PRR T1 Trust to hold open house for its new-build 4-4-4-4 frame

ALTOONA, Pa. — A series of events, including a public open house, will be held next weekend to show the progress on building a 21st-century recreation of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s T1-class 4-4-4-4 streamlined steam locomotive. The nonprofit Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust will display its 64-foot-long, 35-ton fabricated frame at the Blair County Convention […]

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The 2-8-2 Mikado-type steam locomotive

Steam locomotive standing in rail yard

Versatility is a single word that sums up the Mikado-type steam locomotive. This 2-8-2 wheel arrangement became the “one size fits all” in terms of mass usage across North America’s railroads. When it also came to bridging the gap in advanced steam technology at the turn of the 20th century, this locomotive type delivered.   […]

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Latest CSX heritage locomotive wears Pere Marquette passenger livery

Pere Marquette is the newest heritage unit to join the growing CSX fleet of locomotives honoring its predecessor railroads. “Here is our latest CSX Heritage Locomotive celebrating the Pere Marquette line,” CEO Joe Hinrichs wrote on LinkedIn Monday night. “Locomotive #1899 represents the three Michigan-based railroads that merged to form the Pere Marquette to serve […]

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Jawn Henry

20190417

Steam-turbine-electric No. 2300 Jawn Henry — N&W’s bid for a coal-fired future — drops down Virginia’s Christianburg Hill with its own doghouse-equipped water tender, an extra canteen, the road’s dynamometer car, and tidewater-bound coal loads. LeRoy A. Scott photo […]

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Most famous GG1

20190419

Freshly washed GG1 No. 4876 leaves Wilmington, Del., with the Executive. On Jan. 15, 1953, the locomotive was involved in a runaway wreck that dropped it into the basement of Washington Union Station. R.H. Braun photo Freshly washed GG1 No. 4876 leaves Wilmington, Del., with the Executive. On Jan. 15, 1953, the locomotive was involved in […]

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A wise aunt, a rare book, and the P Company

Steam locomotive with freight train under truss bridge

Like some railfan contemporaries, in recent weeks I’ve been going through decades of railroad stuff, seeing what I can get rid of and what I simply can’t live without. Tough choices. In the “can’t live without” category, anything with David P. Morgan’s name on it, or anything labeled “New York Central” or “C&EI.” In the […]

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Milwaukee Road’s EMD SDL39 diesel locomotives

Black-and-orange diesel EMD SDL39 diesel locomotives with white lettering

Milwaukee Road’s EMD SDL39 diesel locomotives came from the road’s desire to replace aging Alco RSC2 units in branchline service.     The Milwaukee Road custom-ordered the lightweight SDL39 specifically for use on its light-rail branch lines. The railroad bought five of the locomotives in 1969, Nos. 581-585. It followed with an order for another […]

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Rapido Trains HO Alco RS11

Title screen of video showing HO scale locomotive painted green and yellow.

The Rapido Trains HO Alco RS11 diesel locomotive recently visited our Wisconsin & Southern layout. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno — who really didn’t pick his shirt to match the locomotive’s paint scheme — as he shares a brief history of Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific No. 3600; highlights the various railroad-specific details on the four-axle […]

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Grand Central transfer

20190422

Seen from the Roosevelt Road viaduct, Soo Line 2-8-0 No. 468 pulls out of Grand Central Station with a transfer run in June 1953. Directly above the engine, across the Chicago River, is the Pennsylvania Railroad’s massive Polk Street freight house. Robert R. Malinoski photo […]

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George Washington

20190409

Chesapeake & Ohio’s George Washington roars through Mayville, Ky., in an undated photo. No. 491 was an F-19 class 4-6-2 built by Richmond and later rebuilt as a 4-6-4. Lucius Beebe photo […]

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