotives and post-WWII streamliners wore brilliant new color schemes. He attempted to photograph every streamlined train in America, from lesser-known railroads to the “big names.”
Bon is the keeper of Dick’s rail slide collection which contains 82,400 Kodachrome images covering 800 railroads, mainly in the U.S. and Canada – all meticulously labeled and organized.
Click to view this program at the Center’s YouTube page.
This program originally aired on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 7 pm Central Time. Enjoy an evening of amazing mid-century rail photography!
