Previews
Previews from the pages of the all new Railroads Illustrated Annual! Get inspired by 100 pages of creative railroad photography from yesterday and today.
July 8, 2019
Railroads Illustrated Annual 2019 Preview
You’ll want to add this edition to your railroad library as this year’s annual commemorates the historic first run of restored Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4014.
February 5, 2018
Single Track Memories on BN’s Crawford Hill
In February 1981, Burlington Northern embarked on a massive re-engineering project to eliminate tight curvatures, add a second main line track, and daylight the only tunnel in Nebraska. In 1978, I was fortunate to experience Crawford Hill before the massive engineering project.
December 8, 2017
Railfanning in the Shadow of the Pennsy
Born and raised in the railroading town of Altoona, Pennsylvania, I have always been exposed to trains in some way. It’s hard to escape the influence of the old Pennsylvania Railroad, even 50 years after the last Tuscan Red trains rolled into the history books.
December 4, 2017
Alcos of Olean
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the former Erie Railroad mainline between Hornell and Meadville is alive once again. Founded in 2001, the new Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad operates a colorful fleet of four- and six-axle Alco locomotives from its headquarters in Olean, N.Y.
November 29, 2017
Triumphant Return to Tehachapi
Shared by Union Pacific and BNSF Railway, California’s Tehachapi Loop still holds fascination for generations of railroad photographers. Steve Jessup returns to his home turf to explore the famous mountain crossing.
February 17, 2017
Of Late, I Think of Loyall
The hospitality that we received that cold, dreary February day in 1991 set the stage for a long love affair with Loyall and a long relationship with many of the men who worked there.
December 9, 2016
Stockton’s Street Runners
Much of Stockton’s local flavor is attributed to the short lines. Their routes, laid out more than a century ago, slice and dice their way through neighborhoods, using alleyways, private rights-of-way, city roads, and residential streets to reach their destinations.
November 17, 2016
Growing Up in Coal Country
My earliest railfan memories are of seeing endless coal trains rolling over former Norfolk & Western and Virginian trackage. Growing up, I spent most of my time close to home along Norfolk Southern’s Christiansburg District between Roanoke, Va., and Bluefield, W.Va. Back in the early 2000s, it was nothing for my dad and me to see 10 to 15 trains climbing Christiansburg Mountain in a single afternoon.
October 10, 2016
Western Canada Odyssey
Following a frigid and snowy winter in Northern Virginia, my wife Teresa and I decided to take a much-needed vacation in May 2015 to an intriguing destination to enjoy some spectacular scenery, wildlife viewing, and of course, lots of rail photography. After exploring several options, we decided to head to western Canada, taking VIA Rail’s outstanding Canadian from Toronto.
September 25, 2016
Northern Alco Adventure
In 2001 Cartier had ordered 12 new General Electric AC4400CW locomotives for delivery the following spring. I elected to make the pilgrimage to remote northeastern Canada to shoot the mining firm’s 21 large six-axle Montreal Locomotive Works M636 models, three Alco C636 units, and a lone C630.
