The Last Steam Railroad in America

by Thomas H. Garver, Winston O. Link (Photographs)

Celebrates the Norfolk and Western Railway and the communities through which the last commercially-operated steam engines in America traveled.

Genres: Photography, Railways, Nonfiction, Trains

144 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

(O. Winston Link's father knew that the initials of his son's name would spell O-W-L.)

A commercial photographer, Link documented the last years of the Norfolk and Western Railway, the last steam railway which ran until 1960. The black and white photographs from 4x5 negatives are particularly stunning. Link had a particular eye for composition, and an obsession to document the details of the people who operated and spent time along all the stations on the routes. This book isn't simply about trains, it's about all of the life which surrounded life on the railroad.

Tom Garver, who became a well-known museum curator and director, was an apprentice to Link in the 1950s and returned later in his career to work with Link on organizing his impressive archive of train images.

[Christopher May · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are certain books on the shelf that I find myself reaching for over and over again. The Last Steam Railroad in America is certainly among those titles. The text is enlightening but make no mistake, this book is all about the magnificent photographic documentation of the last years of steam railroading on the Norfolk and Western Railroad in the late 1950s.

Much of the praise for Link’s photography is heaped on his night work utilizing artificial lighting. Rightfully so. Link’s night work is painterly. The dark of night is his canvas, his complex lighting kits his paints and his Graflex camera his brush. He also proves that photography is the medium of choice for those who excel at right *and* left brain thinking. His realized artistic visions are the product of a scientific mind making the most of the tools and techniques available to him.

However, I think my favorite photos in the book feature Link’s coverage of the scenic Abingdon branch. Link masterfully weaves the people, the land and the railroad into a stunning tapestry of life in a rural corner of America. The result is art at its finest.

I’m sure that most photographers and especially most railroad photographers have come across Winston Link before so any recommendation I would leave is probably preaching to the choir. However, if you’re outside of that group and haven’t heard of Link and his railroad project, I can not recommend this book highly enough. It is photography at its very best.

[Thomas Warger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The compelling but somewhat weird photographs (including many nighttime flash-lit scenes) of O. Winston Link. Portrays the Norfolk and Western Railway as it gamely tried to extend the time of steam locomotives as jet airplanes were flying overhead. The N&W was a major coal-hauler, so no great surprise. Link's photos unwittingly reveal the impossibility of stopping the clock.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book. I was hoping to see a photo of Winston Link, the photographer, from the front up close but there was none. That kind of surprised me as the book was largely a biography of him.