Railroad Heritage

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The Center’s journal, Railroad Heritage, debuted in 2000, and we currently publish two to three issues per year. Coverage spans a wide range of topics within railroad photography and art.

The Center’s journal, Railroad Heritage®, and other publications fill a unique niche: using photographs and art to inform the public and rail enthusiasts alike about the influence of railroads on economic growth and development, popular culture, and the lives of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who built and maintain North America’s railroads. Excellent images and highly researched and thoughtful writing characterize our publications.

No. 26, 2011, Railroad Preservation in a Nutshell

Railroad Heritage® 26—Railroad Preservation in a Nutshell—is the second in a series that began with issue no. 21. This installment presents an illustrated overview of railroads and preservation from 1828 to 2011, distilled into 44 entries and 57 illustrations, many in color. It shows how the field is vital to public awareness of the railroad and its impact, and that preservation is far more diverse than the obvious categories of locomotives, cars, and infrastructure. It also includes myriad intangibles like methods of constructions and repair, scheduling, labor issues, landscape issues, an incredible variety of work, and much, much more. The issue, which was supported by the North American Railway Foundation, concludes with a gallery of young photographers’ work on contemporary preservations topics.

No. 25, 2011, Axel Zwingenberger, James Valle, Conference

Railroad Heritage® 25 spotlights Axel Zwingenberger, a world-renouned boogie-woogie pianist from Hamburg, Germany, who also makes stunning night photographs of German steam locomotives. Zwingenberger headlines an impressive lineup at the upcoming “Conversations” conference, and the issue provides an overview of all the presentations and presenters. Other features include a look at author James Valle’s collaboration with photographer Jack Delano to produce The Iron Horse at War, and a sculpture by Rich Harney that was inspired by a photograph of railroad workers. The issue concludes with an honor roll of our 2010 donors, whose support make possible the Center and its work.

No. 24, 2010, Olive Dennis, Awards, Exhibitions

Railroad Heritage® 24 presents a seven-page, in-depth look at Olive Dennis, a notable civil engineer and designer for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from 1920 to 1954. Winners of the 2010 Creative Photography Awards Program appear in color and black-and-white, along with an overview of the program and a mini-profile of the winner, 22-year-old Brandon Robert Smith. A two-page interview with John H. White, Jr., transporation curator at the Smithsonian Institute from 1958 to 1990, discusses the importance of historic railroad photographs and how he goes about finding them. Additional stories highlight the record-breaking 2010 “Conversations” conference, our David Plowden exhibition and event, and the results of our recent members’ survey.

No. 23, 2010, Conversations, Otto Kuhler, David Plowden

Railroad Heritage® 23 features an eight-page profile of Ted Benson and Tom Tayor, California photographers who are among the presenters at the Center’s “Conversations about Photography” conference April 23-25. The issue has a wealth of information about railroad art and photography: industrial designer Otto Kuhler, with one of his watercolors in color on the cover and a story about his efforts to promote streamlined steam locomotives; a color center spread showing a rescued mural at the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen headquarters in Cleveland; David Plowden’s new book and a related exhibition; preservation story; and a list of the Center’s 2009 Donors, a way of saying thank you for gifts received during the year.

No. 22, 2009, Jack Delano and Chicago Union Station

Railroad Heritage® 22, the Center begins a series, “Faces of Railroading,?about Jack Delano and his portraits of people and railroads in preparation for an exhibition in Chicago. The Union Station workers identified in the issue were a railroad family, and when Delano photographed them in 1943 many of them had been working together in the impressive structure since it opened in 1925. The Center is taking a closer look at their lives to recognize them for their work and honor their descendants. Other highlights of the journal include color and black-and-white photos of the 2009 awards program, plus stories about the Center’s 2009 activities, the 2010 “Conversations about Photography?conference, and profiles of photographer Frank Barry and the designer of the Southern Pacific’s 1937 Daylight passenger train.

Another story about Union Station appears in Railroad Heritage No. 5, 2002 (out of print). It has color photos by Mel Patrick and a review of photography at the station. It is available for download here as a 336KB PDF file.

No. 21, 2009, North American Railroad History in a Nutshell

Railroad Heritage® 21 is a quick-and-easy illustrated guide called “North American Railroad History in a Nutshell.?It showcases 50 images, 22 in color, each accompanied by a description that explains its importance and how it relates to railroad history. The selection summarizes in 48 pages the growth and change in railroading from the 1850s to today. The illustrations were distilled from more than 1,300 entries on the Center’s Internet archive and web portal, railroadheritage.org, a project supported by the North American Railway Foundation, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As a bonus, the issue includes the story of Lewis W. Hine’s iconic photographic portrait of a locomotive engineer whom he called “monarch of the rail.?The image is placed in the historical contexts of its journalistic and commercial uses, and the engineer is identified as a Pennsylvania Railroad real-life figure.

