December 2007
WESTERN MARYLAND SCENIC RAILROAD 3rd EDITION
As the WMSR closes another successful operating season, RR Trax Studios is happy to announce that the 3rd Edition of its popular book on the subject is now being assembled. It is planned to be available for late Summer or Fall of 2008. The 3rd Edition will feature updated photos and will document changes that have occurred since the 2nd Edition was written in 2005. It will also retain many of the classic images that have appeared in previous editions.
WESTERN MARYLAND RAILWAY PHOTOS WANTED!
The WMSR 3rd Edition is planned to feature a variety of "vintage" scenes along the route of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. RR Trax Studios is now actively seeking classic photos of the original Western Maryland Railway (and its predecessors Chessie System and CSX) taken anytime BEFORE 1990 at the following locations:
Ridgeley, West Virginia
Cumberland, Maryland (including the Cumberland Narrows)
Helmstetter's Curve (Cash Valley)
Brush Tunnel
Mt. Savage
Frostburg (views on the C&P or WM main line)
Photos submitted must have copyright ownership (or written permission to use) by the person submitting them. Full credit will be given for photos used in the WMSR 3rd Edition. RR Trax Studios will award one free book per individual whose photo was chosen for print. For details on how to submit digital images, or where to send prints, negatives, or slides, please contact RR Trax Studios. (Note: ALL ORIGINAL MATERIALS WILL BE RETURNED PROMPTLY). Here is your chance to share your images by having them published, and help preserve the history of the great WM Railway. Thanks!
THIS ALCO KNOWS WHAT IT'S LIKE...
...to pull freight uphill in the winter. It's at least the same amount of effort author Ken Kraemer has been putting into what will be RR Trax Studio's first hardbound photograph-based book. The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album is on-the-way, folks, we promise. If the book was an LV train making its way from Niagara Falls to Sayre, it would now be approaching Van Etten. Looks like the next signal is favorable, and there are just a few more miles to go!
November 2007
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE COLOR
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was considered by many to be the most colorful of the pre-Conrail roads, with its signature "Cornell red" paint schemes and nicknames for locomotives such as "Yellowjacket" and "White Elephant." However, since the LV has been off the map for over 30 years now, visions of the flashy paint exist only in the memories of those of us who are old enough to remember them, and, of course, in color photographs. The next RR Trax Studios book, Ken Kraemer's Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album, contains a unique collection of photos that were taken over the course of 50 years, with several different cameras, and even more different film types and formats. What does that mean for an author and publisher who are very concerned with the accuracy-of-color that readers will see? Simply, it means that the burden of transfer, equalization, and reproduction, from film to digital to press-print, is huge and important. Frankly, all that was just a long way of saying: "Be patient, we're still perfecting the colors for the press, and the LV Book is still coming soon..."
RR TRAX STUDIOS MEDIA FOR CSXT
The first issue of the RR Trax Studios publication produced exclusively for CSX Transportation, the KEYSTONE, was printed and distributed during October 2007 to several Baltimore Division terminals. Print run for the first issue was a modest 175, with future issues targeted at a print run of 250. Articles were submitted by the UTU Keystone Safety Committee; Operation Redblock; local management; and the Editor, RR Trax Studios own T.K. Kraemer. Article and photo submissions for the KEYSTONE are welcomed and should be submitted in care of the Editor and are not restricted by employment status with CSX (historical photos and stories the public and retirees are especially needed at this time). The Winter 2007 issue is planned to available to employees in December. Also, a second safety video was produced by RR Trax Studios during November, entitled "Switch and Safety Focus."
September 2007
SUMMER IS OVER ALREADY?
Maybe technically so, but there is still plenty of great weather ahead to enjoy! RR Trax Studios has been busy over the summer months, with website upgrades and, most notably, production of Ken Kraemer's feature book on the Lehigh Valley Railroad. During the change of seasons ahead, RR Trax Studios will be involved with some autumn photography projects throughout the month of October, then it will be back to more "indoor" activities—with some interesting new items available soon. The RR Trax Studios line of Heritage Photos will be offered starting next month. These real-photo prints will feature restored historic railroad-theme images taken between 1900-1920, with subject matter focused on railroad signal towers and depots. Look for an update in next month's news column.
BUFFALO CENTRAL TERMINAL TRAIN SHOW
The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation (Buffalo, NY) will host their second annual train show on September 8th & 9th at the terminal. Ken Kraemer, author of the RR Trax Studios book BUFFALO CENTRAL TERMINAL - A PHOTO ALBUM, will be in attendance to sign books and meet visitors at the event. For more information, go to: http://buffalocentralterminal.org/.
