Ron Ziel

Ron Ziel is well acquainted with the railway steam locomotive preservation movement in North America and around the world. Beginning with his first book, "The Twilight of Steam Locomotives" (Grosset & Dunlop, 1963), five of the sixteen railroad works Ziel has written deal largely, or exclusively, with the subject of restoring retired steam engines to operation. He has extensive experience in the field, having owned two standard-gauge steam locomotives and supervised the renovation of a third one. He has long been involved in railway preservation on Long Island and founded the Long Island-Sunrise Trail Chapter, National Railway Historical Society and served as its first president. He also saved the L.I.R.R. 1898 Steam Rotary Snowplow, which is now at the National Railroad Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Ziel was a close friend of the late F. Nelson Blount, involved in the early stages of Ross Rowland's High Iron Company and commissioned by W. Graham Claytor, Jr. to co-author the official book documenting Southern Railway steam excursions. He has also been a consultant to various steam operations. Having been an advisor to various levels of government on L.I.R.R. matters, he has prompted many prominent officials to call for his appointment to the presidency of the railroad. A former Army officer, Ziel has been a leader of many civic and historical projects, including having been a commissioner of the Suffolk County (New York) American Revolution Bicentennial Commission.

Ziel is an artist (BFA degree, Pratt Institute, 1961), but he is better known as a writer and photographer, having been a newspaper editor and written magazine articles. He has traveled to 50 countries where he has taken more than 25,000 photographs of steam locomotives in regular service.

Ziel resides with his cats in his 1884 "wedding cake" Queen Anne Victorian house alongside the Montauk Branch of the L.I.R.R. in Water Mill, New York.

Ziel's newest book, "Steam Beneath the Red Star", is now available. Ziel is one of the few photographers not to have film confiscated, and thereby has been able to help lift the veil of secrecy that has surrounded Iron Curtain steam engines for decades. For a copy of the latest brochure on Mr. Ziel's books, send a SASE to him at Box 433, Bridgehampton, NY 11932

All photography and text ŠRon Ziel. All rights reserved.

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