Burlington's Spectacular Steam Program

In the 1950s and 1960s, no railroad could top the steam program of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. The railroad 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 portrayed these trips as the events they were, capturing the power of their locomotives, the pride of their railroaders, and the wonder they inspired. This book presents nearly 100 of his best black-and-white photographs from the collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, along with essays and interviews by Norman Carlson and Justin Franz.

Justin Franz is a writer, photographer, and magazine editor. He is originally from Maine, graduated from the University of Montana's School of Journalism in 2011, and spent nine years as a newspaper reporter. Today, he is the associate editor of "Railfan & Railroad" and "Railroad Model Craftsman" magazines. He also served as the managing editor of "Flathead Living," a quarterly lifestyle magazine in Northwest Montana. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the "Washington Post," "New York Times," "Seattle Times," "Atlas Obscura," "Trains," "Railroad Heritage," and the "Montana Free Press." He is also the co-host and co-producer of Project 7, a true-crime podcast about the life and disappearance of Montana militia leader David Burgert. He is a life-long railroad enthusiast and lives in Columbia Falls, Montana, with his wife Ashley.Norm Carlson spent 34 years with Arthur Andersen, the last ten as the worldwide managing partner of the transportation industry practice; he began his second career as an independent consultant following his first retirement in 2000. Among his assignments was being chairman of the board of RailWorks and being a railroad trustee on two occasions during the regulatory review period. He is president of the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society and managing editor of its publication "First & Fastest;" moderator of the Sandhouse Group, the monthly railroad discussion group of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University; and past president of the East Troy Railroad Museum. He has number of publication credits and his photographic work has been published. Norm served in the First Infantry Division in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois.Scott Lothes became the Center's full-time executive director in 2011, after serving on its staff part-time since 2008. In 2013 he succeeded John Gruber as president and editor of the Center's journal, "Railroad Heritage." Fascinated by railroads from birth, Scott grew up watching coal trains in West Virginia. He took up photography while attending college at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering. His photographs and articles appear frequently in magazines including "Classic Trains," "Railfan & Railroad," and "Trains," and he's had two front-page travel stories in the Sunday "Oregonian," Portland, Oregon's leading newspaper. Scott is the editor of "Rio Grande Steam Finale," author and editor of "The Railroad Photography of Donald W. Furler," coauthor of "Wallace W. Abbey: A Life in Railroad Photography," and contributor of forewords and chapters to four other books. He won the Trains and Canon photography contest in 2003, tied for first place in the Center's 2006 Creative Photography Awards Program, and in 2008 staff at "Trains" selected one of his photos for inclusion in its "100 Greatest Railroad Photos" special issue. He has made numerous presentations at in-person events as well as online programs for a wide range of railroad and travel groups.John Gruber, 1936-2018, was the primary founder of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art and served as president and editor of its journal, "Railroad Heritage," until 2013. He was a freelance railroad photographer, author, and editor, and he received awards from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in 1994 for lifetime achievement in photography and in 2009 for his article, "Railroading Journeys," about the life, times, and photography of Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg. He was a contributing editor to "Classic Trains," author of "Classic Steam" (2009), and co-author of "Caboose" (2001), "Travel by Train: The American Railroad Poster" (2002), "Railway Photography" (2003), "Milwaukee Road's Hiawathas" (2006), and he co-authored the Center's book "Beebe and Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy" with John Ryan. He edited "Vintage Rails" magazine from 1995 to 1999.