By Railfan & Railroad Staff

Mallory Hope Ferrell, a photojournalist, aviator and prolific railroad author, died on December 25, 2023. He was 88 years old. 

Ferrell had a wide-ranging career — from flying combat missions in Vietnam to working as a photojournalist for Life Magazine — but it was his books that he will be most remembered for within the railroad community. Over the decades he wrote 21 titles, mostly focusing on narrow gauge pikes in the American West. Among them are some of the foremost titles on their subjects, including “Silver San Juan: The Rio Grande Southern” published in 1973 and “Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge” in 1982. Among his last would be “Denver & Rio Grande: The Early Years” published by White River Productions in 2018. 

Ferrell was born in Virginia in 1935. He joined the Air Force and became a pilot in the late 1950s, flying missions during the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam War. He received multiple awards for bravery during those tours. He later became a commercial pilot for Delta. He also worked as a photojournalist, working for his local newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot, and Life Magazine. 

But it was his family he was most proud of. He is survived by his wife Gloria, four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.