Rise in popularity and expansion
The 1970s were a period of dynamic change for American railroads, as many were facing bankruptcy in the face of shifting traffic patterns and increased labor and fuel costs. Unprofitable branch lines were abandoned or sold, and many railroad companies sought merger partners in order to avoid bankruptcy. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the industrial Northeast (known colloquially as the "Rust Belt") where competing railroads sought to reduce redundant routes and modernize their physical plants. [3] With this rapid modernization, many historic pieces of vintage railroad equipment were scrapped, though a great many more were saved, thanks to the rise in railfan activity and the development and support of the railway preservation movement. By the mid-1970s, preparations were underway to celebrate the nation's bicentennial, and with it came a renewed interest in railroad heritage, namely the return of several steam locomotives to main line excursion service. Amidst all of this change, Railfan & Railroad not only reported on these activities, but also encouraged them and the "railfan" culture.
Response to the new magazine was favorable, and Railfan went to a bi-monthly schedule starting with the August 1977 issue. Part of the success of the new magazine has been attributed to Boyd's skill as a photographer and writer, as well as his real-world railroading experience and his personality. [4] Upon the purchase of the defunct Railroad , the title was changed to Railfan & Railroad starting with the May 1979 issue. [1] The masthead listed the publication serials of both titles until 2014. [5]
Railfan & Railroad increased production to a monthly schedule starting with the October 1987 issue, and with it, added Mike Del Vecchio as an associate editor. Associate editor Bruce Kelly, whose articles and photography had appeared in various rail publications since 1982, came on board in 1988 to assist with news and caption writing, column editing, map design, and overall production. [6]
More changes came to the magazine staff in the 1990s, first with the departure of Bruce Kelly in 1996. Prolific railroad photographer and New Jersey native Steve Barry replaced Kelly at the same time. [7] Mike Del Vecchio took a position with industry journal Railway Age in 1996, which opened the door for the arrival of Chris Kimmler.
Post Jim Boyd era
Editor Jim Boyd retired in 1998 after 23 years at the helm of the magazine he helped shape, and Steve Barry was promoted to managing editor. In 1999, George Fletcher was added to the masthead as an associate editor, but his tenure was short lived as he accepted a position with the Long Island Rail Road in 2001. Walt Lankenau joined the staff in September 2000 as associate editor, after having previously worked for Carstens Publications as the editor of Creative Crafts & Miniatures in 1984, and later freelancing as a cartographer and books editor. [7] Publisher Hal Carstens died unexpectedly in June 2009, and was succeeded by his son Henry as president of the company. [8]
Incremental changes to update the look and feel of the magazine began in 2010, when a new logo debuted to replace an earlier redesign dating from 1999. At the end of 2010, "Editor Emeritus" Jim Boyd suffered a heart attack and died near his home in Newton. In 2011, author and photographer Otto Vondrak joined the staff as associate editor after working as a contractor and freelancer for the previous year. [7]
Since its beginning, the editorial style of the magazine tends to be focused on the active enthusiast who is more likely to be engaged in the hobby by taking photographs of current railroad operations, visiting museums and tourist lines, and contributing to historical preservation activities. Topics range from the historic to the contemporary, and includes news photos and monthly columns to balance out the feature content. [9]
The magazine continues its focus on the railroad enthusiast, thanks in part to editor Steve Barry's involvement in the National Railway Historical Society and his enthusiasm for photography. The majority of content is contributed by the readers of the magazine, with the editors appearing as-needed. In December 2011, Railfan & Railroad expanded its reach with the debut of digital editions for home computers, laptops, and select mobile digital devices. [10]
Monthly columns
A slate of regular contributors author the monthly columns ("Departments") that appear in Railfan & Railroad magazine opposite the feature content.
Departures - This monthly commentary is written by Alexander B. Craghead, and explores the hobby of railfanning from many perspectives as well as celebrating the heritage and future of railroading.
Railnews - Compiled by associate editor Otto Vondrak with contributions from several regular columnists, Railnews features the month's top stories and photos submitted by readers. Many of the Railnews contributors were transferred from Railroads Illustrated magazine when production shifted from monthly to annual in 2014. Railnews is overseen by news editor Eric Berger.
