Shooting the Diesel That Did it, presented by Kevin Keefe

Tuesday, October 25, 2022
7:00 p.m. (U.S. Central Time), on Zoom

The debut of Electro-Motive Division’s FT freight locomotive in 1939 and 1940 was a watershed for the railroad industry – the steam locomotive was on its way out. The FT’s first public appearances gave both EMD and the Santa Fe Railway a chance to show off their promotional muscle, and photographs would tell the tale. In a presentation inspired by Wallace W. Abbey’s upcoming Indiana University Press book “The Diesel That Did It,” we’ll look back on that moment when photographers recorded the start of a revolution. Presented by Kevin P. Keefe, co-editor of Abbey’s book along with Martha Abbey Miller.

Kevin Keefe is the retired vice-president-editorial for Kalmbach Publishing Co. and is a board member of the CRP&A. He served as editor of Trains from 1992 to 2000. As a student at Michigan State, he worked on Pere Marquette steam locomotive no. 1225, and he later authored a book about it.

This event is free.

During its 1941 debut run, Santa Fe FT 100 poses at Topeka with historic 2-8-0 No. 2414. Credit: Santa Fe Railway, Kalmbach Media Library.

David P. Morgan’s Milwaukee, presented by Kevin P. Keefe

Tuesday, December 7, 2021
7:00 p.m. (U.S. Central Time), on Zoom
Registration closes on Monday, December 6 at 4:30 p.m. (CDT)

Now Available on YouTube

In a program centered around the late 1940s through the early 1960s, we take a tour of the Milwaukee area as famed Trains Magazine Editor David P. Morgan might have experienced it, from the early days of his career as a junior staff member to his prime years as editor-in-chief. We’ll start at Morgan’s place of employment — the celebrated Kalmbach building at 1027 N. Seventh Street — and work our way around town, witnessing freight and passenger action on the Milwaukee Road, the North Shore Line, the Chicago & North Western, as well as some operations of the Milwaukee Electric.

The presentation will include images from a number of iconic Milwaukee photographers of the era, including Wallace W. Abbey, Jim Scribbins, and W.A. Akin, Jr., as well as some often bittersweet before-and-after comparisons. It’s easy to see why Morgan, a Southerner by birth, fell in love with the city where he spent most of his life.

Kevin Keefe recently retired as vice-president-editorial for Kalmbach Publishing Co. and is a board member of the CRP&A. He served as editor of Trains from 1992 to 2000. As a student at Michigan State, he worked on Pere Marquette steam locomotive no. 1225, and he later authored a book about it.

This event is free.

One of Milwaukee Road’s Fairbanks-Morse switchers works the Beer Line branch beneath the Holton Street bridge. Wallace W. Abbey, The Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Abbey-01-148-10.

The Railroad and the Art of Place: An Anthology, panel discussion

Wednesday, September 15, 2021
7:00 p.m. (U.S. Central Time), on Zoom
Registration closes on Tuesday, September 14 at 4:30 p.m. (CDT)

Now Available on YouTube

The Center for Railroad Photography and Art’s upcoming publication, The Railroad and the Art of Place: An Anthology, was made possible by the collaborative efforts of a team of thirty contemporary and historical photographers, whose works are displayed across eighteen portfolios that visually contemplate the visible and philosophical imprint of the railroad on the American landscape.

Join Alexander Benjamin Craghead, Jeff Brouws, Edd Fuller, David Kahler, and Kevin Keefe in a discussion on the original philosophy behind the publication, an overview of the project, and the decisions that went into the aesthetics of the book.

Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a curator, photographer, essayist, and historian who writes about the intersection of technology, representation, and landscape. His publications include Railway Palaces of Portland, Oregon, as well as articles in magazines such as Boom! A Journal of California, California History, Railroad Heritage, The Smart Set, and Trains, and a regular column in Railfan & Railroad magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in Architecture, and is faculty at the American Studies program at UC Berkeley.

Jeff Brouws is a board member of the CRP&A and brings knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century photography and a broad background in publishing, with seven photography books to his credit. His photographs can be found in numerous public and private collections.

Edd Fuller remembers visiting his grandparents near Roanoke, Virginia and seeing the remaining Norfolk & Western steam power hauling coal along the James River. That experience fostered a love of the railroad, and the landscape surrounding it. Edd lives with his wife in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and edits The Trackside Photographer, a website focused on the places, the people, and the stories that define the railroad landscape.

David Kahler, FAIA, received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University and a Masters of Arts degree in Architecture from Princeton University. He had a private architectural practice based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for thirty-six years and was president of the Milwaukee Art Museum from 1974-76. He currently serves as a board member for CRP&A, and authored the publication The Railroad and the Art of Place.

Kevin Keefe is recently retired as vice-president-editorial for Kalmbach Publishing Co. and board member of the CRP&A. He served as editor of Trains from 1992 to 2000. As a student at Michigan State, he worked on Pere Marquette steam locomotive no. 1225, and he later authored a book about it.

Watch for an email on the evening of September 14th, which will include a Zoom link and log in information to all registrants.

This event is free.

Kevin Scanlon, Gautier Steel, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 2008

Edd Fuller, abandoned freight depot, Strasburg, Virginia, 2019