Capturing the Soul of the Railroad

I recently learned about Richard Steinheimer, an American railroad photographer who revolutionised the way the industry was shown. He is known for documenting the US’ transition from steam to diesel power and his unique style and framing.

I was quickly drawn to his work, the motion, framing and drama of the imagery is so alive. Steinheimer grew up in Glendale, California and photographed mostly the American west, which I also have a special connection with as I also grew up in southern California and spent a good deal of my childhood watching trains on the Surfline. Today, I have collected a few of my favourite photos of his to show as well as highlight who I discovered his work from, YouTuber Modern Line Studios after by chance coming across one of his videos of freight trains traversing the Needles subdivision in California’s desert. I was immediately caught by his eye of capturing trains, it is cinematic, and unlike any other train video I have seen. In his documentary (Foamer) he talks about where he draws inspiration from, and this is when I learned about Steinheimer.

Nolan Davis Kiely