A Norfolk Southern local negotiates Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor main line at Leaman Place, Pa., on Aug. 31, 2011. Though the lion’s share of trains on this route are Amtrak trains operating between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., NS serves freight customers adjacent to the line as successor to Pennsylvania Railroad, the line’s longtime owner. Photo by […]
Q On which railroad was the 1975 movie “Breakheart Pass” filmed? — Klaus Schmidt, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. A “Breakheart Pass” was filmed on the Camas Prairie Railroad, a short line in Northern Idaho. Originally a cooperative building effort by predecessors of the Union Pacific and the BNSF in the early 20th century, as of 2004, […]
Southern Railway SD45 No. 3121 leads long hood forward on a unit coal train at Oreton, Va., in 1984. Such design enhanced bidirectional capability. Ron Flanary Q When did railroads such as the Norfolk & Western stop running their road engines “long hood first?” How effective was this practice for crew safety? Did it have […]
Steam engine gage glasses have prisms to improve water visibility. J. David Conrad Q What type of glass (or other material) was used for the sight glass on a steam locomotive boiler? Was it a special material, or just very thick?— William Johnson, Eagle, Mich.A Most (but not all) gage glasses on steam locomotive are […]
Q Why are some Rio Grande steam locomotives referred to as “Mudhens?”— Larry Beck, Susanville, Calif. A The term “Mudhen” refers to 15 Denver & Rio Grande Western class K-27 2-8-2s, Nos. 450-464, built by Baldwin in 1903. Two K-27 Mudhens are left: No. 463, under restoration at the C&TS and No. 464, in operation […]
Virginia & Truckee 2-8-0 No. 29 charges past the depot in Gold Hill, Nev., in March 2010 on a portion of the rebuilt silver hauling railroad, high in the desert near Reno. Photo by Jim Wrinn […]
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FULL SCREEN Photo by Kevin Scanlon CSX power for the Piney Creek Turn is parked in Quinnimont Yard in Quinnimont, W.V., on Jan. 20, 1991. To the left of the engines across the tracks is the foundation for the iron furnace. FULL SCREEN Photo by Kevin Scanlon A CSX westbound empty hopper train passes the […]
Illinois Central SD40-2 No. 6015 leads Canadian National train 348 south past the tower at Barrington, Ill., on May 6, 2010. Photo by Chris Gus […]
Q Why do modern locomotive throttles still use notches?— Ben Redl, Williams Lake, B.C. A The primary reason is to help the locomotive’s engineer direct a specific response from the locomotive. Engine RPM speed must be increased gradually during normal operation. As the engineer demands more power from the locomotive by moving a notch at […]
Union Pacific’s Desert Victory and United Way tribute locomotives were the first to receive special paint schemes, in 1991 and 1994, respectively. John C. Benson Q I understand that Union Pacific ES44AC No. 7400 is the railroad’s 15th specially painted locomotive. What are the other 14 commemorative locomotives?— Wesley Chen, Irvine, Calif.A According to Union […]
A trio of General Electric-built GEVO locomotives powers an intermodal rain past North Guam, N.M., on April 11, 2011. The first two diesels belong to the class ES44C4, an A1A-A1A-trucked A.C. traction model built to perform to six-motor D.C. designs. Photo by Steven M. Welch […]
