Of Dreams and Train Books

Along this latest journey to producing another book, I’m discovering stories of people whose slide collections were lost or discarded after the photographer’s passing – their survivors were not told about the collections or what to do with them. So with that in mind, I am stating that I am actively seeking railroad slide/photograph collections,…

The design & layout of the book is now complete through Chapter Three! On to Chapter Four: Central Indiana. Chapter One covered Northeast Indiana from the Ohio & Michigan borders to Just east of South Bend and North Judson Chapter Two covered Northwest Indiana from South Bend & North Judson to the Illinois border. Chapter…

Don Wirth’s Frisco Steam Salute is now available for only $20 plus $10 USPS Priority Mail shipping: https://michaelckelly.net/?product=frisco-steam-salute This 128-page hardcover book contains over 100 black & white and color images of Frisco steam power in the 1930s and 1940s, expertly guided by Don Wirth, Chief Mechanical Officer for Frisco 4-8-2 #1522. The book also…

A few weeks ago I was in Indianapolis, and went to a cafe in Broad Ripple, near the Monon Trail. I took the opportunity to get a shot of the White River bridge that we have a shot of the Monon crossing. It looks a little different today than 1969 when Monon 203 crossed it…

After receiving over 330 images so far, we have found our best candidate for the cover of Rails Around Indiana. Nothing says Indiana as much as the Monon, and here Monon 518 leads a southbound past the Gosport depot in the late 60s. Photo by Tony Koester. Unless something else comes in that really blows…

With the success of the southern Illinois book, I am moving on to Northern Illinois in the same format. This book will cover all of the major railroads from the Iowa/Wisconsin borders down to the same I-70 dividing line used for the Southern Illinois book. Rail lines I aim to cover include: the Santa Fe,…