Big names from railroad photography and art will headline “Conversations 2025,” the Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s annual conference, on May 16-18, 2025. This inspiring weekend is open to all who love railroad photography and art works, whether you’re a photographer or artist, or simply a fan. More information and a conference schedule can be found online. Fewer than twenty spaces remain as of this writing, so register today!
The conference will begin with a special Friday evening reception event at the Grohmann Museum in Milwaukee, on the campus of the Milwaukee School of Engineering, with the opening of The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery. The new exhibition is the first public showing of the artwork that was donated by Kalmbach Media to CRP&A in 2024. With the company now dissolved and its magazines sold to Firecrown Media, the collection is the final legacy of the 90-year-old Kalmbach name. The exhibition celebrates the importance of imagery in Kalmbach’s printed materials and the company’s collaborations with artists. Beginning at 5 p.m., attendees will be among the very first to see this pillar of rail-themed art; Kevin Keefe, CRP&A board member and former vice president-editorial at Kalmbach Media, will give a gallery talk about his memories and his connection to the collection at 6 p.m.
“Roaring Through Rondout” by Gil Reid, c.1982 is part of the recently-acquired Kalmbach Collection.
On Saturday and Sunday, May 17 – May 18, 2025, the conference will move to the familiar grounds of Lake Forest College’s McCormick Auditorium, in Lake Forest, Ill. This year’s presenters will include an exciting mix of accomplished railroad photographers, outstanding artists, and up-and-coming photographers. Here is a quick sneak peek of what’s in store for attendees!
Northern Light—Creating a Portrait of BC Rail
Dale Sanders — author, photographer, designer, and former editor of CTC Board magazine — will share his 20-year experience documenting the operations of British Columbia Railway, which culminated in the all-color book Northern Light: A Portrait of BC Rail. Sanders was given unprecedented access to the railway and his photography covers operations from both trackside and aboard trains, in some of the most remote locations imaginable. He’ll share the untold story of the landmark project, featuring stories and jaw-dropping images of BC Rail trains powered by steam, diesel, and electric power, plus Budd RDC passenger operations. The scenery is equally diverse and spectacular, and you’ll meet the railroad people who made BC Rail unique and kept it running across breathtaking and unforgiving terrain.
Winter in the Golden State
Photographer and author Dick Dorn is another western photographic legend, and his presentation will focus on snow-fighting operations in California across several decades. This will include the McCloud Railroad operating out of McCloud, the Western Pacific Railroad between Keddie and Portola and up the Highline … followed by more modern Highline operations in the BNSF era out of Westwood. Dorn will then dazzle attendees with the spectacular snow-fighting operations over Donner Pass during the eras of Southern Pacific and successor Union Pacific. Donner Pass receives considerably more snowfall than any railroad mountain pass in North America. Dorn, who co-authored Diesels Over Donner with Richard Steinheimer, will also speak about how developing relationships with railroaders in charge of snow operations opened many doors for him.
My Train Passion Expressed in my Paintings
Artist Dennis Ziemienski has always loved planes, trains and automobiles, and he’s spent the last 40 years painting them in various ways. The glory days of railroads have been a constant inspiration for his highly detailed oil paintings. This presentation will take you through his creative process and show images behind the creation of the many trains he has painted over the years — plus all the varying environments and cultures in which they operate.
Age of the Streamliners — Mid Century Color Photography by Dick Neumiller
Bon French will present a selection of Dick Neumiller’s mid-century color photography of America’s streamliners. Dick loved photography and began photographing trains in 1950, using high-quality equipment and Kodachrome film. Dick loved color — so when diesels replaced steam and the railroad industry replaced old equipment with new streamliners, Dick got more excited about documenting the colorful new trains. The age of the streamliners was relatively short lived, as passenger train travel declined sharply in the late 1950s and 1960s, making Dick’s pictures even more valuable. Despite the decline of passenger trains and rise of Amtrak, he remained an enthusiastic photographer of the rail scene throughout his life. By the time of his passing in 2015, he recorded 82,400 color images of more than 800 railroads, although very few of Dick’s images have been published since the leading railroad magazines of the time rarely used color.
