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Progressive Railroading: The most preferred publication in the rail industry

Progressive Railroading's print publications provide ideal platforms for your brand, providing the most visibility in the industry.

If you could read only one of these publications, which one would you choose?

*Publisher's Railroad Publisher's Railroad Industry Readership Report, 2021

Meet the Buyers

Precision marketing is all about knowing your audience. Get to know your future customers. Progressive Railroading magazine reaches top-tier buyers and influencers, including:

  • Director of Equipment Maintenance, BNSF
  • Director of Signals, BNSF
  • Director Fleet Mgmt, Union Pacific RR
  • President and CEO, Kansas City Southern
  • AVP Mechanical, Norfolk Southern
  • Director of Intermodal, Union Pacific
  • Director of Track Maintenance, Union Pacific
  • President, Chicago Transit Authority
  • Vice President of Leasing, CIT Rail
  • CEO, Freight Car America
  • Executive VP, The Greenbrier Companies
  • President and COO, HDR Engineering
  • Vice President, National Steel Car
  • Director, New York City Transit

Monthly Magazine and Annual Buyers Guides

Progressive Railroading publishes every month, delivering the most up to date and informative news 12x a year to rail professionals. In addition, the Car & Locomotive Buyers' Guide & Yearbook and the Track Buyers' Guide & Yearbook are produced annually to ensure the latest products and offerings are included.

Progressive Railroading 2022 Monthly Magazine Covers

Signet Research Ad Study

In-Depth, Informative Feedback About Your Ad From Our Subscribers.

Have you ever wanted raw data that shows exactly how the subscribers of the media outlets you advertise with react to your ad? Did they notice it? Did they like it? Did it trigger some type of buying action or recommendation?

Our complementary Signet Research Ad Studies detail all of this and more. It's a marketer's dream and available to you free of charge when you advertise in the 2023 January, April, July or October issues.

GET IN TOUCH WITH US AND WE'LL EMPOWER YOUR MARKETING PLAN IN 2023.

2024 Progressive Railroading Editorial Calendar

Download 2024 Editorial Calendar



2024 Progressive Railroading Editorial Calendar

Print Editorial Calendar
All editorial topics are subject to change without notice.

Special Opportunities

Problem Solvers

Available in Every Issue

An advertorial that allows you to present an industry problem and share your company's solution to that problem.

And now, you can digitize your Problem Solvers Ad and send it to our entire digital database of Opt-In subscribers with our PR Custom Email. Your message can reach up to 45,000 new prospects in addition to those already receiving the print issue of Progressive Railroading!

Problem Solvers Advertorial Specs:

Company message: Company message text, including contact information and URL, should be presented in a problem/solution format. The Problem should be no more than 100 words and the Solution should be no more than 400 words.
Images (optional): maximum 1 image, PSD or TIFF files, CMYK, 300 dpi, minimum size 3" wide
Logo: CMYK Illustrator EPS (fonts should be outlined so that no fonts are needed or High resolution PSD or TIFF file, CMYK, 300 dpi, minimum size 5" wide
URL: You must provide a specific destination url for the ad

Submission:

Send all of the above to clientservices@tradepress.com

Please be sure to indicate the materials are for PR Problem Solvers and indicate your company name.

Top Executives on the Marketplace

Available in Every Issue

Your company's top executive gets the spotlight to discuss new product development, strategic partnerships, custom services, you name it. This special section is the ideal area for your top executive to demonstrate how your company is at the forefront of the rail industry.

And now, for the first time, you can digitize your Top Executives on the Marketplace Ad and send it to our entire digital database of Opt-In subscribers with our PR Custom Email. Your message can reach up to 45,000 new prospects in addition to those already receiving the print issue of Progressive Railroading!

Top Execs Advertorial Specs:

Company message: Company message: Maximum of 400 words answering one of the following questions:

a) How is your company investing in and serving your customers?
b) What is an important trend in the rail industry today and how is your company addressing it?

Provide the full name and title of the executive who is answering the question, a possible headline for the essay, and the pieces of art listed below. Text will be edited for grammar and style, and you will be sent a copy of the page to review before publication.