RR TRAX STUDIOS TO PRODUCE CSX COMPANY MATERIAL
CSXT's Keystone
Safety Committee, based in Cumberland, MD, is busy working on a series
of safety videos for employees of the Transportation Department. Tom
Kraemer will be filming the series on-site, and the editing will be done
at RR Trax Studios. Test footage was shot and edited during
August.
August 2007
SUMMER HAS BEEN GOOD FOR PASSENGER EXCURSIONS
Many of us remember the "good old days" when mainline passenger excursions on Class I railroads filled summer calendars, but in the past few years, high insurance costs and difficulties dealing with large railroad companies have prevented many excursions from running, especially over long-distance routes. Over the weekend of July 7th and 8th, Altoona, Pennsylvania hosted its annual RailFest which included several mainline excursions powered by classic PRR E-Units. These trips provided the public a glimpse of what big-time railroading may have been like some 50 years ago on the Pennsy as the train was guided by position-light signals and weaved its way between freight traffic on multiple tracks at high speeds. RR Trax Studios images taken by Tom Kraemer of the event are scheduled to appear in RAILPACE and PASSENGER TRAIN JOURNAL magazines.
LEHIGH VALLEY BOOK GOING TO PRESS
Ken Kraemer's book on the Lehigh Valley Railroad is nearing completion, and should be ready for printing by the end of the month. The book will be hardbound, 120 pages, with over 250 photos
–-the vast majority of which have never been published. The focus of the book is the "quality" of both the images and materials used. The photo composition and creative layout design, along with descriptive text and captions should place the reader as close to being trackside on the LV as one can get some 30 years since the railroad's demise under Conrail.
RR TRAX STUDIOS - NOT JUST ABOUT TRAINS!
Though RR Trax Studios is known for primarily being concerned with railroad topics, it is certainly not limited to the subject exclusively. In fact, this month, RR Trax Studios images highlighting the majesty of exotic and large felines will appear both in print and on the web. Additionally, book detailing the history and operation of the Coopers Rock Mountain Lion Sanctuary is being written by Tom Kraemer alongside facility owners Mark and Sheila Jenkins. Look for it to be in-print sometime in 2008.
July 2007
The RR Trax Studios web server has undergone a
series of upgrades during the first few weeks of July. Since we're
already more than half-way through the month at this point, look for a
full "Latest News" section to be displayed on-schedule August 1st.
June 2007
CHICAGO BOOK FAIR JUNE 9-10
The 2007 Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair is scheduled for June 9th and 10th in downtown Chicago (Dearborn & Polk). The event features 200 author programs, 150 booksellers and exhibitors, and the Chicago Tribune Kids Alley filled with family activities and entertainment. RR Trax Studios will be attending the fair to explore possibilities for promoting the future book CHICAGO - WHEN THE RAILROAD WAS POWERED BY STEAM which is planned to be available in 2008 or early 2009. For additional info on the event, click here.
Photo by Eric Hayhurst, June 2003
WESTERN MARYLAND SCENIC RAILROAD HONORS
GLEN HAYHURST
On a warm May 19, 2007 morning, WMSR's steam locomotive No. 734, flying a pair of black flags, paused for a moment at Helmstetter's Curve for friends to pay respects to Glen Hayhurst, who passed away unexpectedly on May 14th. Glen was a local friend and fellow railfan, who spent a good many evenings at the Cumberland Amtrak station greeting train 29, the Capitol Limited, as it paused there on its way to Chicago from Washington, DC. He will be missed. Glen's son, Eric Hayhurst, has contributed photos to the RR Trax Studios book WESTERN MARYLAND SCENIC RAILROAD. His work is featured on pages 43, 62, and 69 of the current edition.
LEHIGH VALLEY BOOK PROGRESS
Caption work on Ken Kraemer's book THE
LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD - A PHOTO ALBUM is nearing completion, and we are
now in the "fun" process of editing the text. The book is still planned
to be released by the end of the summer.
May 2007
On May 5th, the WMSR will be steaming again, taking
passengers on its impressive 16-mile trip up the mountain from
Cumberland to Frostburg. The operating season will last through
December. Steam locomotive No. 734 will power the regular excursion
trains on weekends (Friday-Sunday) with diesel power featured on
Thursday's trips (there are no scheduled trips this season
Monday-Wednesday except during October). Thomas the Tank Engine is
scheduled to return to the WMSR on the weekends of September 21-23, and
28-30. The RR Trax Studios book
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (2nd Edition) will be available
throughout the season at the Cumberland station and at Main Street Books
in Frostburg. A 3rd Edition of the book is planned for 2008. For more
information on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad,
click here.
