“A Spike in Time” with Andrea Capiola March 5

March is around the corner and we’re turning our attention to the Pacific Northwest; besides traveling to Winterail, our next online program on March 5th will spotlight Andrea Capiola, a Washington state photographer who created A Spike in Time – a project that documents, educates, and promotes the preservation of railway history. Andrea will share her photography in a free Zoom program on Tuesday, March 5, at 7:00 pm Central Time (5:00 pm Pacific Time, 6:00 pm Mountain, and 8:00 pm Eastern).

This free event was recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube page, www.youtube.com/railphotoart

For more than a decade, Andrea has traveled the roads of the Pacific Northwest capturing images of everyday railroad operations: freight trains, passenger service, and the men and women who maintain the busy rail lines. “A Spike In Time” is her examination of today’s railroads in Washington state and the evolution of railroad practices and equipment over the last 150 years.

When Andrea began photographing trains, it ignited a passion and love for the railroad. Despite living on an island, she would drive an hour almost daily to take pictures of various trains, landscapes, structures, and workers. She began posting her pictures on social media and received tremendous response, as well as motivation to do something more. Coming from an academic background and earning three Masters degrees in Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Toxicology, and Teaching, she knew she wanted to share her photography with the world as both an artist and teacher. Join us for a great evening of rail photography with Andrea!

BNSF Railway 4097 starts its climb west over Stevens Pass at Leavenworth, WA, on July 22, 2018, with fuselages destined for the Boeing plant in Renton. Photograph by Andrea Capiola.

Tacoma Rail yard framed by Mt. Rainier, on November 11, 2017. Photograph by Andrea Capiola.

Member Exclusive: Inside the Fred Springer Collection

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” will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, February 20, at 7:00 pm Central Time (8 pm Eastern, 6 pm Mountain, 5 pm Pacific).

Center members who registered will soon receive an email with the program link.

One of the first big photography collections that the Center took on was the work of Springer, which arrived 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.

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 will focus 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 will be included, too.

Lothes will also look at how the Springer Collection—and Fred’s great generosity—served as an early catalyst in the Center’s growth. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 20, at 7 pm Central Time and plan to join us. We will also record the program and make it available upon request for later viewing.

If you’re not a member, join today! You’ll get access to this program, and all of our previous member exclusives.

Become a member here.

Angelina & Neches River train no. 101 with Alco S4s 11 and 12 passes Angelina County Lumber Company 2-8-2 110 in Herty, Texas, on September 24, 1963. Photo by Fred Springer, Center for Railroad Photography Collection, Springer-01-127.

Central Railroad of New Jersey RS3s ease past the railroad’s enormous coaling tower in Jersey City, NJ, in September 1970. Photo by Fred Springer, Center for Railroad Photography & Art Collection, Springer-02-146-J.

Winter 2024: Fred Frailey interview, Maine steam, rail photography star, & more

Our newest issue of Railroad Heritage magazine features news and photography of the Center’s collections, upcoming events, interviews, and more. Inside you’ll find these highlights:

Rick Malo’s interview with rising rail photography star Isaiah Bradford, accompanied by a beautiful selection of his images, including BNSF and NS in Illinois;
Justin Franz interviews Fred Frailey: the veteran railroad journalist talks about writing for David P. Morgan, covering the Class Ones, and his first novel, Seldom Willing.
Railroaders and the art of place: Oren B. Helbok takes us to the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Maine (as seen on the cover);
Adrienne Evans’ column “Out of the Archives”: learn about the Center’s Print Acquisition Program, including an interview with Peter Mosse, CRP&A board member and co-chair of the collections & acquisitions committee;
Meet the poster artist for Caltrain’s new electric trainsets.

Fall 2023: Iconic railroad portraits, Gruber gallery, San Joaquin Valley, and more

The Fall issue of Railroad Heritage, our quarterly magazine for members, is highlighted by great feature articles, news, exhibition and collection updates, and more. Our top stories include:

An interview with artist Santiago Michalek, who paints striking portraits of “well used” iconic locomotives;
Adrienne Evans’ tips and tricks for using Odyssey, our online collection archive that debuted in June;
A gallery of classic John Gruber photos showcases the West Rail Corridor of Madison, Wis.;
See the winning images of the John Gruber Creative Photography Awards (plus images liked by the judges);
Tom Taylor’s photographic essay covers five decades of railfanning in California’s San Joaquin Valley;
Betsy Fahlman’s profile of the haunting 1977 lithograph “Subway Tunnel” by August Mosca;
Inga Velten’s interview of Sharon Hill, retired CRP&A bookkeeper, about her ongoing support of the Center and train adventures.

All-star photographers to headline Rio Grande narrow gauge book

We’re thrilled to announce the Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s next hardcover book, Rio Grande Steam Finale, to be released October 1, 2023.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many of the nation’s greatest railroad photographers journeyed to southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico to document the final years of the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s spectacular narrow-gauge railway. They were driven by a fever for which there was no cure: the chance to photograph half-century-old trains operating on rails spaced three feet apart, the last remnants of an empire.

Drawing from thousands of images of the Rio Grande narrow gauge in the Center’s archive, this book gathers the finest work on this rich subject by Tom Gildersleeve, John Gruber, Victor Hand, Don Hofsommer, Jim Shaughnessy, Fred Springer, Richard Steinheimer, and Karl Zimmermann. Inside Rio Grande Steam Finale you’ll find a stunning gallery of black & white and color images, lavishly presented and many published for the first time, covering the narrow gauge from Alamosa to Chama, Durango, Farmington, and Silverton.

The trains are captured in furious action, climbing steep mountain grades, crossing high trestles, winding beside rivers, and traveling vast flatlands. Thundering steam locomotives billow plumes of smoke, some doubled together at the head end and some assisted by rear helpers placed ahead of timeworn cabooses; they’re seen from trackside, from hilltops, from pacing cars, and from inside the cab. Exquisite scenes at day, night, and dusk capture the railroad people, engine houses, rolling stock, lineside structures, and magnificent scenery that shaped the Rio Grande’s legendary narrow gauge system.

Engaging essays by Hofsommer and Zimmermann, both of whom experienced the narrow gauge first-hand in the 1960s, provide context and personal insights. Extensive captions add context to the stories of the photographs, which trace the pattern of typical train operations of the era. The book concludes with a chapter of color images of today’s Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Edited by Scott Lothes and Elrond Lawrence, the 10×10 book includes a map by David Styffe and nearly 200 outstanding photographs. The book will sell for $60. Pre-order information will be announced in August on our website and on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

Cover photo: Denver & Rio Grande Western locomotives 497 and 487 hammer up the four percent grade to Cumbres, Colorado, under a dramatic sky at Windy Point on October 3, 1967. Photograph by Victor Hand