Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 pauses overnight at Rawlins, Wyo., in May 2019. Big Boy’s bell is painted red to keep it looking clean and well-kept. 19143-50 Ryan Nicolay Q: Why are the insides of the bells on Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 and 4-8-4 No. 844 painted red? — Scott Zygutis, Antioch, […]
GN 400 crosses the French River near Duluth, Minn., on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. Steve Glischinski DILWORTH, Minn. – Great Northern Railway SD45 No. 400, the “Hustle Muscle” diesel, will appear at the annual convention of the Great Northern Railway Historical Society this month. The locomotive, currently at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in […]
In a 2007 photo, Tom Fawell poses in his Chicagoland studio with his painting of Southern Railway GP38-2’s —running long hood forward, of course Gregory Palumbo CHICAGO — Tom Fawell, the Chicago artist who dazzled a generation with his rakish artwork depicting Electro-Motive Division diesel locomotives on the move, has died at age 90 in […]
A side view of Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 on a test run in May 2019. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn Q: With interest in the completion Union Pacific’s Big Boy’s restoration, how does the weight of the boiler get down to the front drivers? — Carl Amerlan, Downers Grove, Ill. A: Great question! As an […]
Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 arrives in downtown Cheyenne, Wyo., on May 4, 2019. The locomotive was chosen for restoration for a variety of reasons. TRAINS Staff Q: I may have missed it, but why was UP 4014 picked over all other displayed Big Boys? — Tom Otoski, Dayton, Ohio A: A combination […]
Ron Rosenberg of Ron’s Books, flanked by his son, Lee, and wife, Ellie, in 2010. Trains: Mike Yuhas HARRISON, N.Y. — One of the railroad hobby’s most notable booksellers has passed away. Ron Rosenberg, 76, the owner of Ron’s Books of Harrison, N.Y., died Sunday. A lifelong railroad enthusiast and steam locomotive lover, he specialized […]
A special Metra train promoting visits to the Pullman National Monument arrives at the 111th/Pullman station on the Metra Electric line. In the background is Pullman’s landmark Clock Tower building, surrounded in scaffolding for its renovation. Metra photo by Courtney Aubrecht Passengers on Metra’s special train to the Pullman National Monument detrain at Pullman. Metra […]
Stuart tanks and crated loads on flatcars tell of the herculean effort of American industries, including railroads, to bring victory in World War II. Classic Trains collection […]
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. — Alan Buchan, 83, past president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society, passed away on June 4. He was a link between the real Pennsylvania Railroad and the current-day interest in studying and modeling the railroad. Following his graduation from college and military service, Buchan was hired by the Pennsylvania […]
A CSX Transportation freight passes Marion (Ohio) Union Station. The site is now a museum with a restored interlocking tower. Brian Schmidt Q Why is the word “Union” used so often in the names of passenger stations and terminals? For example, Cincinnati Union Terminal, St. Louis Union Station, or Denver Union Station. Is there a […]
New York Central SW8 8626 stands at the road’s Avon Yard near Indianapolis in 1966. Another EMD switcher powered the E&W Turn some 140 miles to the north. Louis A. Marre As a struggling schoolteacher in northern Indiana in the early 1960s, I worked a few summers as a brakeman on a couple of local railroads, […]
Richard Sparks in his studio painting a railroad book cover. Sparks family collection ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Richard M. Sparks, rail enthusiast, editor, author, historian, photographer, artist, and so much more, passed away May 12, 2019 after a valiant, prolonged bout with metastatic cancer. He was 77 years old. Richard was one of a handful who […]
