December 2008

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's "North Pole Express" steams along the mountainside
high above Mount Savage, Maryland, on a cold December night in 2007.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from RR Trax Studios!

     While the focus of 2008 has been on the promotion and distribution of Ken Kraemer's book The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album, the "creative" side of RR Trax Studios has been been quite active as well. The next major book title release is now planned for 2009: The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad - A Tribute by Thomas K. Kraemer. A promotional announcement will appear in this column with more details next month. Until then, thanks for making 2008 a great year and enjoy the Season!
 

October - November 2008

A CSX freight train travels west along the Youghiogheny River under a full moon near Layton, PA, September 2008.

FALL BOOK SIGNINGS

     RR Trax Studios author Ken Kraemer will be holding book signings and sale events at two Buffalo, New York-area train shows this Fall. The first will be the Great Batavia Train Show in Batavia, NY, on November 9. The event will be sponsored by the Genesee Society of Model Engineers (info at www.gsme.org). The Western New York Railway Historical Society will hold their annual Greater Buffalo Toy and Train Show in Hamburg, NY, November 22-23 (info at www.wnyrhs.com). All RR Trax Studios book titles will be available at the shows, and folks who have already purchased copies of Ken's books on-line or through their favorite dealers are welcome to bring their books to the shows to have them signed. Hope to see you there!
 

September 2008

     With shorter days and cooler weather, RR Trax Studios will soon be focusing on such "fun" indoor activities as image processing and layout design! Several new books are in the works, and the details will be announced on this website first. The Fall issue of the CSXT KEYSTONE EMPLOYEES' NEWSLETTER (Vol. 2 No. 3) is now being assembled, and will include the above photo taken by trackside fan Ed Kaspriske in 1978.  The newsletter will recognize several retirees and senior employees who were hired during the Chessie era.
 

July-August 2008

  CELEBRATE SUMMER!

     Summer is a time for celebration, and the long days and cool nights are perfect for photography! RR Trax Studios has remained busy during the summer months promoting and selling Ken Kraemer's book The Lehigh Valley Railroad – A Photo Album, as well as keeping our retailers stocked with all three RR Trax Studios titles. A few other substantial book projects are getting closer to having completion dates (hint - one will definitely have an orange-and-black cover!). Stay tuned to this website for the latest announcements and news.
 

June 2008

  Focused on Steam

     Photographing steam locomotives was a primary concern of historians and preservationists during the 1940s and '50s as the nation's railroads were making a permanent transition to diesel locomotive power. Though most photographers were striving to document the locomotives themselves, a few were artfully taking the time to compose images that showed the entire scene, and how the steam locomotive was a part of the railroad landscape. Since that time, RR Trax Studios author Ken Kraemer has since been actively photographing steam locomotives in an era when museums and historical groups operated preserved steam locomotives for enthusiasts and tourism. Displaying careful scene composition and artistry, a few of his images appear on the pages of his books The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album and Buffalo Central Terminal - A Photo Album. Ken has an amazing collection of photos he has taken of steam locomotives in action across North America during the "following" 50 years beyond steam's regular service in America – enough material for a quality stand-alone book on the subject. Although we cannot make any "official" availability date announcements or pass along specific details at this time, we can say that such a project is currently active. Stay tuned!
 

May 2008

     The short days of Winter are "officially" considered over when there's a rainbow over Cumberland! 2008 is shaping up to be an exciting year for railroad enthusiasts – whether you're a fan of big-time Class I freight trains, or preserved operating equipment. Locally, freight traffic on CSX over the Allegheny Mountains is booming, and the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad is gearing up for another full season with operating steam locomotive No. 734. RR Trax Studios will also be busy throughout the season promoting current book titles and continuing to publish CSX's KEYSTONE Employees' Newsletter. In addition, RR Trax Studios continues to expand its retailer base, recently adding featured businesses such as Central Hobby Supply of Syracuse, New York, and The Big Little Railroad Shop of Somerville, New Jersey. Check the link to the RR Trax Studios "Book Retailers" for updates. Have a safe and happy Summer, and hope to see you trackside!
 