No. 20, 2009, Walker Evans, American Communities, and the Railroad

Railroad Heritage® 20 features “Walker Evans, American Communities, and the Railroad?by Tony Reevy, an article based on his presentation at our 2008 conference. Reevy writes that “Evans (1903-75) was one of the most noted and original American photographers of the twentieth century, but has not yet received sufficient recognition for his works that focus on the American railroad.” The issue also has our 2008 photo award winners in color on the cover and center pages from the theme “sense of place.” Entrants to the 2008 award program responded with very high caliber images, resulting in a record number of awards. There’s also a photo-story about William Henry Jackson’s work for the Baltimore & Ohio exhibitions at two world’s fairs, and an announcement of a new inniative at railroadheritage.org.

No. 19, 2008, Ted Rose: The Artist’s Early Photography

Railroad Heritage® 19, “Ted Rose: The Artist’s Early Photography,?focuses on the photographic accomplishments of Rose (1940-2002), known mostly for his stunning watercolors but who also was an excellent photographer as a youth and young man. It features 40 photographs, 37 of them by Rose, and one painting, plus essays by Robert Ewing, director emeritus of the Fine Arts Museum of the Museum of New Mexico; Robert Ludwig, who often traveled with Rose to photograph the trains; and John Gruber, president of the Center. Between 1956 and 1962, Rose followed trains and rode the rails in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala. His black-and-white photographs taken during the journeys capture the last days of active steam railroading in America. Their quality also hints at an artistic impulse that was expressed in his painting.

No. 18, 2007, Railroading Journeys

Railroading Journeys, Railroad Heritage® 18, is a special retrospective issue devoted to the life and times of Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg whose books changed the way Americans think about–and look at–railroads and railroading. The 32-page issue has 59 photographs, 52 of them by Beebe or Clegg, some of them never before published. The issue considers their pictures afresh (each had a distinctive style), discusses some of the influences on their work, and defines their legacy. In their years of living in the West, beginning in 1950, Beebe and Clegg produced about thirty books, most of them devoted to railroading. A review in Railfan and Railroad (February 2008, page 56) calls attention to the introduction by Clegg’s sister, Ann Clegg Holloway. Railroad History No. 197 (Fall-Winter 2007) devoted page five to the retrospective, praising its “analysis of composition, framing, and tonal elements” of the photographs by Beebe and Clegg. The Center’s print publication, Railroad Heritage, now is complemented by an Internet archive, railroadheritage.org. You can see eight of the Beebe/Clegg photos at railroadheritage.org., with extensive text. You can obtain a copy of “Railroading Journeys” with an annual gift of at least $40, or buy individual copies for $14.95 (plus $4.50 per order for handling) on the Internet or by U.S. mail.

No. 17, 2007, Women in Railroading

Railroad Heritage® 17 is a special issue about women in railroading with Shirley Burman as guest editor.

  • Railroadheritage.org, 2
  • Looking Ahead, 2
  • Conversations about Photography, 3
  • Where Were the Women? / Shirley Burman, 4
  • Jobs for Women “Come with a Price” / Doug Riddell, 12
  • The Mean Old Nontraditional Blues / Linda Grant Niemann, 20

No. 16, 2006

Railroad Heritage® 16 looks at Glendive, Montana, a municipality where the freight trains still stop to change crews and the railroaders actively participate in the civic life of the town. This story–text by Jeff Brouws, photos by Joel Jensen–is about what many would deem an anachronism in 21st century America, the railroad town.

  • Railroad Work Exhibits on Display, 2
  • Looking Ahead, 2
  • Rose Program Moves West, 3
  • What is “Visual Culture and What Does It Have to Do With Railroads / George A. Talbot III and John O. Holzhueter, 4
  • Workers, Worldwide Win, 8
  • Ruminations on a Railroad Town: Glendive, Montana / Jeff Brouws and Joel Jensen, 12
  • Patents Show Diesel Development, 25
  • Milestones of American Dieselization, 26

No. 15, 2005

  • Railroad Work Exhibits Ready for Travel, 2
  • Looking Ahead, 2
  • Rose Memorial Program Gains Support, 3
  • Conference Moves to Marquette, 5
  • Awards Program Focuses on Work, 5
  • Ryan Wins Third Awards Program, 6
  • Beebe Promotes Railroad Imagery, 10
  • Evolution of Early Draft Gear Designs, 14

