Book Review: Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives

DieselLocomotives

Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives By Jeff Wilson Kalmbach Books; 350 pages, 400+ photos, softcover, 8.25 x 10.75 inches; $27.99. www.kalmbachhobbystore.com Back in the late 1950s/early 1960s, many “old guard” railfans held the opinion that the hobby of train watching would gradually die out concurrently with the demise of steam. In 1963, Lucius Beebe, […]

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Catherine Taylor, longtime CSRM leader, dies NEWSWIRE

CTaylor_photo

Catherine Taylor Bullock Museum AUSTIN, Texas — Catherine Taylor, director of the Bullock Texas State History Museum and a longtime leader at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, has died after a brief illness. A native of Texas, Taylor lived in California for most of her life. She earned a BA in history at […]

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Genesis of a debt to be repaid

NHPAsSouthStation1961

Before starting their seven-stop trek to Providence, the two Alco PAs on New Haven train 531 prepare to follow the FL9s on the Merchants Limited (left in photo) out of South Station, Boston, in 1961. Chris Burger In the early 1960s, I was a student at Providence College in Rhode Island’s capital city, commuting on […]

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Chicago Railroad Fair

an illustrated red and orange official guide book cover for the chicago railroad fair

Tour the Chicago Railroad Fair through the pages of the 1948 Official Guide Book. FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN Read about the Chicago Railroad Fair in “The Last Great Railroad Show,” an article from August 1998 Trains magazine. Download the story by clicking […]

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Dan Dover, associate editor of locomotive magazine, dies NEWSWIRE

Dan Dover, associate editor of Extra 2200 South, The Locomotive Newsmagazine, and railfan photographer, died from a heart attack on Sept. 5, 2017. He was 64. In 1961 Jerry Pinkepank founded Extra 2200 South (the name comes from Jerry’s street address, according to Don Dover, who succeeded Pinkepank as editor.) It was dedicated to covering […]

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Open-hearth light show: Benwood at night

steelmillnight

A steel mill at night, like this one in the Pittsburgh area, was an unforgettable sight. Baltimore & Ohio At night the atmosphere in many railroad yards was completely different than it is during the daytime. Although few railroaders would admit it, there were scenes that pleased both the eye and the psyche: The colors […]

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Swift refrigerator cars

Swift refrigerator cars

A mix of older wood reefers and new steel cars mingle on the cleanout and ready tracks at Swift’s Sioux City (Iowa) plant in 1954. A lone car in the old yellow scheme stands out among a sea of cars in the red 1950 paint scheme. George Berkstresser photo […]

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