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MEET THE STAFF
Published: Monday, July 03, 2006
Jim Wrinn, Editor
Jim Wrinn has been editor of Trains since Oct. 27, 2004. A native of Franklin, N.C., he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in journalism and political science. He worked at newspapers in Durham, Gastonia, and Fayetteville before joining The Charlotte Observer in 1986. He was a staff writer and editor, and worked for every section of the newspaper he could -- whether it be general news, business, religion, sports, and even the humor column. Jim grew up watching the Southern Railway in his father's hometown, Westminster, S.C., and in Asheville, N.C., and riding the nearby Shay-powered Graham County Railroad at Robbinsville. He began reading Trains at age 6 in 1967 and had a subscription the following spring. The gift of a 35mm camera in 1977 started him taking black and white negatives and color slides. He has been an editor or writer at various times for "Rails South," a regional publication; Norfolk Southern's "Focus" magazine; the Piedmont Carolinas Chapter, National Railway Historical Society's "Flyer" newsletter; Southern Railway Historical Association's "Green Light" and later "Ties;" and N.C. Transportation Museum's "Shop Talk." Solely or in collaboration, he has written books about the Aberdeen & Rockfish short line, "The Road of Personal Service," 1992; "Spencer Shops, 1896-1996," 1996; "Pictorial History of North American Railroading," also 1996; and the Southern Railway and later Norfolk Southern steam program in "Steam's Camelot," 2001. He is preparing a book on the Graham County now. Jim is a lifelong steam fan, and he is a qualified locomotive engineer at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer. When not enjoying railroading, he enjoys hiking or bicycling, music, visiting National Parks, and sampling the vintage from wineries. |
Tom Danneman, Art Director
Art Director Tom Danneman rejoined the Trains staff in January 2000. Tom was the assistant art director for Trains from January 1998 through August 1999 before leaving to be art director for Model Railroader.
Tom is responsible for the look of Trains. This includes designing the cover and feature articles, working with the editors to find the best way to present information, and giving direction to the illustrators as they produce those colorful and complex maps and other illustrations. In addition to Trains and Model Railroader, Tom also serves as art director for Classic Trains.
Tom enjoys photography, hiking, biking, basketball and volleyball. He especially enjoys spending his free time in Montana photographing his two favorite railroads, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (and predecessor Burlington Northern) and Montana Rail Link. He lives in Sussex with his wife, Christy, and daughter, Grace, not too far from the UP Adams sub and CN Waukesha sub crossing.
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Kathi Kube, Managing Editor
Kathi Kube, our managing editor, comes to TRAINS from Progressive Railroading, where she was assistant editor for three-and-a-half years.
Kathi graduated with honors from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee in 1999 and has spent her entire journalistic career talking with and writing about railroaders and railroad suppliers. She's pleased to see the growth in ridership and popularity of commuter rail and rail transit. Kathi currently serves as a director-at-large for League of Railway Industry Women.
Other pursuits? Weightlifting and collecting frogs-the web-footed type, not track. She and her musician husband, Jim, and their teenage daughters, Jenni and Beckie, live in Menomonee Falls, Wis. |
Matt Van Hattem, Senior Editor
Matt Van Hattem joined the Trains staff in January 2002, after spending a year at Kalmbach editing news and feature content on the Trains.com web site.
Born in Jersey City, N.J., Matt's early memories of railroads include riding PATH trains to Newark and Manhattan, and watching freight cars roll down the hump at Penn Central's yard in Selkirk, N.Y., a few miles from his childhood home.
Matt graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and went to work for PR Newswire, while learning to navigate the labyrinthine New York City subway system. He spent eight years with publisher John Wiley & Sons, editing college and professional books in the areas of travel and tourism, hotel and restaurant management, and building construction.
A resident of Oconomowoc, Matt enjoys travel, photography, and watching reruns of The Sopranos, noting that several of the show's signature mob hits have occurred in spots where he once stood to photograph Conrail freights. |
Andy Cummings, Associate Editor
Andy Cummings grew up in Rochester, Minn., and took an interest in railroading through his father. He graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2003 with a degree in mass communications and an emphasis in print journalism. Andy then went to work as editor for the weekly community newspaper in Mora, Minn. In the summer of 2005, he satisfied a lifelong dream and hired out with his hometown railroad, the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern, out of Waseca, Minn., as a conductor, and he joined the Trains staff in November 2006.
Andy now lives in Mukwonago, Wis., with his fiancee, Sheryl, and their border collie, Scout. When he's not railfanning or working, Andy enjoys rock and roll music; he plays guitar, and once saw the Eagles live from the fourth row. He also enjoys wilderness camping, and has climbed to the summit of Colorado's Mount Massive, one of the highest peaks in the lower 48 states. |
Rob McGonigal, Associate Editor
Rob McGonigal joined the Trains staff in January 1993. A native of Philadelphia, he earned a B.A. degree in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 and moved to Milwaukee to attend graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He worked at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission before coming to Trains.
