Meet the Staff

Rob McGonigal joined Kalmbach Publishing Co. as an assistant editor of Trains magazine in 1993. He became editor of Classic Trains at its launch in 2000. A native of Philadelphia, he earned a B.A. degree in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 and moved to Milwaukee to attend graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He worked at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission before coming to Trains.
 
Rob has had a lifelong interest in railroads. He credits his father with taking him on youthful trackside expeditions to see the Pennsylvania and Reading railroads. His first Trains subscription began with the April 1966 issue, when he was 7. He regrets being born too late to see steam in regular service, or to ride most of the great postwar passenger trains.

His interests beyond railroading include Great Lakes steam vessels and historic roads such as the Lincoln Highway. He and his wife, Peg, live in a 1922 bungalow in Milwaukee.

Diane M. Bacha grew up in Central New Jersey communities bordered by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western’s Gladstone Branch and the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s main line. Her publications career began in a small-town newspaper bureau in Waverly, N.Y., just across the state line from the old Lehigh Valley yard and shops in Sayre, Pa. – an area full of old railroaders with memories.

She went on to work for more than 25 years as an editor and media executive for newspapers in New York State and Wisconsin, including 14 years at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Most recently, Diane was marketing and communications director for Public Allies, a national nonprofit youth leadership organization.

She has a degree in English Literature from the University of Delaware, is a 2003 USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism Fellow, and serves as a founding board member of the Society for Features Journalism Foundation. While Amtrak’s Hiawatha between Milwaukee and Chicago is a more routine choice for her these days, she relishes a ride on the Montclair-Boonton Line when family visits bring her back east.

Dave Ingles has been on the Classic Trains editorial staff since its beginning. He served on the Trains staff from 1971 to May 2007, beginning as assistant editor under Editor David P. Morgan and subsequently hold the posts of associate editor, managing editor, editor, and senior editor. A Chicago native, Dave inherited an interest in railroading from his father, John S. Ingles. Dave's special interests in railroading include diesel locomotives, passenger trains (he has ridden virtually every mile Amtrak has ever operated), and maps. He graduated from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill., and attended graduate school at the University of Tennessee's transportation school in Knoxville. He worked for three daily newspapers before joining Trains. Dave and his wife, Carol, also a native Illinoisan, have lived in Waukesha since 1974.

Tom has been Classic Trains' art director since the second issue, Summer 2000. He's also art director of our sister magazines Trains and Model Railroader.

Tom is responsible for the look of Classic Trains. This includes designing the cover and feature articles, working with the editors to find the best way to present information, and giving direction to the illustrators.

Tom enjoys photography, hiking, biking, basketball, and volleyball. He especially enjoys spending his free time in Montana photographing his two favorite railroads, BNSF Railway and Montana Rail Link. He lives in Sussex, Wis., with his wife Christy, daughter Grace, and son Charlie not too far from Union Pacific and Canadian National lines.

Scott Krall joined Classic Trains as a graphic designer in March 2007. Prior to this, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh graduate worked in the publishing and printing industries for nearly 10 years.

Scott's interest in trains began at an early age; when annual family vacations took him to Pembine, Wis., a small community where CN's ex-Soo Line and Escanaba & Lake Superior railroads intersect. This interest continues today, when he takes short Amtrak trips with family and friends to Illinois and Indiana.

Scott lives in Waukesha, Wis., with his wife, Amy, and their daughter, Madaline, and son, Charlie. He enjoys golfing, gardening, and other outdoor activities. When forced inside, he loves reading about the World War II era and watching movies with his family.

Drew Halverson joined the Classic Trains staff as a graphic designer in July 2007, after graduating from Marquette University with a degree in Advertising and Criminology. He works primarily on Trains, Model Railroader, and Classic Trains magazines.

Drew's love for trains dates back to childhood, when he remembers watching Wisconsin Central freight trains roll across the countryside. Growing up in Milwaukee, he's very familiar with the local train scene and enjoys kicking back trackside during his free time. Drew is also an avid N scale modeler who enjoys modeling the Florida East Coast Railway.

When not at work, Drew is involved with his other passion, auto racing. Designing Web sites for IndyCar driver, Oriol Servia, and IndyCar team, KV Racing Technology, has allowed him to travel across the country and meet people from around the world. Also a Denver Broncos fan, Drew is eagerly anticipating the upcoming football season.