Daniel Hadley Presents: “Becoming A Professional Railfan
2025-12-04 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45203, United States
Merging a person’s hobby and their profession is not always easy.
A major railfan video producer was looking to expand, and we found one another at an opportune time. The program explains how this came about and explores many of the videos I produced. The program was originally done for The Center for Railroad Photography and Art. One aspect requested was that I speak about the differences between shooting stills and video. Now that’s a real can of worms, but I believe there’s an answer here.
About our speaker
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been interested in railroading. I owe that to my father who, though not a railfan in the modern sense, seemed to enjoy taking me down to the roundhouse, station, or switching tower. An early memory was being lifted into the cab of a steam locomotive and seeing the gates of hell open as the fireman shoveled coal. I was hooked!
In college, I majored in Broadcast Communication Arts and worked at various TV jobs. In 1980, I landed at WLS TV in Chicago where I worked directly for the ABC television network, doing segments for Good Morning America, Nightline, and local news. In 1990, that came to a screeching halt when ABC began layoffs. Being an avid railroad photographer and a professional videographer and editor, I decided to try marrying these two aspects of my life and, amazingly, it worked.

All Cincinnati Railroad Club meetings are held in the Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center and are open to the public at no charge. We’ll begin the evening at 7:30 pm with brief club updates & announcements, followed by our featured program presentation at 8:00 pm. Parking will be validated for attendees parking in the Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center parking lots.
Directions to Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal:
Enter through Union Terminal’s main entrance into the rotunda, turn left toward the Cincinnati History Museum, and the Newsreel Theater doors will be on your left between the escalator and the History Museum. Again, the meeting begins at 7:30 pm with our featured program will start at 8:00 pm

Josh Cohen Presents: How I've Been Able to Photograph Two Small Railroads and Keep it Interesting
2026-01-08 19:30 - 21:00
My discussion will cover my last seven years of photographing the Youngstown Steel Heritage Museum and the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum. I will demonstrate how I document these locations by using light, weather, and people to create diverse and compelling images that change over time, even within the constraints of small spaces.
About the Speaker, Josh Cohen:
I have loved trains since birth. My first Lionel train, gifted to me by my dad’s best friend, set me on a path toward railroad photography and preservation.
I am most proud of my time as a fireman on the J&L Narrow Gauge Railroad. I enjoy the challenge of switching cars, whether I’m working on my model railroad or operating full-size trains. My passion is photographing steam locomotives, and the most rewarding part of this work is sharing it with friends.
About the meetings
All Cincinnati Railroad Club meetings are held in the Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center and are open to the public at no charge. We’ll begin the evening at 7:30 pm with brief club updates & announcements, followed by our featured program presentation at 8:00 pm. Parking will be validated for attendees parking in the Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center parking lots.
Directions to Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal:
Enter through Union Terminal’s main entrance into the rotunda, turn left toward the Cincinnati History Museum, and the Newsreel Theater doors will be on your left between the escalator and the History Museum. Just look for our club banner outside the door. Again, the meeting begins at 7:30 pm with our featured program starting at 8:00 pm

Photographing the Long Island Rail Road | February 2026
2026-02-05 19:30 - 21:00
Long Island native Joe Stroppel shares his photography of the Long Island Rail Road, the busiest commuter rail system in North America. Visit busy stations and interlockings at the outer reaches of New York City, travel to scenic landscapes of the North and South Fork, and explore the LIRR’s rapidly changing infrastructure – including its endangered PRR-style Position Light signals, control towers, and stretches of non-signaled dark territory.
About the speaker
Joe Stroppel was born in Glen Cove, NY, on the North Shore of Long Island. He lived only a few blocks from the Oyster Bay Branch, which is where his fascination with the railroad began. On weekends, his mother would take little Joe on train rides to Oyster Bay. At age 13, he got his first camera, and he’s been photographing the LIRR ever since. Joe was one of the youngest docents to attend the Center for Railroad Photography & Art (CRP&A)’s Conversations conference in 2016, and he returned on another scholarship in 2025. His favorite aspects of the hobby include railroad photography, the sounds of the railroad (especially train horns), and train travel. Outside of the railroad hobby, Joe is a classically-trained singer and actor, and he performs around the New York City area.
About the meetings
All Cincinnati Railroad Club meetings are held in the Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center and are open to the public at no charge. We’ll begin the evening at 7:30 pm with brief club updates & announcements, followed by our featured program presentation at 8:00 pm. Parking will be validated for attendees parking in the Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center parking lots.
Directions to Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal:
Enter through Union Terminal’s main entrance into the rotunda, turn left toward the Cincinnati History Museum, and the Newsreel Theater doors will be on your left between the escalator and the History Museum. Just look for our club banner outside the door. Again, the meeting begins at 7:30 pm with our featured program starting at 8:00 pm

A Night with the Zephyr - Dave Zeman
2026-03-05 19:30 - 21:00
Railroad photographer Dave Zeman makes his return to the 2026 lineup of presenters for the Cincinnati Railroad Club.

Join us for the meeting on Thursday, March 5th, 2026, where he will present “A Night with Zephyr.” Dave will go over how he planned and executed a photoshoot with the CB&Q Zephyr at the Illinois Railway Museum last October.

You don’t want to miss this presentation! If you can’t make it to the historic Cincinnati Union Terminal for the live event, it will be available on YouTube about a week after the in-person presentation.

About the meetingsAll Cincinnati Railroad Club meetings are held in the Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center and are open to the public at no charge. We’ll begin the evening at 7:30 pm with brief club updates & announcements, followed by our featured program presentation at 8:00 pm. Parking will be validated for attendees parking in the Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center parking lots.

Directions to Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal:Enter through Union Terminal’s main entrance into the rotunda, turn left toward the Cincinnati History Museum, and the Newsreel Theater doors will be on your left between the escalator and the History Museum. Just look for our club banner outside the door. Again, the meeting begins at 7:30 pm with our featured program starting at 8:00 pm

Cincinnati's Unfinished Subway - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | April 2026
2026-04-02 19:30 - 21:00
Jacob Mecklenborg traces the trajectory of Cincinnati’s ill-fated transit project by examining the evolution of the rapid transit subway plan during its pre-construction phase and the significant alterations made to those designs once construction was underway. He further analyzes the 1930s-era proposals to adapt the tunnels for streetcar use and concludes by illustrating how the unfinished infrastructure ultimately failed to meet the city’s shifting needs during the rise of the automobile era.

Jacob Mecklenborg is a Cincinnati native and author of “Cincinnati’s Incomplete Subway: The Complete History”.

Order the book online: Amazon, Arcadia Publishing

About the meetings
All Cincinnati Railroad Club meetings are held in the Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center and are open to the public at no charge. We’ll begin the evening at 7:30 pm with brief club updates & announcements, followed by our featured program presentation at 8:00 pm. Parking will be validated for attendees parking in the Union Terminal/Cincinnati Museum Center parking lots.

Directions to Newsreel Theater at Union Terminal:
Enter through Union Terminal’s main entrance into the rotunda, turn left toward the Cincinnati History Museum, and the Newsreel Theater doors will be on your left between the escalator and the History Museum. Just look for our club banner outside the door. Again, the meeting begins at 7:30 pm with our featured program starting at 8:00 pm.
