BY KEVIN EUDALY, PUBLISHER


www.railfan.com PUBLISHER


KEVIN EUDALY EDITOR


E. STEVEN BARRY (862) 354-3196


EDITOR@RAILFAN.COM ASSOCIATE EDITOR/ART DIRECTOR


OTTO M. VONDRAK OTTO@RAILFAN.COM


KEVIN EUDALYʼS FIRST SLIDE: L&N 2719 LEADING A FREIGHT THROUGH LEIPSIC, IN., MAY 29, 1974.


THE VERY FIRST ISSUE OF RAILFAN magazine was the Winter 1974 edition, and was the result of a “scheme” hatched by Jim Boyd and Tony Koester, both of whom have told me the story of the magazine’s origin in some detail. On its cover was a photograph of Nickel Plate 759 stalled on the ex-Erie Lackawanna main line near Devil’s Hole, Penn., on July 22, 1973, taken by publisher Hal Carstens. The image captures the pure drama of steam (the 2-8-4 gave it three tries on the 1.7 per cent grade before a pair of Geeps were called in to the rescue). RAILFAN magazine has always been like that — a mixture of steam and diesel, fantrip and freight, museum and modern — and the intention going forward is to keep those elements in place. In the coming is- sues you’ll see some graphic changes, some rearrangement, and hopefully some im- provements that will yield an even better magazine for you to enjoy for years to come. The editor for that first issue was Jim Boyd, a position he held for 23 years before handing the reins over to Steve Barry in 1998. Steve’s been at the helm ever since, so the magazine has had only two editors in four decades. Other staff has come and gone, but the heart of RAILFAN magazine has be- longed to those of us who admittedly call ourselves “railfans,” and are generally inter- ested in photography and articles concerned with railroading, both historic and current. RAILFAN started as a quarterly publication,


went to six times a year with the August 1977 issue, and was merged with the defunct RAIL- ROAD magazine, becoming RAILFAN & RAIL- ROAD with the May 1979 issue. It went month- ly with the October 1987 issue, the same year my wife, Nadean, and I were married. White River Productions was born in 1992, and became a full-time venture in 1995. We’re perhaps best known for the many historical society magazines we pro- duce, though over the last decade we’ve added Passenger Train Journal, Railroads Illustrated (formerly CTC Board), Model Railroad News, and just recently The Rail- road Press as well as Railroad Model Crafts- man. Nadean manages much of White River Productions’ day-to-day operations. Across RAILFAN’S two editors and four


decades of coverage, the railroad scene has seen massive changes. My slide photogra- phy began the same year RAILFAN was intro- duced, and it’s a pretty safe bet that nearly everything I shot in those first two decades is has disappeared from view, or at least changed beyond recognition. But through the


mergers, paint scheme changes, fantrips, and locomotive rebuilds, RAILFAN 4 JULY-OCTOBER 2014 • RAILFAN.COM


has soldiered on, doing its best to cover the things we’re most in- terested in.


The first issue con- tained letters from Railroad Model Craftsman contributors and correspondents, asking what they’d like to see. Among those who responded was long- time friend Joe Collias, who wrote: “The steam railfan lives in the past and loves it; the young diesel nut lives today and loves it — two opposing interests. If you want to sell RAILFAN, you will have to keep both groups happy.” For four decades RAILFAN& RAILROAD has done just that, covering a wide variety of in- terests. It has always been produced by rail- fans for railfans, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. One thing that has changed is that the “young diesel nut” Joe refers to has aged a bit, and much of what he grew up with is now long gone. I certainly fit that category. The Geeps we shot have disap- peared, and the second generation SD40-2s and brethren that replaced them have like- wise vanished. Time marches on. That first slide of mine was taken on May 29, 1974, of a southbound L&N freight with U23B 2719 on the point on the old Monon in southern Indiana at Leipsic (you might think I did the “Boyd” thing and included the barn, but actually my aim wasn’t so good). The new point-and-shoot Russian camera I used had a mechanical problem with its shutter right from the start, and was replaced after that first trip with a Mamiya Sekor camera handed down from my older brother (and frequent railfan com- panion), Lon. He graduated up to a Pentax, as did I a year or so later. I destroyed five Pentaxes before switching to Nikon F3s, ar- guably the toughest 35mm camera ever built. With the digital camera era in full swing I’m still in the Nikon camp, but a cam- era is simply a tool, and we all have our pref- erences. Through all those cameras across 50 states, Canada, and abroad, railroad pho- tography has been at the core of what I do. A few months ago longtime friend Steve Barry messaged me, “We’re in trouble.” Like that Nickel Plate Berkshire stalled on the grade, Carstens Publications was also stalled, and it looked like no help was in sight. But like the EL Geeps that came to the rescue four decades ago, White River Productions has coupled up, and the assault on the grade has begun. I invite you to climb aboard, I’m sure you will enjoy the trip!


—KEVIN EUDALY, PUBLISHER


CONTRIBUTING EDITORS MICHAEL T. BURKHART JEFFREY D. TERRY


CONSULTING EDITOR ALEXANDER B. CRAGHEAD


COLUMNISTS


THOMAS KELCEC GREG MONROE JAMES PORTERFIELD GEORGE M. SMERK WES VERNON


ADVERTISING MANAGER MIKE LINDSAY (800) 282-3291


CIRCULATION MANAGER NADEAN EUDALY


NADEAN@WHITERIVERPRODUCTIONS.COM


MARKETING DIRECTOR GEORGE RILEY (434) 390-6924


DEALER SALES DAN HANSEN (866) 451-7234


EDITORIAL ADDRESS RAILFAN & RAILROAD P.O. BOX 554


ANDOVER, NJ 07821 BUSINESS ADDRESS


WHITE RIVER PRODUCTIONS P.O. BOX 48


BUCKLIN, MO 64631


(877) 787-2467 • (816) 285-6560 INFO@WHITERIVERPRODUCTIONS.COM


Visit us at whiteriverproductions.com


RAILFAN & RAILROAD (ISSN 0163-7266) is published monthly by White River Productions, 24632 Anchor Ave, P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631. Periodical postage paid at Bucklin, MO, and additional mailing offices.


POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RAILFAN & RAILROAD, 108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton, NJ, 07860. Copyright ©2014 by Carstens Publications, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Canadian GST #124725060.


Publications Mail Agreement No. 40957020. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6.


SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.A. and possessions: $37.95 per year, $69.95 for two years, $99.95 for three years. Single copies are $5.95. Canada : $50.00 per year, $94.00 for two years, $136.00 for three years. Overseas: $58.00 per year, $110.00 for two years, $160.00 for three years. Payment must be in U.S. funds. All com- munications regarding subscriptions and changes of address should be sent to Circulation Manager, RAILFAN & RAILROAD, P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631. Please allow six weeks for change of ad- dress. Postmaster send Form 3579 to RAILFAN & RAILROAD, P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631.


CONTRIBUTIONS: Articles and photographs from our readers are always welcome. Contact editor Steve Barry at editor@railfan.com for details. The contents of this magazine may not be reprinted without written permission of the publisher.


ADVERTISING: Address all inquires to RAILFAN & RAILROAD, P.O. Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631. Toll-Free Phone: 877-787-2467, International: 816-285-6560, Fax: 816-285-6568, or contact by email: ads@WhiteRiverProductions.com.


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