Images: Executive headshot image, PSD or TIFF files, CMYK, 300 dpi, minimum size 3" wide
Logo: CMYK Illustrator EPS (fonts should be outlined so that no fonts are needed or High resolution PSD or TIFF file, CMYK, 300 dpi, minimum size 5" wide
URL: You must provide a specific destination url for the ad

Submission:

Send all of the above to clientservices@tradepress.com

Please be sure to indicate the materials are for PR Top Executives and indicate your company name.

Finance and Leasing Guide

Published in February

A directory of finance-related resources — including banks, lessors, finance companies and professional services providers.

  • Highlighted company listing

Space deadline: Jan. 9, 2023
Ad materials due: Jan. 16, 2023

MOW Spending Report

Published in April

The results of our exclusive annual MOW Spending Report, which examines the budgets of more than four dozen freight and passenger railroads.

Space deadline: March 8, 2023
Ad materials due: March 15, 2023

C&S Spending Snapshot

Published in May

A report on the dollars that a number of freight and passenger roads are allocating and some of the major C&S projects on their agendas.

Space deadline: April 6, 2023
Ad materials due: April 14, 2023

C&S Product Information Directory

Published in July

A single-source reference and buyers' guide featuring listings in dozens of essential product categories.

Providers Section:
  • Company listing with full contact information (address, phone, fax, email, website)
  • A 150-word company write-up
  • Color logo
Product Category Section:
  • Company name in color
  • Phone number

Space deadline: June 12, 2023
Ad materials due: June 19, 2023

Annual Fleet Stats

Published in August

An array of AAR's facts and figures, including selected car fleet data, freight-car installations, the fleet by car type and age, and locomotives acquired and rebuilt.

Space deadline: July 7, 2023
Ad materials due: July 14, 2023

Car & Locomotive Buyers' Guide & Yearbook

A normal magazine's shelf life is roughly three months. The Car & Locomotive Buyers' Guide & Yearbook has a shelf life of 12 months, as subscribers reference it until they receive next year's copy. It's the industry's most comprehensive products and services buyers' guide.

The digital Yearbook provides even more exposure, with your company being found the moment users search for products online. ProgressiveRailroading.com/railproducts quickly gets users to the product categories they're interested in, and puts print advertiser listings at the top of the list.

Influence Key Buyers in North America

  • Circulated throughout mechanical departments. Issues are sent to the chief mechanical officer down to the car foreman and diesel foreman.
  • Ads are seen by key decision-makers of railroads throughout the U.S. and Canada.
  • Coverage among car and locomotive builders, private-car owners, utility and energy companies.
  • 5,000 total circulation.

Many print & digital upgrades available:

Contextual Ad Placement

A print ad with your brand and message is placed near the product area where your listings appear to help ensure users interested in those products think of you at the right time.

Enhanced Product Listings with Photos

Non-advertisers receive up to three free listings. Advertisers, however, can command attention by enhancing their product listings. Advertiser listings are highlighted in color and can be further enhanced with photos and descriptions. Only advertisers are allowed photos and descriptions with their product listings.

Your Company Logo

Only advertisers get their company logo on the Product Index pages. Your logo also appears in the Manufacturer Index, above your company's highlighted information, to draw additional attention to your presence in the market.

Listings in Additional Product Categories

Only advertisers are eligible to be listed in more than three product categories. The number of additional listings are based on the size of their ad. Here is what you can qualify for:

  • Ad size of 1/2 page and larger: Select an unlimited number of product categories, and run a product photo and description (up to 100 words) with each.
  • Ad size of less than 1/2 page: Select up to 10 product categories, and run a product photo and description (up to 100 words) with each.
Request Rates

Car & Locomotive Yearbook Virtual Issue Sponsorship

The Virtual Edition of the Car & Locomotive Yearbook is a fully interactive copy of the printed yearbook.

