In May 1995, a westbound Dakota Southern freight with a (former Long Island) Alco C420 and an SD7 rolls slowly into the setting sun, west of Chamberlain, S.D. Tom Danneman Q The line in Chamberlain, S.D., was abandoned, I thought, but coal cars with BNSF markings are sitting in various parts of the line. Is […]
The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wis., is restoring a 1920s Atlantic Coast Line dining car for operation on site. We talk with the curator about the process and take a look at the history of the car. […]
The Santa Fe Railway pioneered the 2-10-2 type in 1903 with a group of engines that were essentially 2-10-0 helper locomotives with trailing trucks to aid in downhill reverse movements. The wheel arrangement, known as the Santa Fe type, evolved into a general-purpose heavy freight hauler found on dozens of roads. AT&SF 3864 was built […]
Get a sneak peek at our new Locomotive 2017 DVD! You’ll see locomotives old and new from both Class I freight railroads and short lines, and passenger carriers, too! Be sure to check out the Locomotive 2017 annual, too! […]
Long-time railroader and steam enthusiast Jerry Joe Jacobson died in September 2017. In addition to building a shortline railroad empire, Jacobson is remembered as the man who championed steam excursions, locomotive restoration, and ultimately, the Age of Steam Roundhouse. Join Trains‘ on a look back at a handful of memories from the 1990s and 2000s […]
Join Trains Magazine video contributor Marshall W. Beecher on the road to Summerail 2017 in Marion, Ohio. You’ll see Norfolk Southern’s popular heritage locomotives, regional railroad Wheeling & Lake Erie, and much more across Indiana and Ohio! […]
Western Maryland 2-8-0s 840 and 816 swing around one curve and into another as they lead a coal train east through rugged Blackwater Canyon between Elkins and Thomas, W.Va., in May 1952. Three more 2-8-0s at mid-train, and two more on the rear, help the 78-car train upgrade. Ed Theisinger photo […]
A mix of older wood reefers and new steel cars mingle on the cleanout and ready tracks at Swift’s Sioux City (Iowa) plant in 1954. A lone car in the old yellow scheme stands out among a sea of cars in the red 1950 paint scheme. George Berkstresser photo […]
Three of Denver & Rio Grande Western’s giant 3600-series 2-8-8-2s team up to lift a 42-car train up Tennessee Pass at Rex, Colo., just east of Minturn, in August 1954. R. H. Kindig photo […]
A Milwaukee Road switcher moves a cut of refrigerator cars at the Hormel plant in Austin, Minn., in 1942. Most of the reefers are wood-sheathed cars leased from North American. Classic Trains collection […]
Northern Pacific 2-8-2 No. 1917 lies on its side after being hit head-on at nearly 50 mph by four F units on a freight train. The incident occurred at Wibaux, a lonely siding in far eastern Montana, on September 20, 1954. Wing Studios photo […]
New York Central J-1 4-6-4 No. 5373 brings the Chicago-bound James Whitcomb Riley into Kankakee, Ill., on January 23, 1956. The Riley and other trains on NYC’s former “Big Four” lines were among the last stands of the great Hudsons. M. L. Powell photo […]