Transit Currents - The roots of this monthly column come from the "Electric Lines" feature edited by Steve Maguire in the old Railroad magazine. This later became "Transit Topics" and was carried over to the combined Railfan & Railroad in 1979. The column was later renamed "Transit Currents" and was edited by Prof. George M. Smerk until 2016. Bob Gallegos is the current editor, and the column covers commuter rail, rapid transit, and light rail, as well as selected historic trolley operations.
Railfan Timetable - Readers submit their listings of railroad-related events and excursions to this free monthly listing.
Capitol Lines - Veteran CBS reporter Wes Vernon covered railroading and how it was affected by government policy and politics coming out of Washington, D.C. until his retirement in May 2018. Veteran Washington Post journalist and former Trains columnist Don Phillips has since taken over responsibility for the column.
LocoNotes - LocoNotes is first-hand reports of diesel locomotive locations and dispositions across North America, submitted by readers and compiled by Kenneth Ardinger.
Scan Man - Edited by Vincent Reh, "Scan Man" discusses the world of railroad radio technology, and publishes on an alternating schedule with "Preservation Topics."
On The Menu - On the Menu is a monthly look on the nearly 100 dinner train operations across North America, as well as a fond look back at railroad dining experiences as well as reports on the latest trends, written by James D. Porterfield.
Preservation Topics - Associate editor Otto Vondrak explores the world of historic railway preservation, museums, and tourist railroads around the country. Formerly known as "Lineside Legacy" authored by columnist Jeff Terry.
Markers - This column is compiled by the editors to discuss items that do not normally fit the rest of the magazine, and occasionally features guest authors.
Parting Shot - Formerly known as "Final Frame," this is the last page of the magazine where a full-frame vertical format photo is featured. The title was adopted from Railroads Illustrated magazine.
The American Conservative (TAC) is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. The publication states that it exists to promote a conservatism that opposes unchecked power in government and business alike; promote the flourishing of families and communities through vibrant markets and free people; and embrace realism and restraint in foreign affairs based on America's national interests, otherwise known as paleoconservatism. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has been bi-monthly.
A railfan, rail buff or train buff ; railway enthusiast or railway buff ; trainspotter or ferroequinologist, is a person interested, recreationally, in rail transport.
Model Railroader (MR) is an American magazine about the hobby of model railroading. Founded in 1934 by Al C. Kalmbach, it is published monthly by Kalmbach Media of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Commonly found on newsstands and in libraries, it promotes itself as the oldest magazine of its type in the United States, although it is the long-standing competitor to Railroad Model Craftsman, which - originally named The Model Craftsman - predates MR by one year.
Railroad Model Craftsman is an American magazine specializing in the hobby of model railroading. The magazine is published monthly by White River Productions, which acquired the title from Carstens Publications in 2014. Its first issue in March 1933 was called The Model Craftsman because it covered other areas of scale modeling as well. Founded by Emanuele Stieri, it was second editor Charles A. Penn who helped grow the company and lead the publication towards the hobby of scale models. In April 1949 it changed its focus to model trains and changed its name to Railroad Model Craftsman to reflect this change in editorial content. While it can claim to be the oldest model railroading magazine in continuous publication in the United States, rival Model Railroader counters with the tagline "Model railroading exclusively since 1934." Over the years, several other titles have been folded into the publication, including Toy Trains, Electric Trains and Hobby Railroading, Miniature Rail Roading, Model & Railway News, and The O Gager.
Railnews is a national monthly newspaper and news website for the British railway network.
The Railway Magazine is a monthly British railway magazine, aimed at the railway enthusiast market, that has been published in London since July 1897. As of 2010 it was, for three years running, the railway magazine with the largest circulation in the United Kingdom, having a monthly average sale during 2009 of 34,715. It was published by IPC Media until October 2010, with ISSN 0033-8923, and in 2007 won IPC's 'Magazine of the Year' award. Since November 2010, The Railway Magazine has been published by Mortons Media Group Ltd..
Ian Allan Publishing is a UK publisher, established in 1942, which specialised in transport books. It was founded by Ian Allan (1922–2015).
Railroad Magazine is a pulp magazine founded by Frank Anderson Munsey and published October 1906 to January 1979. It was the first specialized pulp magazine with stories and articles about railroads. The magazine merged with Railfan to form the new Railfan & Railroad, published by Carstens Publications beginning after the final Railroad issue in 1979.