The virtual issue of the C&LYB is emailed to our full database one‐time per quarter, with a single sponsorship available for each email (each quarter). Sponsorship includes:

  • Logo and full-page ad in the email
  • Full‐page ad placed adjacent to the C&LYB cover on desktop and tablet devices
  • Exclusive top‐of‐page banner, visible on every page on desktop and tablet devices
  • A ''Brought to you by'' designation on the website posting (visible for the whole quarter
    NOTE: Virtual edition ads do not appear on mobile phones.
  • Quarterly email send: 45,000 recipients
  • Unparalleled Reporting Includes:
    • Sends (for the email promotion that quarter, 45,000)
    • Opens
    • Website promotion impressions
    • Ad Clicks

    • Logo: 200 x 150 pixels, 40kb, 72 dpi, RGB
    • Full-page ad: 500 x 600 pixels
    • Banner: 900 x 60 pixels

    Accepted formats for banner and full page ad: GIF, JPEG, PNG

    URL: Advertiser to provide URL. All advertiser links direct to the same destination.

    NOTE: Virtual edition ads do not appear on mobile phones

Track Buyers' Guide & Yearbook

Published in November, Progressive Railroading's Track Buyers' Guide & Yearbook is the most comprehensive guide to track products and MOW services in the industry. Recipients keep it nearby year-round until next year's copy is delivered. Ads generate impressions for 12 months.

  • Your ad is seen by key decision-makers of railroads throughout the U.S. and Canada
  • Circulated throughout maintenance-of-way departments, copies are sent to track supervisors, senior structural engineers, supervisors of structures, road foremen and supervisors of rail welding, along with other maintenance-of-way professionals.
  • 7,500 total circulation.

Many print & digital upgrades available:

Contextual Ad Placement

A print ad with your brand and message is placed near the product area where your listings appear to help ensure users interested in those products think of you at the right time.

Enhanced Product Listings with Photos

Non-advertisers receive up to three free listings. Advertisers, however, can command attention by enhancing their product listings. Advertiser listings are highlighted in color and can be further enhanced with photos and descriptions. Only advertisers are allowed photos and descriptions with their product listings.

Your Company Logo

Only advertisers get their company logo on the Product Index pages. Your logo also appears in the Manufacturer Index, above your company's highlighted information, to draw additional attention to your presence in the market.

Listings in Additional Product Categories

Only advertisers are eligible to be listed in more than three product categories. The number of additional listings are based on the size of their ad. Here is what you can qualify for:

  • Ad size of 1/2 page and larger: Select an unlimited number of product categories, and run a product photo and description (up to 100 words) with each.
  • Ad size of less than 1/2 page: Select up to 10 product categories, and run a product photo and description (up to 100 words) with each.
Request Rates

Track Buyers' Guide & Yearbook Virtual Issue Sponsorship

The Virtual Edition of the Track Buyers' Guide & Yearbook is a fully interactive copy of the printed yearbook.

The virtual issue of the TBG&YB is emailed to our full database one‐time per quarter, with a single sponsorship available for each email (each quarter). Sponsorship includes:

  • Logo and full-page ad in the email
  • Full‐page ad placed adjacent to the TBG&YB cover on desktop and tablet devices
  • Exclusive top‐of‐page banner, visible on every page on desktop and tablet devices
  • A ''Brought to you by'' designation on the website posting (visible for the whole quarter
    NOTE: Virtual edition ads do not appear on mobile phones.
  • Quarterly email send: 45,000 recipients
  • Unparalleled Reporting Includes:
    • Sends (for the email promotion that quarter, 45,000)
    • Opens
    • Website promotion impressions
    • Ad Clicks

    • Logo: 200 x 150 pixels, 40kb, 72 dpi, RGB
    • Full-page ad: 500 x 600 pixels
    • Banner: 900 x 60 pixels

    Accepted formats for banner and full page ad: GIF, JPEG, PNG

    URL: Advertiser to provide URL. All advertiser links direct to the same destination.

