Although this CNJ RS3 had dual engineer controls, the “F” defines the leading end for hand or radio signals. Bert Pennypacker Q When diesels replaced steam locomotives, early cab units had snub noses with good front visibility for the engineer. When hood units appeared, some railroads set them up to run short hood forward and […]
Metra commuter and Norfolk Southern freight trains meet at tower A2 northwest of Union Station. Steve Sweeney Trains tracks the evolution of positive train control technology from the 1980s to present! August 1985 – Burlington Northern executives approve testing a PTC prototype system, ARES, in Minnesota’s Iron Range. May 1, 2007 – U.S. Rep. James […]
An old GE doodlebug provided passenger services on the Apalachicola Northern in the 1940s. Classic Trains coll. I’m clutching the grab iron on the back of a steam locomotive cab, my feet on the apron between the engine and tender. I’m vibrating head to toe, with the heat from the boiler all over me. How […]
Join Trains for a ride on a former Northern Pacific triple-combine express car as a retired mail car clerk, a historical interpreter, and a reporter meet to catch a mail bag full of history on a moving train on the Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway in October 2017. Only from Trains! […]
Some days you just want a relaxing ride on an open-air car. Join Trains for this trip on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad from Garibaldi to Rockaway Beach, Ore., in June 2018. Only from Trains! […]
Join Trains on a ride behind Soo Line 2-8-2 No. 1003 as it runs between Hartford and Horicon, Wis., in November 2017 for to pick-up coal before bedding down for winter. Only from Trains! […]
Southern Pacific built this structure, which it called Grand Central Station, in Houston in 1934 to replace an 1886 depot. But Grand Central had a short life, being razed after only 25 years to make way for a new central post office. Classic Trains coll. […]
Union Pacific No. 51, the first unit in the road’s fleet of General Electric gas-turbine-electric locomotives, climbs east in Weber Canyon with a train out of Ogden, Utah, in mid-1952. I. W. King photo […]
Trains Magazine is accepting proposals through Oct. 15 for its annual $10,000 preservation award. The grant will go to a nonprofit educational group in the U.S. or Canada for the restoration or repair of an important locomotive, unique rolling stock, or for archives. Priority goes to projects of regional or national significance, for which the […]
Charlie Conway finds his way back to the UK. This time The Caledonian Sleeper granted unprecedented access to this legendary overnight rail service connecting London with cities in the Scottish Highlands. Follow Chas as he goes behind the scenes to see what transpires to keep passengers safe and comfortable throughout the journey. […]
As Southern Pacific Alco PA diesels move toward New Orleans Union Station in the background, an Illinois Central E7 rides the turntable at the IC roundhouse. It’s 1954, 2 years before New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal opened. James G. La Vake photo […]
Hammond Lumber Co. 2-8-2T No. 16 displays an extended smokebox in this undated photo. The seam is just ahead of the smokestack. Martin E. Hansen collection Q I am unable to identify any particular pattern for when a smokebox is short or when it is long. I do note, in most cases, that when the […]
