Robert G. Lewis

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Robert Grier Lewis (born December 5, 1916 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † January 6, 2011 in Ormond-by-the-Sea , Florida ) was an American photographer, editor and author in the field of railways.

Life

After completing his high school education in Germantown, Pennsylvania, he began on August 8, 1934 a job with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). In 1936 the Pennsylvania Railroad realized his idea and organized a special train especially for rail enthusiasts for the first time.

From April 15, 1940 to January 15, 1941 he worked for the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad . From 1941 to 1942 he was employed in the freight transport division of the PRR in Cleveland and Akron. After his military service in the US Navy from 1942 to 1946, he was again employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

In 1947, Lewis joined the Railway Age railroad magazine in Chicago as assistant editor . He later became an editor for the transport division. In 1950 he moved to the management of Simmons-Boardman and was first head of the sales department and in 1956 editor of Railway Age. He held this position until 1995. In the meantime he was also president and chairman of the board of directors of Simmons-Boardman.

While at Simmons-Boardman, he was responsible for founding the International Railway Journal in 1961 .

After he left the publishing house, he worked on various book projects and was a consultant to the railway industry.

Lewis began taking pictures of trains at the age of 13. A large collection of recordings was made over the course of his life. Especially his recordings from the 1930s and 1940s have been published several times. In Philadelphia he was a founding member of the local section of the National Railroad Historical Society in 1936.

Publications

  • The handbook of American railroads . Simmons-Boardman 1951.
  • The handbook of American railroads . Simmons-Boardman 1956.
  • Railway age's comprehensive railroad dictionary . Simmons-Boardman 1984.
  • Off the beaten track. A railroader's life in pictures . Simmons-Boardman 2004.
  • Keystone state traction. Pennsylvania's historic trolley systems . Central Electric Railfans Association 2008.

Web links

literature

  • Who's who in railroading in North America , Vol. 12 (1949)
personal data
SURNAME Lewis, Robert G.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lewis, Robert Grier (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American photographer, author and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH December 5, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia
DATE OF DEATH January 6, 2011
Place of death Ormond-by-the-Sea