    NOTE: Virtual edition ads do not appear on mobile phones

Mechanical Specs

Mechanical Notes:

Publication trim size: 7.875x10.75
Bleed Page: 8.125 x 11
Trims to 7.875 x 10.75
Live Area: 7x10
Note: Pertinent matter on bleed advertisement must be kept at least 0.5 inch from image edge. Bleed trim is 0.125 inch.

2 Page Spread Bleed

Bleed 16 x 11 Trim 15.75 x 10.75
Live matter must be kept 0.5 inch away from untrimmed edge and allow 0.25 inch clearance for gutter.
Trim variance is 1/8 inch

Line screen: 133
Output Resolution: 2540
Max Ink Density: 300%
4-color rotation (wet) is black, cyan, magenta, yellow
Printing: Web-offset
Binding: All issues saddle stitched. Yearbooks are perfect bound

1/2 Page Horizontal Spread

Bleed 16 x 5.5 Trim 15.75 x 5.25
Live matter must be kept 0.5 inch away from untrimmed edge and allow 0.25 inch clearance for gutter.

Mechanical Requirements for Inserts:

Contact production manager for insert specifications (size, stock, binding, shipping). Sample of insert must be submitted to publisher for mechanical clearance and pricing.

Mailing & Shipping Instructions

Send all contracts, insertion orders and electronic ad materials to:
Production Manager
Progressive Railroading
2100 West Florist Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53209

Sending Your Ad:

Upload files to www.tradepress.com/uploads.

For Questions:

Matthew Angel, Client Services Manager
414.228.7701 x561
Matthew.Angel@tradepress.com

Guidelines for Submitting Electronic Ads

Preferred File Types

  • 4-color (CMYK) Ads: PDF/X-1a:2001 or TIFF (TIF)
  • 2-color (maximum of 3 process colors) Ads: EPS or DCS2 (Photoshop eps)
  • Black & White (Process Black / Grayscale) Ads: EPS or TIFF (TIF)

(NOTE: We are unable to process Microsoft Publisher files)

Because your best presentation is important to us, we have written this 10 STEP GUIDE to help you obtain maximum quality prior to us submitting your ad to the printer.

  1. All fonts must be embedded, converted to outline or rasterized. See nonsupported fonts
  2. Photos and artwork should be at least 300 dpi. Lineart (ie: logos) should be 1200 dpi bitmap or a Vector image. We cannot submit any photos or artwork, to the printer, with less than 266 dpi.
  3. All color must be process color (CMYK). All b/w – grayscale must be process black (K). All RGB, Spot and Pantone colors will be converted to process and will not appear in print as it did on-screen.
  4. All black type must be black only, not Rich Black or Registration.
  5. All color photos must be converted to CMYK, with total ink limit of 300%. Click here for the quickest way to alter ink density levels.
  6. All black and white photos must be converted to grayscale with a 20-25% dot gain.
  7. Documents should be set up to the correct final ad size. (no printer marks)
  8. Any bleeds need to be set at 0.125" on all sides – no printer's marks or slugs.
  9. Transparencies must be flattened. Layer/effects, Flattener Presets must be set to "high resolution."
  10. It is recommended to use the Adobe PDF preset: PDF/X-1a:2001 when creating your PDF file. This setting is an industry standard for printing (please deselect all printer mark defaults and, if applicable, include the bleed here).

File Naming

Please consider these suggestions when naming your file:

  1. Advertiser name, publication and issue.
  2. Refrain from using special characters. Indicate revised submissions by including "v2", "r1", etc., in file name.

Color Typography

For optimum reproduction and clear and sharp copy, use sans serif fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Myriad or similar for small type. Reverse type reproduces best with large bold sans serif fonts. The same is true for color type. Thin serif fonts are difficult to read in color or reverse type. It is recommended that four color type and/or small four color reverse knock-outs be avoided. Black type that uses four color blends should never be used (Registration not allowed).

Proofs

Black & white lasers are acceptable for grayscale ads.

Trade Press Media Group, Inc. pre-flights all files to the best of our ability. If we spot potential problems we will attempt to correct them. Due to the complexities of files and varied design techniques, we cannot be responsible for catching all trapping issues, typos or postscript errors.