Passenger Train Journal


Passenger Train Journal is an American magazine about passenger rail transport and rail transit past and present, oriented for railfans and published currently by White River Productions. Founded in 1968, it was published continuously until 1996, and monthly from 1979 onward, but then ceased publication. After a 10-year absence, it was restarted in 2006 with a different publishing company, as a quarterly magazine. PTJ deals exclusively with passenger rail, not freight. Although focused on North America, each issue includes at least a small amount of content on overseas—usually European—passenger rail. The magazine is headquartered in Lee, Illinois.

History

Passenger Train Journal was founded in 1968 by Kevin McKinney, who established the PTJ Publishing Company for the purpose. The magazine originally was issued quarterly, becoming bimonthly in fall 1975 and monthly starting in March 1979. McKinney remained its publisher and owner until selling the magazine to Interurban Press in 1987. Publication continued under Interurban Press, and as of 1992 PTJ's circulation was about 10,000. In 1993, Interurban Press was acquired by Pentrex, which continued publishing PTJ until abruptly "suspending" publication at the end of 1996. Pentrex never revived the magazine, and indeed in 1999 ceased publishing all of its other magazines as well.

White River Productions era

In 2006, Passenger Train Journal was resurrected by Kevin EuDaly of White River Productions, as a quarterly magazine. Appointed to the position of Editor was Mike Schafer, who had been one of the magazine's past editors, from 1983 until 1990. The first issue published by White River Productions was No. 229, Fourth Quarter 2006. Currently, each issue has 48 pages.