More Than Just a Commute: Winterail Brings Rail Enthusiasts from Across the Country to Linn-Benton
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| Winterail logo used with permission by Vic Neves |
Winterail 2026, the West Coast’s premier railroad photography and history exposition, will officially pull into the Albany campus on March 28. From high-definition digital photo presentations to a swap meet filled with models and vintage railroad memorabilia, the event transforms the halls of LBCC into the epicenter of American railroading heritage.
The Commuter sat down with Vic and Annie Neves for a Q&A. They are the producers of the railroad photography show, Winterail. After the event moved from Sacramento to Stockton, even to Modesto, it eventually followed the Neves to Corvallis in 2014. The event has survived more than just geography; it survived a total technological “revolution” that transitioned from the photographic slide era into the digital era.
"There was like this pause," Annie Neves recalled. "Everyone was stunned. Then everyone went crazy. We were then in the digital age."
Every Winterail features a lineup of digital presentations from top rail photographers around the world, showing railroad collectibles and photographs
However, Vic Neves reminisced of the "Golden Era" of railroading and the changes of the landscape, even at Winterail. He described the 1970s and 1980s as a time of raw, unpolished drama. Railroads such as the Southern Pacific patched together "anything and everything" to get a freight train up a 2% grade.
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| Photo by Skylar Wilkerson |
How did you get involved with trains and the "Winterail" event?
Vic Neves: I’ve loved trains since I was a child. My involvement with Winter Rail specifically started when the program began in 1978. I was a casual observer at first, but I haven't missed a single show since. This year is our 48th. Trains have always been a constant in my life.
Winter Rail moved from California to Oregon. How did that transition happen?
Vic Neves: It started in Sacramento in ’78, moved to Stockton. Then producer, Dave Stanley, wanted to move it closer to his home in Modesto. We were then at the Scottish Rite center in Stockton until 2015. When we moved to Corvallis in 2014, the commute back down to California with a trailer full of equipment was too much. We decided to move the event to Corvallis High School. It was a "turnkey" operation. They had the theater and sound ready for us, which made things much easier.
How has the technology of the show changed over four decades?
Vic Neves: We used to be the "staple" of multi-image projector systems. We’d have ten people just to put up a massive screen and four projectors going at once with dissolve units. Around 2004, we transitioned to digital. I remember the first digital show — the audience was stunned into silence at the quality, and then they went crazy. Now, everything is digital, and we’re seeing a big shift toward drone photography and video with railroad photography.
What does the event look like today?
Vic Neves: It features a swap meet, a photo contest categories include "Recreational" and "Revenue" railroading, and the Winterail Hall of Fame, which recognizes major contributors to the hobby.
What makes a "good" railfan presentation at Winterail?
Vic Neves: A presenter should leave the audience wanting more. It’s better to show 80 high-quality images than 90 images where 10 are subpar. The shift to drones and video, which offer "bird's eye" views that were impossible in the 1970s show something completely different nowadays.
How has the railroad industry changed from a photographer’s perspective?
Vic Neves: The “Golden Era” of the ’70s and ’80s featured a chaotic mix of locomotives (like Southern Pacific’s “tunnel motors,” or SD9E/R’s). Today’s railroads are more efficient and “sanitized.” While modern GEs are technically superior, they lack the smoky, dramatic character of the older “homogenized” fleets.
Is the hobby of railfanning dying along with Winterail?
Vic Neves: The demographic is “aging out,” and attendance has shifted from 1,000-person sellouts in the ’90s to about 300 today. However, the interest remains; it is simply in transition. The challenge now is mentorship–bridging the gap between the veteran photographers and the younger generation using YouTube and drones.
You mentioned that your collection of slides is massive. How do you manage that history?
Vic Neves: I have well over 40,000 slides in my collection. When we moved to Oregon, my main goal was to find a building larger than our house just to store the archives. Like books, papers, prints, and slides. I eventually built a 40x60 foot building with a mezzanine specifically for these historical artifacts.
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