No. 14, Iron Icon: the Railroad in American Art, 2005

  • The Engine as Art: the Railroad as Cultural Icon, Betsy Fahlman, 4
  • The View from the Passenger Car Vestibule: Travelers Interact with the Passing Landscape, Carlos A. Schwantes, 10
  • The American Railroad Advertising Booklete, 1870-1950, Michael E. Zega, 20
  • Vision of the West: The Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Collection, Suzanne L. Burris, 26
  • Thomas Cole and the Railroad: Ungentle “Maledicitions,” Alan Wallach, 32
  • The Train in the Pastoral Landscape, Kenneth W. Maddox, 40
  • “And Picturesque It Everywhere”: The Baltimore & Ohio Artists Excursion of 1858, Leo G. Mazow, 48
  • The Most Picturesque and Wonderful Scenery: Illustrations from the Pacific Railroad Surveys, Ron C. Tyler, 56
  • An Electrifying View of Chicago: Interurban Railway Posters, John Gruber, 67

No. 13, Representations of Railroad Work, 2005

  • Representations: The First Year, 2
  • Introduction, 4
  • The Crafts, 7
  • Looking vs. Seeing, 20
  • It’s Still a World Apart, 26
  • Who is a Railroader?, 32

No. 12, 2004

  • Looking Ahead, 2
  • Amtrak: Basics and Posters, 2
  • Breck’s Calendars Show Railroad’s “Presence,” 4
  • Silver Legacy, 8
  • From Pure Delight to Downright Frustration, 10
  • Program Set for Third Conference, 12
  • Third Creative Photo Award, 13
  • Stein’s Passion, 14
  • The Great Train Robbery, 15

No. 11, 2004

  • www.railphoto-art.org gets new look, 2
  • Cashin Wins Creative Photography Award, 3
  • Silver Legacy, 3
  • Looking Ahead, 3
  • Facing the “Conversations” Audience, 4
  • Gallery: Black & White, 6
  • Contest Winners, 8
  • Schnitzmeyer and Montana, 10
  • Robbery at 100, 13
  • An Artistic Approach to Poster Art, 14

No. 10, 2004

  • Leo King Views Work, 2
  • Looking Ahead, 3
  • News of the Center, 4
  • Second “Conversations” Conference, 5
  • Creative, Almost Forgotten Photographers, 6
  • A Designer Looks at Railroad Vision, 9
  • Difficulties of Dating Images, 10

No. 9, 2003

  • A Phenomenal Journey, 2
  • Looking Ahead, 3
  • Second “Conversations” Conference, 5
  • Images of Work, 5
  • In Search of Great Photos, 5
  • Jackson’s Camera Turns East, 6
  • Posters Boost Interurban Travel, 11

No. 8, 2003

  • Representations of Railroad Work, 2
  • Center Searches for Images of Work, 4
  • Second “Conversations” Conference, 5
  • Iron Icons, 5
  • R&LHS Photography Award, 5
  • Jackson Heads West on C&NW Car, 6
  • KCS Pride Shows in Photos, 9

No. 7, 2003

  • More Conversations, 2
  • Plowden’s Retirement Portrait, 3
  • More about Missouri-Kansas-Texas agent R. H. Birkhead.
  • Michael Rosenthal Receives Center’s Award, 3
  • The Pullman Photographers, 4 / Don Horn. Photographs furnished the visual documentation to make Pullman a name heard around the world.
  • More Top Photographs, 8
  • The Man on the Trestle, 14 / John H. White Jr. Jacob Blickensderfer, who worked on the transcontinental railroad, was a talented field engineer.

No. 6, 2002

  • National Photography Award, 2
    The Center establishes a $1,000 prize for innovative visual ways of showing railroads.
  • Don Wood Wins R&LHS Award, 2
    “We are all richer for his contributions,” citation says.
  • Conversations with Photographers, 3
    Conference Scheduled Saturday, February 22, at Lake Forest, Illinois
  • Dozens Show Pacific Railroad, 4 / John Gruber
    A glimpse at 19th century photography, including bibliography.
  • Bern Hill: The Master of “Feeling,” 8 / Greg Palumbo
    Artist’s paintings featured in Electro-Motive Division advertising.
  • Renaissance in Poster Art, 11
    Travel by Train reawakens interest in long forgotten images.
  • The Railroads and Digital Photography, 12 / Richard Jay Solomon
    Digital electronics brings a “wider palette” for railfan photographers.

