Capitol Lines
Don Phillips is a veteran newspaper reporter and a magazine columnist writing about railroads and transportation policy for more than 40 years. He shares his insight with our readers each month in the pages of Railfan & Railroad.
January 18, 2019
George H.W. Bush: Railfan?
George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the U.S., rode the last 70 miles of the final journey to his grave by train. But was he a railfan?
December 20, 2018
Highlights of How Lucky I Was
From time to time, I look back to my younger days and ponder how lucky I was to be born when I was. For one thing, I was just in time for the last of major Class I steam operations in this country…
November 20, 2018
Saying Farewell to Two Good Friends
Gordon Fuller made an impact on the railroad industry, while John Gruber made important contributions to the world of railroad photography and research.
October 21, 2018
Anderson’s Amtrak: A Slow-Moving Disaster
Richard Anderson, the current president of Amtrak, is a disaster. He should be removed from his position as rapidly as possible, and then we must be careful to assure that his replacement isn’t as bad as he is.
September 17, 2018
A Brief History of Railroad Regulation and Deregulation
In the course of a little over a hundred years, we’ve gone from the advent of significant regulation and outright government ownership, to a largely deregulated and economically robust railroad system…
August 22, 2018
Washington a Half-Century Ago
While we await the return of Don Phillips, it occurred to me that it might be useful to take a look back at Washington, D.C., from a railroad (and railfan) perspective, just before the era of Penn Central…
July 15, 2018
Today’s Railroading: Where to Begin?
This month we welcome veteran transportation policy columnist Don Phillips to the pages of Railfan & Railroad, continuing the Capitol Lines column crafted for more than 14 years by Wes Vernon.
