Zoom program: Stories of the Kalmbach Art Collection with Kevin Keefe

Kevin Keefe, former Trains magazine editor and vice president-editorial for Kalmbach, speaks at the May 16 reception for “The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery.” The image beside him is Only Yesterday by Ted Rose, picturing a young Trains editor David P. Morgan. 
Integral Train, by John Swatsley, Acrylic on board, c. 1965, published on the cover of Trains, March 1965. The bold notion of the “integral train”—as proposed by John Kneiling, an engineer with the Theodore J. Kauffeld consulting firm—needed an equally bold cover for the March 1965 Trains. Kalmbach artist John Swatsley rendered a futuristic and moody impression with deep blues, purples, and reds. Those colors were lost in the era’s standard cover treatment; this issue appeared near the middle of a nine-year span when the Trains budget could afford only black-and-white imagery with a red accent on its covers.
The Mohawk that Refused to Abdicate, by Larry Luser, Ink on paper, c. 1975, published on cover of book, The Mohawk that Refused to Abdicate and Other Tales, 1975. While railroad book covers of the time typically used color paintings, Luser felt that only a monochromatic cover would do for a work featuring so much outstanding black-and-white photography. He based his pen-and-ink drawing on a Phil Hastings photograph from the titular tale: New York Central 4-8-2 No. 3005 bearing down on Shelby, Ohio, “with all the implications of destiny of the Book of Revelations.”

For over 90 years, Kalmbach Publishing Co.—and its successor Kalmbach Media—presided over a remarkable collection of original railroad art, featuring some of the most famous artists in the field, such as Gil Reid, Ted Rose, and Howard Fogg. Now this priceless collection has found its permanent home with the Center for Railroad Photography & Art.

Join Center board member and former Trains editor Kevin P. Keefe for a program that showcases a selection of these works, sharing their fascinating backstories. It’s an expanded version of his May 16, 2025 gallery talk, presented during the opening reception of the Center’s current exhibition at the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Grohmann Museum, which continues through August 18. Don’t miss an evening of celebrating railroad art at its finest! 

This presentation originally aired on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 7:00 pm Central Time (8pm Eastern, 6pm Mountain, and 5pm Pacific).

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