Ron Flanary saw his first issue of Trains Magazine in a Harlan, Ky., pharmacy in 1959. After paying the 50-cent cover price, he persuaded his grandparents to purchase a subscription for him, plus an order for several back issues. “It was the “gold standard” of railroad periodicals. I learned more about writing from David P. Morgan than I ever did in high school or college.” Flanary landed his first news photo in 1968 and first feature article in 1978. Since then, he’s been a prolific contributor as both a photographer and writer in Trains, and Classic Trains. His topics have primarily covered present and past rail operations in the Appalachian region he has called home most of his life.
