In March of 2017 Michael Froio spoke to the chapter on his project, From the Main Line: A Contemporary Survey of the PRR. He is now offering a limited run catalog featuring a selection of images from the ongoing project.

Froio is on the faculty at Drexel University. This description of his work appears on their website. 

From the Mainline,” Froio’s impressive ongoing project, operates as an homage to the industrial achievements of the past 150 years in which he documents the infrastructure and landscape that’s developed alongside the Pennsylvania’s ecology. “Much of what they engineered and built over 100 years ago remains a vital part of the Mid-Atlantic’s railroad infrastructure today, a testament of their foresight and engineering abilities” says Froio. His gorgeous photography is generally accompanied by meticulously researched text that recounts and pays tribute to the importance of railroads in our region and the nation. We strongly suggest you visit Michael’s terrific website at http://michaelfroio.com/ and consider signing up for his pictorially vibrant, textually rich, and fascinating newsletter.

Froio is inspired by the work of William H. Rau, who documented the railroad in the 1890’s, and by the social and industrial history and landscape studies writers John Stilgoe and Robert Adams. His earlier works were made possible by using a large format view camera, a process that forces the photographer to spend a dedicated time with the subject. In recent years he’s begun utilizing digital formats, yet he still treats his work with the same emphasis as with the view camera: spending time with the subject.

Information on the publication can be found here:

http://michaelfroio.com/shop/from-the-main-line-catalog

Don’t miss checking out the  Field Notes section on his website. It  presents information and images on other sites that have drawn his interest reflecting local and regional histories.