RR TRAX STUDIOS BOOK RETAILERS FEATURED
A new feature of the RR Trax Studios website is a page listing
retail shops and on-line companies that carry RR Trax Studios
book titles. This page will continue to grow as retailers are added.
Along with a short description of the retailer, a link is provided for
each of the featured sites. Added last month were: railroadbooks.biz
and
Mainline Hobby Supply. To access the Book Retailers page,
click here.
BOOK PROGRESS REPORT Steady progress is being made on the
future RR Trax Studios title The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A
Photo Album by Ken Kraemer. Page layout is nearly complete, and
we are now in the arduous process of writing and editing the captions
and text. In the meantime, work on the book COUGAR TRACKS - The
True Story of the Coopers Rock Mountain Lion Sanctuary by Tom
Kraemer is being completed as time allows, with a projected release date
in early 2008. Image work on CHICAGO - When the Railroad was
Powered by Steam is still in progress at this time.
WESTERN MARYLAND SCENIC RAILROAD 2007 SEASON
April 2007
LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD BOOK COMING SOON
Ken Kraemer's book based exclusively on
his creative photography of the Lehigh Valley Railroad is nearing
completion. The book is shaping up to be about 120 pages, and will
feature over 200 photos, the majority of which are previously
unpublished images of the seldom-photographed "West End" (from Sayre
through the Finger Lakes Region of New York and up to Niagara Falls).
Stay tuned to this site for updates. The
release date will be narrowed down during the next few months, but for
now LV fans can just say they have something to look forward to this
summer!
WHITE RIVER PRODUCTIONS MAGAZINES FEATURE RR TRAX STUDIOS IMAGES THIS MONTH
The April 2007 issue of
RAILROADS ILLUSTRATED features an article by Tom Kraemer on
surviving semaphore signals of the Monon Railroad in Indiana. For a
link to RAILROADS ILLUSTRATED, click
here.
Likewise, the current issue of THE MILWAUKEE RAILROADER
magazine (publication of the Milwaukee Road Historical Association)
features photos from the collection of
RR Trax Studios showing Milwaukee
Road trains in the Chicago area during the 1940s. These photos offer
a sneak preview of the material slated for the future
RR Trax Studios book entitled
CHICAGO - WHEN THE RAILROAD WAS POWERED BY STEAM.
For information on THE MILWAUKEE RAILROADER and the MRHA
click
here.
NEW YORK CENTRAL SYSTEM HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING APRIL
27-29
This year's meeting of the NYCSHS will be held in
and around the Buffalo, New York area April 27-29. The meeting features a
variety of activities, including a guided tour of Buffalo Central Terminal. Ken
Kraemer, author of the RR Trax Studios
book entitled Buffalo Central Terminal - A Photo Album
will be available to sign books during this time, and he will have a table set
up at the train show on Grand Island on April 28th. For more info on the
convention, including meeting itinerary, click
here.
March 2007
The RR Trax Studios
website has seen steady growth during the past month and features some exciting
new links and pages. New this month is our section on Photos for Sale that currently offers a few
"vintage" (yes, I know, time is flying by) photo prints of railroad subjects I
have taken over the years. More photos are planned to be added this month,
including a series of high-quality duplicate Ektachrome slides that have just
become available. Also planned for March is an expanded section on all available
RR Trax Studios
book titles. Stay tuned...and bookmark our site to easily check back often.
RR Trax Studios eBay auctions
are winding down for the season, please check our link for current vintage and
original railroadiana items available this month: eBay Auctions . This month's RR Trax
Studios eBay auctions will feature a variety of vintage railroad public
timetables, unique B&W photo lots, antique tickets and passes, and other
interesting odds-n-ends.
As for book projects, it looks as though the next RR
Trax Studios
book to be released will feature my father's superb photography of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad. Imaging and layout work is currently underway, and there have
already been several requests by devout LV fans who would very much like to see
Ken Kraemer's amazing photo coverage of this interesting railroad consolidated
into a quality book. It is coming very soon...you have my word! Thanks for
stopping by.
February 2007
Hello and
welcome to RR Trax Studios. This website is being developed with
the intention of being a centralized resource for information, products,
and services provided by RR Trax Studios of Cumberland, Maryland.
This "Latest News" section will be updated monthly, and will highlight
current projects and events; new books, photos, and services available;
and the latest happenings with both RR Trax Studios and its
associated company, Ken Kraemer Photos of Buffalo, NY. I hope to
make this an interactive website, so please feel free to write with your
questions or comments, which I will address here each month as well.