Charlie’s Trackside Postcards: Milwaukee Road 5057

An orange-painted BNSF Railway locomotive leads a freight train with a signal bridge in the background.

Charlie’s road trip with Karl and Nicholas along the old Milwaukee Road in Washington State continues with a visit to the locomotive shops of the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad. Chief Mechanical Officer Brad Byrd explains what remains to be done to bring the Cascade Rail Foundation’s GE U25B back to life. […]

Read More…

Charlie’s Trackside Postcards: Charlie’s New Office

View from an office building overlooking railroad tracks and a freight waterway in the Pacific Northwest.

When we first met Charlie, his temporary office was located at a metro Seattle airport. Nowadays, he’s happily situated in a new downtown waterfront office with all of the essential creature comforts – including a rooftop view of BNSF freight, Amtrak passenger, and Sound Transit commuter trains. It’s enough to make Drew and many other railfans […]

Read More…

Charlie’s Trackside Postcards: Rocky Mountain Zephyrs

A silver-and-blue painted Amtrak diesel locomotive moves through a treeless snow covered mountain landscape under clear skies.

What’s a guy to do on New Year’s Eve when the ambient temperature is -22˚F? Chase Amtrak long-distance trains into the Rocky Mountains, of course! Naturally, Charlie Conway’s effort was rewarded with picture-perfect postcard scenery, dashing diesels, and roads routing along the Union Pacific right-of-way for his final day in Colorado. […]

Read More…