Five more weird coal moves

When the TRAINS staff began preparing its April 2010 report on obscure coal moves in North America, we got more photos than we bargained for. In no particular order, here are five more cool coal moves. Two SD90MACs on lease to Wheeling & Lake Erie lead two run-through Union Pacific diesels on a Powder River […]

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Two WNY&P diesels storm eastbound

Smoking like Alcos do, a pair of Western New York & Pennsylvania diesels storm eastbound past Almond, N.Y., on Sept. 20, 2009. WNY&P is an Alco-only short line operating over a portion of the Erie empire. Photo by Richard S. Perry […]

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Railfans make a difference on Helmstetter’s Curve

Helmstetter's Curve

John Helmstetter receives a ceremonial check for $40,001 on Nov. 9, 2009. From left to right: Frank Fowler of Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, John Helmstetter, trip promoter Carl Franz, trip promoter Bill Larduskey, and Steve Barry of Railfan & Railroad. Jim Larduskey John Helmstetter’s cattle watch their new home taking shape, as more than 120 […]

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The great American roundhouse

Connellsville, Pa., roundhouse

American roundhouse Roundhouses were found all across the nation once. Now they’re rare gems. These structures began disappearing after the dieselization era. Only a few were left in use by some railroads. Many were eventually demolished or repurposed. Here’s a gallery of them under construction, in use, and after the wrecking ball. […]

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‘Winton’s train’; remembering a Holocaust hero

The year was 1939, and 29-year-old British stockbroker Nicholas Winton was set to leave for Switzerland on a ski holiday when he answered his phone. It was a friend conducting humanitarian aid in Prague, Czechoslovakia. This friend described the refugee camps in which he worked, and asked Winton to abandon his holiday, come to Prague, […]

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Wintertime Railroad Photography

Wisconsin & Southern freight train

Wisconsin & Southern freight train passes a tobacco shed near Stoughton, Wisconsin, on Feb. 6, 2008, in the middle of a hard winter season. The mid-morning darkness and blizzard-like conditions give a very impressionistic feel to the photograph. Hank Koshollek Winter photography requires some skill and quite a bit of luck, partly because of the […]

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Branded passenger trains

Brand name trains map

Robert Wegner This Map of the Month appeared in the December 2004 issue of Trains magazine. Although the idea of branding passenger-train fleets did not begin with the streamliner, it flourished in that era. Innovations such as stainless steel found widespread use in an age captivated by design. Suddenly, appearance mattered. Trains with colorful paint […]

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