Railroad Heritage Magazine

Railroad Heritage Magazine is nothing like the other industry magazines out there such as Trains, Railfan & Railroad, or Railpace, which deal not only with the history but also the present day. For instance Trains is published by Kalmbach Publishing Company, has been covering the US rail industry since the 1940s when Al C. Kalmbach originally started the magazine in 1940. Over the last sixty years Trains has always been based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has seen the industry go through quite a bit (especially in the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s, during the industry’s darkest days) of change and over that time it has become the largest railroad magazine in the country. For instance, if you are one of those folks who enjoy reading about our country’s railroading history, try and find older volumes on the magazine which predate, say the 1980s (they can usually be found at antique stores, or the easiest method, eBay). The stuff included in them is quite interesting!

While Railfan & Railroad does not carry quite the number of subscribers as Trains, it nonetheless has a very loyal following with those who do. Railfan and Railroad tends to gear its magazine more to the railfan then taking a “50-50” approach like Trains. For instance many folks who subscribe to it enjoy the several classic photos found in the magazine. Similar in nature to Trains, Railfan & Railroad also tends to cover a wide range of different topics, such as current news and feature articles.

Railpace Magazine another publication, like Railfan & Railroad, that is geared more towards railfans, although like all magazines includes plenty of news and information in general about the railroad industry. For instance, in a typical Railpace publication you can find photos of tourist railroads and excursion trains, late fallen flag paint schemes that are still roaming around the country, plenty of “classic” images of railroading (i.e., 1970s and before), and lots of shortlines at work (this kind of layout is quite different from say, Trains Magazine, which covers the rail industry in general and has a more “business-like” feel to its stories with far fewer photos of fallen flags, shortlines, and tourist railroads in a typical edition). All in all, if you enjoy railroading in the Northeast and a more “down home” periodical covering the industry you shouldn’t be disappointed with Railpace Magazine.

For an idea of what you can find in an issue of Railroad Heritage Magazine please read this exert from issue number 13 released in 2005:

Another special issue, "Representations of Railroad Work, Past and Present” takes a fresh look at the people who made and make trains run: their culture, their skills, and their unseen importance to American life. For this issue, special editor Mark W. Hemphill, former editor of Trains magazine, and a former train dispatcher, brings together with photo editor John Gruber and noted authors, photographers, and historians a previously unseen sensitivity to railroad work. Is railroading "just another job?" No. To the people who do it, railroading is a lifestyle, a brotherhood, a culture with its own language and identity. To the public, railroading is unknown territory. But through photography and art, the obscuring veil can be peeled back. This special issue of Railroad Heritage Magazine is not the end product of a new understanding of railroad work, but only the beginning. The North American Railway Foundation provided major funding.

All in all, while Railroad Heritage Magazine is a bit pricey at $50 for four yearly issues it offers superb historical information about the railroad industry and the money goes towards a very good cause (the Center For Railroad Photography & Art deals with preserving and highlighting railroad art and photography, and how it has affected the country). If you are interested in purchasing a subscription to the magazine please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store". This will take you to ordering information (through Amazon.com) where you can also learn more about the magazine (as always, if you need any help or have any questions about the ordering process please feel free to get in touch at any time).