June 23 through August 26, 2012. Ford Center for the Fine Arts at Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. The exhibition features thirty-four black-and-white prints of photographs made by John W. Barriger III (1899-1976), whose deep love for railroading led him to create one of the most far-reaching photographic surveys of the nation’s railroads ever undertaken. Most of the photographs in the exhibition focus on the 1930s, when Barriger led the railroad division of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, a federal agency that oversaw loans to railroads during the Great Depression. After World War II, Barriger served four different railroads as president, continuing to photograph while advocating for “super-railroads.” For his myriad contributions to the industry, the National Railroad Hall of Fame in Galesburg, Illinois, inducted Barriger into its pantheon of leaders on June 23, 2012. The Center, the Hall, and the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library in St. Louis worked together to present this exhibition.
American Railroad China: The J.W. Christopher Railroad China Collection
June 29, 2012, through March 3, 2013. National Railroad Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Exhibition from one of the world’s most extensive and exclusive collections of vintage railroad dining car china. Collector Jay Christopher grew up riding trains from his home in Chicago to visit relatives in Wisconsin and elsewhere, and his fond memories of the dining cars from the those trains sparked his interest in collecting china from railroads throughout the country. “It got a little out of hand,” he said with a laugh at the exhibition’s opening breakfast on June 28. The National Railroad Museum is showcasing some 600 of the approximately 6,000 pieces in Christopher’s collection. In addition to full place settings and serving dishes from dozens of railroads, highlights include such rarities as an 1880s plate from one of Fred Harvey’s restaurants, and a plate used on the “Delmonico,” the first railroad dining car, which operated on the Chicago & Alton. There are also menus, uniforms, linens, special children’s pieces, and more. Visit the National Railroad Museum’s website for more information.
Union Pacific’s 150th Anniversary
Multiple exhibitions in Omaha, Nebraska, and throughout the country in honor of Union Pacific’s 150th Anniversary. On May 11, a new exhibition opens at the Union Pacific Museum in Omaha. Photographs by A.J. Russell will be on display June 30 through September 16, 2012, at Joslyn Museum of Art, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha.
2012 Conference Took Attendees Home and Around the World
Fred Springer Dies
One of America’s leading rail enthusiasts and philanthropists, Fred Springer, died in Santa Fe on April 18 at the age of 83 after a long illness. His family notified friends with an email whose subject line reads “The last train has departed.” The announcement included “words of John Wesley that Fred lived by (and lived up to, though he never thought so himself), ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can!'” The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society recently awarded Springer its 2011 senior achievement award, and a few months ago Springer and his wife, Dale, gave the Center his 87,500 railroad photographs along with a substantial sum to ensure they will be properly processed, housed, and described in a publicly accessible database. The images will be available for research at Lake Forest College’s Donnelley and Lee Library in the archives and special collections. Springer’s photographs range from the 1940s to a few years ago. See our feature on Trains Magazine’s website.