The Call of Trains: Railroad Photographs by Jim Shaughnessy

by Jim Shaughnessy (Photographer), Jeff Brouws (Contributor)

A majestic collection celebrating the life and work of one of the deans of railroad photography. Jim Shaughnessy is a revered name among railroad photographers. This collection, the best of his work over a forty-year career, features 170 duotone photographs taken between 1946 and 1988, with an emphasis on the railroad culture of the fifties and sixties. Jeff Brouws―a railroad authority and photo historian―has contributed a biographical essay that traces Shaughnessy's beginnings photographing steam locomotives in his hometown of Troy, New York, to his documentation of the dramatic steam-to-diesel transition, with an emphasis on the northeastern United States and Canada, where the concentration of railroad action and often deep snow resulted in beautiful and unusual images.

Not just a compendium of photographs of locomotives, this book covers the whole railroad world―the sheds, tunnels, viaducts, yard stations, and more. It is a wonderful document of what is arguably railroading's most compelling era. 170 duotone photographs

Genres: Trains

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2008

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a lot to say beyond this is a lovely collection of photos. I don't think I've ever seen so many railroad photographs that captured weather in action i.e. rain, snow, fog. So much fun! Most shots were from east coast/that side of the continent but every once in a while there'd be a midwestern shot (Galesburg, IL!!!) or Wyoming. LOL, I always want more mountains.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Show this one to a kid who loves trains and watch magic happen.