Just in time for the America 250 celebration, the Spring issue of Railroad Heritage will take readers back fifty years, to a time when the American Freedom Train crossed the west … plus spectacular photography of New York’s Hudson River Valley, photographer Victor Hand’s lifelong friendship with railroad journalist Don Phillips, and more! Highlights include: Five Months of Freedom: Russ Sperry packed up his life and spent five months on the road chasing—and ultimately volunteering for—the American Freedom Train in late 1975 and early 1976. He passed away last fall, but not before donating his medium-format photography of that trip to us. Join Russ on the great adventure of his lifetime, photographing and riding behind (and aboard) Southern Pacific 4-8-4 4449 and Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 610. Travels with Don: Legendary photographer Victor Hand looks back on sixty-seven years of friendship and photography with Don Phillips — a well-known Washington Post journalist who specialized in transportation, a longtime Trains columnist, and Victor’s best friend. Read about their railfan adventures chasing steam-powered trains (plus diesels and electrics) across North America and overseas, all illustrated by the great images of Victor Hand. Railroads and the Art of Place: In a stunning photo essay, Eric Williams takes us to New York’s Hudson Highlands, where the Hudson River cuts though the Appalachian Mountains. Eric has explored the Highlands of New York’s Hudson River Valley and the trains of CSX, Metro-North, and Amtrak across seasons and years, deepening his relationship to the place and his photographic coverage with each successive trip. Illinois Central 2516: When CRP&A member Karl Sakas purchased a 1972 Howard Fogg watercolor of an IC 4-8-2, he also received an unexpected treasure of correspondence between the famed artist and the railfan/railroader couple who commissioned the painting. People: CRP&A board member Michael Schmidt reflects how his parents encouraged his and his brothers’ early love of railroads, eventually leading Michael to pursue rail photography and art collecting … and to pass along his love of railroads and photography to his son. Plus a collections processing update and gallery, an honor roll of our 2025 donors, new exhibitions celebrating Traqueros, news, dispatches, and more. If you’re not a member, join today and get four issues a year.
