Steam superlative

Steam locomotive smoking with freight train

Steam superlative The Rock Island had a fleet of 85 4-8-4s, largest in the United States. Here, No. 5058 leads a westbound freight near Lawrence, Kans., in January 1952. Photo by Robert Olmsted […]

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Kickbacks

Tracks on coal transfer dock at night

Kickbacks Cars of coal are unloaded dockside by the Chesapeake & Ohio at this massive facility in Newport News, Va. Once unloaded, cars roll out of the dumper toward the camera, up a steep kickback track, and reverse direction down to the empties yard. Later they’ll head west for another load. Photo by W. A. […]

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Wide open spaces

Smoking steam locomotive with freight train framed under tree

Wide open spaces Great Northern 2-8-2 No. 3117 is westbound at Richmond, Minn., in 1955. The railroad’s territory was sparsely populated, with one city over 100,000 between its endpoints. Photo by James Kreuzberger; Steve Glischinski collection […]

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Steam down south

Steam locomotive with train on curve by brick station

Steam down south Gainesville Midland 2-8-0 No. 301 switches at its namesake Georgia town. The two-story building in the distance is the road’s headquarters. Photo by Philip R. Hastings […]

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Super failure?

Caboose on one-car freight train

Super failure? Santa Fe’s famed Super C freight commanded high rates — charged to placate other Santa Fe customers. This meant it had extremely limited traffic, as illustrated by a one-car train in 1969. Photo by Wayne Bridges […]

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TrucTrain terminal

Flat cars lined up to load with semi trailers in yard

TrucTrain terminal The Pennsylvania Railroad’s Chicago TrucTrain terminal had a concrete ramp with six tracks and access platforms between pairs of tracks. Note the storage tracks for empty flatcars at left. Photo by Pennsylvania Railroad […]

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Forgotten ‘Four Aces’

Steam locomotive smoking with passenger train on curve

Forgotten ‘Four Aces’ Northern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 2626, originally the Timken “Four Aces” roller-bearing demonstrator, leads a Seattle-Cle Elum, Wash., fan trip through Kanaskat, Wash., in August 1957. Despite efforts to preserve the locomotive, it was scrapped a year later. Photo by Albert Farrow […]

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Chicago in the snow

Diesel switcher works snow-covered station tracks

Chicago in the snow Chicago & Eastern Illinois E7 1102 and two Alcos, Monon C420 502 and RS1 263 of station owner Chicago & Western Indiana, rest at Dearborn Station following a significant snowfall in February 1967. Photo by J. David Ingles […]

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