The American Spectator was a monthly literary magazine which made its first monthly appearance in November 1932. It was edited by George Jean Nathan, though Eugene O'Neill, Ernest Boyd, Theodore Dreiser, and James Branch Cabell were also listed as joint editors. The original editors left the publication in 1935, after which the paper continued monthly publication under new editors until October 1936. The American Spectator lasted another six months on a bimonthly before folding altogether.
Rail is a British magazine on the subject of current rail transport in Great Britain. It is published every two weeks by Bauer Consumer Media and is available in the transport sections of many British newsagents. It is targeted primarily at the enthusiast market, but also covers business issues, often in depth.
This article contains a list of terms, jargon, and slang used to varying degrees by railfans and railroad employees in the United States and Canada. Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. Inclusion of a term in this list does not necessarily imply its universal adoption by all railfans and railroad employees, and there may be significant regional variation in usage.
J. Anthony Koester, more commonly known as Tony Koester, is a well-known member of the United States model railroading community. Koester popularized the idea of proto-freelancing with his HO scale model railroad layout, the Allegheny Midland, along with his friend Allen McClelland's Virginian & Ohio. Koester is an alumnus of Purdue University where he studied electrical engineering. While at Purdue, he was also a member of the Model Railroad Club. In 1966, he helped co-found the Nickel Plate Historical & Technical Society to preserve the memory of his favorite railroad.
Railroads Illustrated, formerly known as CTC Board, was a monthly magazine, published by White River Productions (WRP), devoted to railroad photography. WRP purchased CTC Board magazine from Hundman Publishing after the May 2006 issue, and rebranded the magazine as Railroads Illustrated, and used the CTC Board name for the news section. December 2014 marked the final monthly issue, with future expanded editions to be released annually. The news section and some feature content now appears in an expanded Railfan & Railroad, which was acquired by WRP in 2014.
Harold H. Carstens was president of Carstens Publications, publisher of Railfan & Railroad and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines. While attending Fairleigh Dickinson University at night, Carstens joined the staff of Railroad Model Craftsman in 1952. While in the Army, he studied art and journalism at the Philippine Institute for the Armed Forces. The position of managing editor opened up in 1954, and Carstens later advanced to Editor and Vice President in 1957. When owner Charles Penn retired in 1962, Hal Carstens became President. In 1973, Carstens moved the company to a new facility in Newton, New Jersey, where it is located today.
Interurban Press was a small, privately owned American publishing company, specializing in books about streetcars, other forms of rail transit and railroads in North America, from 1943 until 1993. It was based in the Los Angeles area, and specifically in Glendale, California after 1976. Although its primary focus was on books, it also published three magazines starting in the 1980s, along with videos and calendars. At its peak, the company employed 10 people and generated about $2 million in business annually.
Pacific RailNews(PRN), originally named Pacific News and later RailNews, was an American monthly magazine about railroads and rail transit, oriented for railfans. It was published from 1961 until 1999. Although its coverage primarily concerned the western United States and western Canada, the magazine included less-detailed news on railroads and rail-transit from non-western states, as well as Mexico.
George McClelland Sebree III, better known as Mac Sebree, was an American journalist, writer and publisher whose area of expertise was urban mass transit, particularly urban rail transit. He was also a businessman, being owner and president of the publishing company, Interurban Press, from 1975 until 1993. In addition to writing and publishing historical material, he also followed – and regularly reported on – contemporary developments concerning rail transit, and by the 1990s he had become an expert on light rail in North America.
The New Electric Railway Journal was a quarterly American magazine primarily about electric urban rail transit in North America, published from 1988 to 1998, with an international circulation. Its name was a tribute to a much earlier magazine with similar coverage, the Electric Railway Journal, established in 1884 and published until 1931.
Carstens Publications, Inc. was a publisher of books and magazines related to the railroad and airplane hobby fields until its permanent closure on August 22, 2014. Many of the titles published by Carstens were older than the company, and have long established histories in their respective markets. Carstens was the chief competitor to Kalmbach Publishing in the scale model hobby and enthusiast field. What made Carstens stand out from the competition was the in-depth detail and active voice of the books and magazines. The company's list of monthly magazine titles included:
White River Productions is an independent publishing company that specializes in books and magazines targeted to railroad enthusiasts and historians. Kevin EuDaly founded the company in 1992 to published the book Missouri Pacific Diesel Power, which he also authored. Several other titles followed, and the company became his full-time venture beginning in 1996. The company expanded when it took on publishing newsletters and managing membership databases for several railroad historical societies. The company is headquartered in Bucklin, Missouri.
