Jim Boyd grew up in Dixon, Illinois, where he lived within sight of the Illinois Central that was still running steam during his early teen years. He �made his peace� with the black Geeps that replaced the Mikados but began a lifetime of pursuing preserved steam operations. He attended the University of Illinois and Layton School of Art and began writing magazine articles in the early 1960s. In 1967 he got a three-year job as a field service representative for the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors delivering new diesel locomotives. After EMD, he worked for a year as a brakeman on the Ilinis Central before joining Carstens Publications in New Jersey as a magazine production… editor. When Hal Carstens created Railfan & Railroad magazine in 1974, Jim became its editor and held that title for the next 23 years. After retiring as editor, Jim stayed in New Jersey and began producing railroad books and has completed or contributed to more than three dozen volumes. He still writes featue articles for numerous magazines and does a monthly �Camera Bag� column in Railfan & Railroad.