No. 5, 2002 (out of print)

  • A Preservation Discipline, 2. The rest of the world is “discovering” the power of railroad images.
  • Santa Fe Photos Launch Project, 3. A gift from a retired photographer is the start of an effort to interpret company photography.
  • Interurban Photos Show Style, 4. For an industry active for such a short period of time, the record is impressive.
  • Chicago Union Station, 8 / Color photos by Mel Patrick. A review of photography at the station, to be redeveoped by Amtrak.
  • Seeing the Metropolitan Corridor, 12 / Erik Ledbetter. John Stilgoe talks about changes since his “revolutionary” book two decades ago.
  • Diet Was Forever Changed, 15 / John W. White Jr. A rare refrigerator car photo from a Wisconsin archive.

No. 4, 2001

  • The Diesel Commemoration, 2
    The first diesel-electric locomotive was built in 1905 for the Southern Pacific.
  • Link and Model Builder, 3
    Lionel’s magazine published photos by O. Winston Link on at least four covers.
  • Planning Begins for Link Museum, 4
    Roanoke groups reach agreement with trustees of his estate for museum.
  • Animas Canyon, a Photographic Landmark, 5
    William Henry Jackson’s famous images appears in Harper’s Weekly in 1886.
  • Ted Rose Sees Industrial Landscape, 8
    Many of his watercolors include railroads and railroad workers.
  • Hine’s Depiction of Railroaders, 12
    Pennsylvania Railroad people introduce “Men at Work” series in 1920.

No. 3, 2001 (out of print)

  • The Visual Record, 2
  • Stitt’s B&O Legacy Continues, 3
    Artist’s magazine covers show railroad’s historic events.
  • Ganaway Captures Train’s Spirit, 4
    20th Century Limited photo wins Wanamaker prize in 1921.
  • “Photo by Rittase,” 6
    Philadelphia pictorial photographer finds dramatic railroad scenes.
  • Nickel Plate Road by Bob Lorenz, 10
    Paintings shows a scene in the west Bellevue yard.
  • Patten’s Distinctive Designs, 12
    General Electric industrial designer styles PA/FA locomotives.
  • Two PAs Return for Restoration, 15
    Former Santa Fe units are in Albany, Oregon.
  • Bubley Builds Photo Archive, 16
    Second in a series about Roy Stryker’s Standard Oil Project
  • Diary of a Wartime Boxcar, 18
    Magazine ad tells about Pennsylvania’s 59944.

No. 2, 2000

  • Why an Archive? 2
  • Barriger’s Unique Visual Record, 3
    John W. Barriger III emphasized the interaction of the railroad and the landscape.
  • Gallagher Wins R&LHS Photo Award, 5
    His remarkable black and white views have made a lasting impression on the railroad scene.
  • Starlight’s Images Shine, 6
    New book shows night photography in all its splendor.
  • Bennett Builds Railroad’s Image, 9
    Wisconsin Dells photographer boosts train travel in the 1880s.
  • Miner’s Railroad Art Collection, by Don Arends, 12
    Manufacturer’s calendars feature 36 Howard Fogg paintings.
  • Roy Emerson Stryker and the Elusive, by Robert Doherty, 16
    His hidden agenda: a “sweeping record” of the American earth and culture
  • Libsohn Views Southern Changes, 18
    Standard Oil photographer records steam/diesel transition in 1947.
  • Bonds to Past, Hidden from View, by William Watt, 21
    The best of the corporate securities are now consider works of art.

No. 1, 2000 (out of print)

  • Photo Archives in the Donnelley Railroad Collection, by Arthur H. Miller, Archivist, Lake Forest College, 3-5. Information about the library’s Munson Paddock and Arthur Dubin Collections.
  • Memorable Rail Photographs of the 20th Century, 6-11. The Center lists 20 creative railroad photographers, with images from 10 of them.
  • Inventor of the Limited Booklet, by Michael Zega, 12-13. The Pennsylvania Railroad’s pamphlet advertising the Pennsylvania Limited “has seldom been equaled.”
  • Storm Limits Exposure, 14-15. Torkel Korling tells how me made a photograph of eight Chicago & North Western locomotives in 1930.
  • Diesel Styles & Styling, by Greg Palumbo and John Gruber, 16-19. Electro-Motive’s design and styling came from the same Detroit staff that styled automobiles.
  • Profile: Artist Gil Reid, 20-23. Reid’s proud record covers 60 years of artistic accomplishment.
  • Sweet Memories, 24. Reid’s painting, in color, of the New Haven for railroader Chris Burger.