April 2008

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LVRR BOOK SIGNING - ITHACA, NY APRIL 26-27

     Ken Kraemer, author of the RR Trax Studios book The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album will be available to sign books at the 25th annual Finger Lakes Railfair which will be held on April 26 & 27, 2008 near Ithaca, New York. The event is sponsored by the Cornell Railroad Historical Society and the Cornell Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. For more information, please contact RR Trax Studios; James S. Torgeson (Railfair coordinator) jst25@cornell.edu; or visit the CRHS website at www.lehighvalleyrr.com. A poster for the event may be downloaded at:
www.lehighvalleyrr.com/Railfair%20Poster-2008.pdf
 

LEHIGH VALLEY RR BOOK HITS HOME!

   In just two short weeks since its release on March 14, sales of Ken Kraemer's book The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album have been brisk, with orders still being filled daily. Ken would personally like to extend a big "Thanks!" to all of the website customers and retailers who showed a sincere interest in the book and have taken the time to share their comments. Even if the LV itself is gone, it continues to live on in photos and memories. Here are a few of the very thoughtful and unsolicited comments received so far – thanks very much again to those who wrote them, as they are very much appreciated!

"Absolutely the best LV Photo book yet - no question! Great tribute, and great insight into what railroading around the nations second largest railroad community was all about. Hats off to Mr. Kraemer."

"What makes this new book most attractive to me is that it contains LOTs of photos at locations that I've never seen anywhere before. The stuff around Niagara and Tifft junctions, the Tonawanda shots, Cayuta and Burdett, etc., etc. were all new to me. (And this is from a guy what used to chase the LV around the Finger Lakes area back in the early/mid 70s). I've spent a couple very enjoyable evenings this week with this book....if you're a true LV fan, get it! A big thanks to Ken Kraemer and RR Trax Studios."

"My copy arrived the other day and I was very pleased. I could really sense just how much I missed out on, not having been born until long after all of this went away. Growing up near Batavia, NY I can recall riding my bike on the abandoned ROW imagining what once had been."

"I think the book is terrific and the photos really capture the seldom depicted rag tag nature of the west end of LV in the '60s-'70s: locomotives in any combination, a rainbow of color schemes, track in serious need of maintenance, great upstate NY scenery, interesting consists."

"Hey, I've REALLY been enjoying the book; I've been through it several times over the past couple nights.  (And I have virtually ever book that's been printed on the LV, so I certainly have some basis for comparison.)  It's a bit different than most of the other color books out there, with lots of cool stuff that I've never seen before, and some of those B&W pics just seem to fit the mood the seemed to hang over the LV during it's last couple years."

"This is a really nice addition to the collective volume of stuff on the LV, and really brought back some good memories. A huge thanks to you guys for putting this out!"

March 2008

LEHIGH VALLEY BOOK AVAILABLE!

     RR Trax Studios is pleased to announce that Ken Kraemer's book The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album is now available! The "Add to Cart" button has been activated on this site, and orders may be placed directly. Congrats to Ken on an amazing book that reflects over 50 years of Lehigh Valley memories!

CSXT'S KEYSTONE NEWSLETTER
FOR SPRING '08

     The CSX Keystone Subdivision newsletter, published quarterly by RR Trax Studios, features articles on Professional Development and the Safety SENSE Committee. Though the publication is distributed to employees only, here's a look at the cover for those who took the time to visit this site (thanks!). It features a photo of SD70AC No. 767 westbound at Ellerslie, PA, taken in the Spring of 2005. RR Trax Studios will also be producing another safety video this month which will focus on good radio communication and "707" work authority procedures.
 

February 2008

LEHIGH VALLEY BOOK IS ON THE WAY!

     Ken Kraemer's book The Lehigh Valley Railroad - A Photo Album is currently in the final stages of being printed and bound. A release date will be announced on this site with the March news update, but as of now, the tentative availability date is set at March 14th, 2008. The hardbound book contains 120 pages with over 200 of Ken's unique photos of the LV from the 1950s through its final years and beyond, as LV equipment labored on as the property of other railroad companies. Fans of pre-Conrail railroading will be pleased with the coverage of many familiar and memorable LV locations, and will be pleasantly surprised by some of the rare and personal views presented in the book. Additionally, the book offers images and insight into neighboring railroad companies, and the awesome natural and industrial landscape surrounding the "Route of the Black Diamond."
 

January 2008