All through October 2020, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, grit, and grandeur of the Pacific Electric Railway. Please enjoy this Pacific Electric Railway passenger train photo gallery, originally published in February 2015. If you like this gallery, please take a look at an article on the history of the Pacific Electric, here. […]
On May 1, 1971, Amtrak Passenger Service Rep Patty Saunders, who once was a Seaboard Coast Line hostess, poses with the first system timetable. The passenger carrier’s “pointless arrow” logo is featured prominently. Photo by Amtrak […]
Orange groves are visible across the road from the LaVerne Cooperative Citrus Association packing house, one of California’s largest in 1920. The large building features several rooms and multiple loading tracks. The rooftop refrigeration condenser unit (back center) marks it as having a cooling or cold storage room. Photo by University of Southern California Libraries/California […]
By G. Mac Sebree History of the Pacific Electric Railway By any standard, the Pacific Electric was the largest interurban electric railway in the United States. It boasted more than 1,000 miles of track and had 1,000-plus cars. It played a major role in building up the vast open areas surrounding Los Angeles. The cities […]
All through September 2020 Classic Trains editors celebrate the history, legends, and grandeur of the Great Northern Railway. This month, we hope you enjoy a photo gallery of GN steam locomotives, electric locomotives, and diesel locomotives through time. You might also enjoy this history article; a photo gallery of passenger trains or Great Northern […]
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Just after the turn of the 20th century, large terminal elevators began to appear. Grain gathered in these mammoth concrete structures (the one here holds 3.6 million bushels) at Amarillo, Texas, in 1943, is forwarded by rail to mills and to port elevators for export. Note the three boxcars for scale. Photo by Jack Delano, […]
Roundhouses were filled with life, from steam locomotives to the workers who maintained them. This is a 2-8-2 in the Galesburg, Ill., roundhouse of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in the 1950s. Photo by Jim Shaughnessy […]
Pennsylvania K4s 4-6-2 No. 5399, built at the railroad’s Juniata shops in 1923, was rebuilt by Lima in 1939 with a front-end throttle and poppet valves to improve performance and efficiency. Photo by Lima Locomotive Works […]
An A-B set of drawbar-connected Boston & Maine EMD FTs (in Boston in March 1950) shows the distinctive four-porthole styling and close spacing between units. The boxy structure on the roof is the dynamic brake housing. The F unit’s “bulldog” carbody styling blended nicely with passenger cars but did not facilitate clear views to the […]
Chesapeake & Ohio H-8 2-6-6-6 No. 1647 departs Handley, W.Va., with tidewater coal — a dozen 67-inch driving wheels, 90 loads, lend engine slipping wildly. The railroad had 60 such locomotives, built by Lima in 1941-1948. Photo by Philip R. Hastings […]
Orange crates are stacked on end in two layers, with a third horizontal layer. The top of the load is kept below the openings in the bunker (note the full load of ice). Photo by Library of Congress […]
