Blue Ridge conqueror Norfolk & Western 2-8-8-2 No. 2174 climbs Blue Ridge Mountain east of Roanoke, Va., on Sept. 11, 1958. The railroad had 227 locomotives of the wheel arrangement in 10 classes. Ken Murry photo […]
Blue Ridge conqueror
Era: 1946 - 1970
‘San Francisco Overland’
‘San Francisco Overland’ Dressed in two-tone gray, FEF-1 816 and FEF-2 824 make 55 mph up Sherman Hill near Otto, Wyo., on October 21, 1949. Green flags and “1-27” in the 4-8-4s’ train indicator boxes tell that at least one other section of the San Francisco Overland is following. Ross B. Grenard Jr. photo […]
Lionel no. 362 barrel loader
The year 1952 was a spectacular one for Lionel operating toy train accessories. An enduring favorite to come out of it was the no. 362 barrel loader. Professor Carp gives the history of the item and discusses changes and variations, while Classic Toy Trains Editor Hal Miller looks at how it operates. You can get […]
Lionel no. 362 barrel loader
The year 1952 was a spectacular one for Lionel operating toy train accessories. An enduring favorite to come out of it was the no. 362 barrel loader. Professor Carp gives the history of the item and discusses changes and variations, while Classic Toy Trains Editor Hal Miller looks at how it operates. You can get […]
GP39
GP39 Chesapeake & Ohio No. 3909 is a GP39. It looks like a GP38 but it /has a single turbo stack in front of the dynamic brake fan. The GP39 was an “in-between” locomotive, using a smaller (12-cylinder) turbocharged 645 engine rated at 2,300 hp, putting it between the GP38 and GP40. It never became […]
CP Pacific type
CP Pacific type One of Canadian Pacific’s 173 G3 Pacifics steams east out of Calgary station with a regional train in June 1949. One track over, a mountain observation car has just been added to the westbound Dominion’s tail. Walter H. Thrall Jr. photo […]
Geared for success
Geared for success Brimstone’s 3-truck Shay No. 35 pulls coal in Tennessee. Lumber railroads were the primary users, but a few coal-haulers used Shays and/or the two other popular geared locomotives in North America, Heislers and Climaxes. Dwight Smith, Jim Wrinn collection […]
SPUD switcher
SPUD switcher St. Paul Union Depot 44-ton 441, built by GE in 1941, works its namesake Minnesota passenger terminal. The locomotive’s size and weight would allow one-man operation under the “90,000-pound” rule of the 1937 National Diesel Agreement labor rules. Classic Trains collection […]
Soldier Summit
Soldier Summit The eastbound California Zephyr catches the morning sun at Soldier Summit, Utah, in August 1959. Ahead: a full day of breathtaking scenery on the Denver & Rio Grande Western, which the train used for 570 miles of its 2,518-mile, three-railroad route. Fred Matthews photo […]
Roosevelt Road
Roosevelt Road Evidence of Penn Central’s pre-1968 legacy — New York Central, Pennsylvania, and PC-painted units — is clearly visible in this 1970 view of LaSalle Street Station. Chicago’s famous Roosevelt Road provided a great view of the downtown passenger terminals. Harold A. Edmonson photo […]
‘Golden Spike Centennial Limited’
‘Golden Spike Centennial Limited’ High Iron Co. observation car Mountain View brings up the markers on the Golden Spike Centennial Limited prior to departure from Track 34 at New York’s Grand Central Terminal on May 3, 1969. The car once ran on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Broadway Limited. Don Wood photo […]
Portland Union Station
Portland Union Station Maine Central 4-6-2 No. 467 rests at Portland Union Station in the early 1950s. The former Maine Central headquarters is seen above the locomotive. Today, this area is occupied by a mall and parking lot. H.W. Pontin photo […]
