Author: Scott Lothes

  • Conversations moves to Indianapolis for 2026

    The Center’s annual Conversations conference is moving to the Indiana History Center in downtown Indianapolis in 2026. The dates are April 24-26. The venue’s auditorium has seating for 290 and an adjacent garage with free parking. A special rail-themed exhibition, The Electric Railway: Indiana’s Interurbans, will be on display during the event. The move comes…

  • The Kalmbach Art Collection

    The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery showcases the artwork of Kalmbach Publishing Co., which donated their collection to the Center for Railroad Photography & Art in 2024. Fifty-three original paintings and drawings comprise the collection, their creators a who’s who of railroad artists including Howard Fogg, Gil Reid, and Ted Rose. The 80-page,…

  • Burlington’s Spectacular Steam Program

    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…

  • Zoom program: Coloring the New York City Subway Map

    Peter Lloyd explores the coloring of subway lines within New York City’s subway system, reaching as far back as 1904. His exploration will uncover the historical color choices made by key mapmakers and shed light on some of the innovative color schemes that never officially graced the map. With a longstanding dedication to researching the…

  • Zoom member-exclusive: Inside the Jim Shaughnessy Collection

    The Center capped 2023 with a long-awaited dive into the Jim Shaughnessy collection. Acquired in late 2019, the Center, led by processing archivist Natalie Krecek, has been diligently digitizing the 90,000-image collection. We’ll sit down with Natalie and CRP&A board members Jeff Brouws and Kevin Keefe to discuss themes from Jim’s collection and the larger…