Railroads Illustrated - History

History

Railroads Illustrated was originally published as CTC Board (ISSN 0164-8373), a monthly magazine devoted to railroad photography, rail industry and tourist railroad news, and historical articles, from 1970 to 2006. The magazine's name referred to the centralized traffic control displays used by train dispatchers to control rail traffic across a given territory. The magazine's well-known cover icon was an image of an Alaska Railroad F-unit.

Originally published by HyRail Productions of Denver, Colorado, it was later published by Hundman Publishing, of Edmonds, Washington. The editor until the July 2005 issue was founder Dale Sanders. From August 2005 until the final issue, it was edited by author Paul D. Schneider. Mark W. Hemphill (later editor of Trains magazine), then rail photographer Brian Rutherford, served as production editors for many years.

While the magazine's primary focus was on reproducing high-quality railroad photography, it also included current news for railfans, as well as articles from railroad professionals such as Jack Whelihan of General Motors' Electro-Motive Division, and Bob Eisthen, a private investment analyst.

Among CTC Board's notable works was a series devoted to the last logging railroads in North America, the race for high-horsepower locomotives in the U.S. during the 1960s, photo essays showcasing the work of U.S. railroad photographers, and a retrospective on the end of the Milwaukee Road's Pacific Coast Extension. In addition, the magazine explored thematic issues, such as "Storm Light," (photographs taken under stormy weather conditions), "Black and White Forever" (showcasing contemporary black-and-white photography), and photographs taken on a single day, entitled a "Day in North America."

CTC Board ended production in 2006, with the June issue (No. 332) becoming the final issue using that name. The magazine was sold to White River Productions, publisher of Passenger Train Journal and other magazines. White River renamed the magazine Railroads Illustrated (ISSN 1071-8311), the CTC Board name being retained for the news section. White River's production began with No. 333, published in February 2007.