By Railfan & Railroad Staff

DALLAS — Steve Schmollinger, one of the most prolific western American railroad photographers of the late 20th century, died in Dallas from complications of COVID-19 on Dec. 24. He was 67 years old. 

In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Schmollinger crisscrossed the American west making iconic photos of the region’s railroads, often with a telephone lens that became one of his trademarks. Schmollinger authored a number of books, including Tehachapi: Railroading on a Desert Mountain; Desert Railroading; The Feather River Canyon: Union Pacific’s Heart of Stone; and Images of Western Railroading. His work also appeared in Trains Magazine, Pacific Rail News, CTC Board, and Railfan & Railroad, which published his last piece in its July 2020 issue. 

Schmollinger is survived by his wife Lynn and his five children.