Tag Archives: railroad

Zoom program: Railroad promotional filmmaking with Nick Ozorak

Save the date to join us Tuesday, June 17, 2025, for Nick Ozorak’s presentation, “The Art of Railroad Promotional Filmmaking,” a free public Zoom program. NOTE: The program will soon be posted on the Center’s YouTube page.

As with other forms of railroad advertising media, filmmaking is its own art. Nick Ozorak has been creating videos for nearly 20 years. His projects include creating the relaunch trailer for the East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania, developing a business showcase for the Iowa Interstate Railroad, and promoting various track rehabilitation programs. He has documented parts of railroading that often go overlooked, such as maintenance of way crews and machinery, and obscure short lines in remote locations. Nick will share samples of his work and discuss his approach to visual storytelling as a means of helping railroads establish their narrative and accomplish their goals.

Tuesday, June 17, at 7:00 P.M. (U.S. Central Time); 8 pm Eastern / 6 pm Mountain / 5 pm Pacific

This program has already taken place.

Pictured (from top):

Two eastbound Iowa Interstate trains await their turn on the main line at South Amana, IA on September 10, 2021. The railroad constructed a yard and locomotive facility at this location for servicing its fleet of GEVO locomotives. Note the Rock Island heritage unit on the left train.

A conductor walks to line the switches for a Panhandle Northern Railway freight train at Panhandle, TX on October 13, 2021. The PNR hauls commodities for gasoline, fertilizer, and carbon industries in Borger, Texas, and interchanges with BNSF in Panhandle. 

A scene from the video “trailer” announcing the East Broad Top’s Foundation launch and the rebirth of the historic steam railroad. See the video here.

Burlington’s Spectacular Steam Program

Now shipping!

In the 1950s and 1960s, no railroad could top the steam program of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. The “Q”—as its many admirers affectionately knew it—operated more than 260 steam trips that carried more than 100,000 riders and left impressions on countless more trackside admirers. With well-honed photojournalistic sensibilities, John E. Gruber covered at least twenty-seven of these trips, portraying them as the events they were while capturing the power of their locomotives, the pride of their railroaders, and the wonder they inspired.

This softcover book presents nearly 100 of Gruber’s best black-and-white Burlington steam photographs, drawing from the 3,000 negatives he exposed while riding and chasing them. The lead essay by Norm Carlson draws on his first-hand experience with Burlington steam trips and his wide network of fellow enthusiasts who shared their memories. Additional text by Justin Franz provides background about the two principal locomotives, 4960 and 5632, and the poignant last run from Chicago to Denrock, Illinois, on July 17, 1966. Scott Lothes served as editor, selecting the photographs and writing captions.

  • $30 plus $5 for domestic shipping
  • Softcover, 8.5×11 inches, 80 pages, 98 photographs and two essays
  • International shipping is available; please inquire by email at info [at] railphoto-art.org

See a YouTube preview of the book with Scott Lothes and Norm Carlson.

Cover photo: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy locomotive 5632 draws a crowd of admirers in West Burlington, Iowa, during a trip sponsored by the Illini Railroad Club on September 29, 1963. Photograph by John E. Gruber