Rob has had a nearly lifelong interest in railroads. He credits his father with taking him on youthful trackside expeditions. His first Trains subscription began with the April 1966 issue, when he was 7.
Rob also serves as editor of Trains' quarterly sister magazine, Classic Trains.
His interests beyond railroading include Great Lakes steam vessels and historic roads, particularly the Lincoln Highway. He and his wife, Peg, live in a 1922 bungalow in Milwaukee. |
Angela J. Pusztai-Pasternak, Assistant Editor
Angela J. Pusztai-Pasternak, our assistant editor for Trains, began her career at Kalmbach Publishing Co. as the Ad Services Representative for Trains and Classic Trains magazines, as well as FineScale Modeler in September 2001. A year and a half spent helping advertisers piqued her own interest in railroading, particularly the industry's rich history, and she joined the staff as their editorial assistant. And later became editorial associate.
Before joining Kalmbach, Angela received her Bachelor of Arts in January 2001 from Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., with a major in art and journalism. While a student, she also worked as a graphics and publications designer for the university's marketing and communications department. She wrote feature articles for The Magazine of Lewis University, and The Flyer, her college newspaper.
Though a Wisconsin native, she has also lived in Jackson, Mich., near the New York Central Air Line, and Joliet, Ill., with the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern in her backyard. She currently lives in Oconomowoc within earshot of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Angela lives in Oconomowoc with her husband, Joe; daugher, Luella, and their two cats, Lord Chaz and Lady Pixie Dust. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family, watch movies, and travel. |
Scott Krall, Graphic Designer
Scott Krall joined the Trains staff as a graphic designer in March 2007. Prior to this, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh graduate worked in the publishing and printing industries for nearly 10 years.
Scott's interest in trains began at an early age; when annual family vacations took him to Pembine, Wisc., a small community where Canadian National's ex-Soo Line and Escanaba & Lake Superior railroads intersect. This interest continues today, when he takes short Amtrak trips with family and friends to Illinois and Indiana.
Scott lives in Waukesha, Wis., with his wife, Amy, and their daughter, Madaline, and son, Charlie. He enjoys golfing, gardening, and other outdoor activities when the temperamental Wisconsin weather permits. When forced inside, he loves reading about the World War II era and watching movies with his family.
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Drew Halverson, Graphic Designer
Drew Halverson joined the Trains staff as a graphic designer in July 2007, after graduating from Marquette University with a degree in Advertising and Criminology. He works primarily on Trains, Model Railroader and Classic Trains magazines.
Drew's love for trains dates back to childhood, when he remembers watching long coal trains leave Union Pacific's Butler Yard. Growing up in Milwaukee, he's very familiar with the local train scene and enjoys kicking back trackside during his free time. Drew is also an avid N scale modeler who enjoys modeling both the intermodal and industrial scenes.
When not at work, Drew is involved with his other passion, auto racing. Designing Web sites for IndyCar driver, Oriol Servia, and IndyCar team, KV Racing Technology, has allowed him to travel across the country and meet people from around the world. Also a Denver Broncos fan, Drew is eagerly anticipating the upcoming football season. |
Mike Yuhas, Advertising Sales Manager
Mike Yuhas's fascination with railroading began as a child growing up on Long Island, where his dad would take him to the end of the street to watch the evening rush hour parade of homeward-bound commuter trains.
Mike started reading Trains in 1972, and has been with Kalmbach Publishing Co. (and in the state of Wisconsin) since May 1989. An active photographer and railroad enthusiast, his pictures have graced the pages of many issues of Trains. His website, www.mikeyuhas.org, showcases his work. Mike and Erik Bergstrom collaborate on the Trackside with Erik and Mike series on trainsmag.com. He's also involved in amateur radio (his call is AB9ON).
Mike, wife Janet, and four children reside within earshot of Union Pacific's Shoreline Subdivision and Canadian National's Saukville Subdivision. He generally despises writing about himself in the third person.
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Kevin Keefe, Publisher
Kevin was born in Chicago in 1951 and grew up in the small town of Niles, Mich., in the southwest corner of the state, where he fell under the spell of the New York Central. His interest in railroads was kindled by stories of relatives who were career railroaders for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, including his grandfather, Edgar Keefe, and his great-grandfather, Peter Keefe.
Kevin studied journalism at Michigan State University and spent several years working for daily newspapers in the Wolverine State, interrupted by a two-year stint in Kalmbach's old sales department, 1974-76, when he wrote ad copy for Trains, Model Railroader, and Kalmbach Books. He also was editor of Passenger Train Journal, 1976-1983, a part-time position.
He came to Trains in 1987 after a seven-year stay at the Milwaukee Sentinel, the city's former morning newspaper, where he was arts and entertainment editor.
Kevin and his wife, Alison, live in Milwaukee with their two children, Caitlin and Barry. |
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