Richard Steinheimer, 1929-2011
Photographer Richard Steinheimer posing next to a Southern Pacific flanger on Donner Pass. Photo by Shirley Burman.
Richard Steinheimer and Shirley Burman at Ocean Beach, California, in November 2003. Photo by Ken Rehor.
Richard Steinheimer (see photo gallery on railroadheritage.org, a giant in railroad photography for half a century, died May 4, 2011, at his home in Sacramento, California. Read his obituary in the Sacramento Bee, which includes quotes from Center president John Gruber. A legend among railroad photographers, he leaves a tremendous legacy. The quality and quantity of his work were immense, befitting his towering height—6 feet 6 inches.
His wife, Shirley Burman, had been his caregiver since he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease several years ago. Touched by the many comments and reflections that friends and admirers shared about her late husband, Burman offers the following remarks.
It is difficult to put into words my deep appreciation of everyone’s kindness written to me in letters and emails of condolences after losing my dear husband, Dick or “Stein” as many of you called him. Most of the internet postings about his passing wrote about what an innovative photographer and wonderful human being he was. I’ve come to appreciate his accomplishments even more through all of you who knew him long before I came along. After we met in 1983, our paths went down a different road than his previous 35 plus years. I suspect now he was trying to catch the last light before it went out. I didn’t know it at the time, but all the places he took me were roads he’d traveled over numerous times. We had some great times, sad times, and a few pissed-each-other-off times. It was a privilege to have been able to care for my husband during his years of illness and I miss him dearly. But I am comforted in knowing how much all of you cared about him. In Dick’s own words, he wrote, “...I am reminded that life cycles apply to both men and machines,” a mantra he never forgot.
— Shirley Burman-Steinheimer, Sacramento, California, June 2011
Among our favorite photos by Stein: smoke on the snow and Little Joes climbing the mountains at night. We invite you to share your thoughts and reflections in the comments section below.