The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire puts on a show for visitors on July 27, 2014. Seen here is Jacob’s Ladder, the steepest part of the route at 37.4 percent. Photo by Ryan Trela […]
Don’t look down

The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire puts on a show for visitors on July 27, 2014. Seen here is Jacob’s Ladder, the steepest part of the route at 37.4 percent. Photo by Ryan Trela […]
With a fresh crew on board, a westbound Canadian Pacific freight departs Portage, Wis., and chases the setting sun on June 21, 2014. Photo by Matt Krause […]
A loaded crude oil BNSF Railway train snakes along Norfolk Southern’s Chicago Line near Otis, Ind., on Oct. 20, 2014. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]
Santa Fe GP7 No. 2651, above, was equipped with steam generators unlike its sister, No. 2656, which had dynamic brakes and was scrapped in 1966. Trains collection Q I have a black-and-white photo of Santa Fe GP7 No. 2656. The engine has what looks like a 48-inch fan on the top and 13 to 14 […]
Have you seen the latest in diesel locomotive technology? Associate Editor Steve Sweeney walks through the new Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACe-T4 locomotive at the 2015 Railway Interchange trade show in Minneapolis with a factory representative. Learn more about the locomotive and see it up close, inside and out! […]
Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, Revised Edition By George H. Drury Kalmbach Books; 336 pages, 420 photos; softcover, 8.25 x 10.75 inches; $24.99 www.kalmbachhobbystore.com Six decades after the decline of steam in North America, Kalmbach has just issued a revised edition of the Guide to North American Steam Locomotives. A reference book on steam […]
Coal empties for Danville, W.Va., roll by the W.E. MacCorkle Siding on CSX Transportation’s Coal River Subdivision in April 2013. Chase Gunnoe CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Coal country’s railroaders keep a watchful eye on their train crew assignments these days. They’re waiting for further cutbacks to terminals throughout West Virginia and trying not to believe too […]
Canadian National train M345 heads north at Rantoul, Ill., on the Chicago Subdivision after meeting a southbound in subzero temperatures and fierce blowing snow. Photo by Erik Coleman […]
A train load of coal rolls the last mile from the mine in Wyoming to the Edgewater Generating Station in Sheboygan, Wis., at dusk on July 22, 2012. Photo by Rich Peters […]
MOUNTAIN IRON, Minn. — You want to shout at the truck driver and yell, “stop!” wave your arms, do something. But you know it’s already too late because in the video you’re watching, the driver is seconds away from plowing into the lead locomotive of a Canadian National freight train. The Minnesota State Patrol this […]
A westbound loaded CSX coal train approaches the diamonds in Deshler, Ohio, on June 14, 2014. The cross track is CSX’s Toledo to Cincinnati main line. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]
A Washington state man home-built a coal-or wood-fired standard-gauge steam speeder and placed it for sale on eBay. The asking price is $14,000. Ross Bendixen SAMMAMISH, Wash. — The railroad speeder can be the basis for a lot of projects. Some people like to restore motorcars to their original appearances. Others like to create their […]