Join us for a previously unseen tour of Fred M. Springer’s early black-and-white railroad photography across the United States in the Center’s first member-exclusive program of 2024, hosted by executive director Scott Lothes.
“Inside the Fred Springer Collection” explores one of the first big photography collections that the Center took on, arriving in 2012. We’ve shared many of his color photographs widely, and in this presentation we’ll provide our members with a look into his black-and-white work, much of which has never been shown before.
Center members can email info@railphoto-art.org to request a private link of the program. It originally aired on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at 7:00 pm Central Time. If you’re not a member, join today! Become a member here.
Fred Springer (1928–2012) began photographing railroads in the 1940s. His work is especially strong in Texas (where he spent much of his life) and throughout the South and the Southwest, as well as the Northeast. While his later color work includes considerable international coverage, this presentation focuses on his earlier black-and-white photography, including steam, short lines, and narrow-gauge operations in the U.S., along with a few images from his numerous trips to Mexico.
Beyond the trains themselves, Springer also had a deep interest in infrastructure and the railroad landscape, and some of those photographs are included too. Lothes also shares how the Springer Collection—and Fred’s great generosity—served as an early catalyst in the Center’s growth.
