Seen from the North Shore Line bridge, a Milwaukee Road F7 4-6-4 rips through Rondout, Ill., with train 15, the Olympian, in March 1941. Frank Sellers At Christmastime 1940, when I was 15 years old, my widowed mother spent $4 of her hard-earned money to buy me a Kodak Brownie Special camera. I was thrilled. […]
Westbound Metra train No. 1249 stops under the rising moon at Clarendon Hills, Ill., on Metra’s BNSF Railway line. Two additional trains are visible about a mile away in the distance. Paul Hoffmann An inbound Metra express train rips past the Naperville, Ill., station leaving a “smoke tail” in its wake as a local can […]
The MTH HO scale F3 train set features a locomotive, freight cars, track, and power pack. These model train sets are also available with the MTH Digital Command System and ProtoSound 3.0 sound system. Model Railroader senior editor Dana Kawala shows you how to get the train set up and running. […]
The MTH HO scale F3 train set features a locomotive, freight cars, track, and power pack. These model train sets are also available with the MTH Digital Command System and ProtoSound 3.0 sound system. Model Railroader senior editor Dana Kawala shows you how to get the train set up and running. […]
Hardiness Zones are the answer to the question, “Where can I grow this plant?” If you’re planting strictly native plants, you won’t need to worry. On the other hand, your nursery plants were originally plucked from all over the world and then researchers tried to grow them in every imaginable climate. The USDA (US Department […]
NYC’s eastbound 20th Century Limited slows for a station stop at South Bend, Ind., in October 1962. Louis A. Marre On Saturday, February 17, 1962, a train wreck at Fonda, N.Y., on New York Central’s Water Level Route main line, blocked all traffic east and west. Because of this, westbound trains were to be diverted […]
Q My employer receives plastic pellets in rail cars. Recently, I saw a car that was marked with GATX on the opposite end from the reporting marks, which were different. Do the chemical companies own the cars, or are they leased? — Frank L. Mejean, Crawfordsville, Ind. A GATX Corp. is a leader in leasing […]
Q What does it mean when diesel locomotives are “isolated?”— Ray Russell, Naples, Fla. A “Isolating” a particular locomotive in a multiple-unit consist means that the prime mover is still running, but the main generator and electrical system for propulsion are disconnected. The locomotive will not respond to throttle settings and essentially is along for […]
Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 No. 2707 is moved to Brookside Park in Cleveland in the mid-1950s. C&O Q In the 1960s and ’70s, I saw a steam locomotive in Brookside Park near the Cleveland Zoo. A group removed it later. Was it restored or scrapped? — Larry Matus, North Ridgeville, Ohio A The locomotive in […]
The Pennsylvania Railroad’s Keystone Tubular Train, built by The Budd Co. in 1956, was designed to hug the rails tighter and enable faster transit times. PRR Q What happened to the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Keystone Tubular Train? I heard it was in Michigan and derailed on its way to a new owner for dinner train service.— […]
The tonnage profile for this Canadian National intermodal train gives overview and detailed information. Ray Weart collection Q When someone says the “weight of the train is xxx tons,” are they referring to the weight on the rails, or the effort needed to move it? Is there a difference?— Mike Llewellyn, Shamokin, Pa. A Yes, […]
CSX ES44DC No. 5254 pulls the Tropicana Juice Train northbound, crossing the Little Manatee River at Ruskin, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2010. Scott Hartley photo […]
