A fog horn on a Daylight

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Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 No. 4449 at Bend, Ore., in October 2012. The fog horn is at the top of the smokebox on the fireman’s side, or the right, as you look at the engine. Alex Mayes Q I was watching a video about the Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 No. 4449, and I noticed that […]

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Out of town

  Arizona & California’s train from Parker, Ariz., arrives in Cadiz, Calif., on June 19, 2013. The train will be interchanged with BNSF Railway there. Photo by Grady McKinley […]

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Kevin Keefe interview

Man wearing blue shirt and glasses, speaking.

Trains Magazine Editor Jim Wrinn interviews Kevin P. Keefe, vice president of editorial for Kalmbach Publishing and Trains editor 1992-2000, to talk about his tenure with the magazine. Keefe, who is retiring in March, talks about working in downtown Milwaukee with David P. Morgan, Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225, the famous Trains 55th anniversary issue, […]

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Railroad town

  CSX Transportation C40-8 No. 7572 pounds the diamonds in Marion, Ohio, on Oct. 19, 2014. In the distance is the former Erie Railroad yard, now used by CSX; at left is Marion Union Station, now a museum. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]

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Trains Presents: 611 in winter

Steam locomotive with smoke clouds

Follow along with famed Norfolk & Western J Class 4-8-4 No. 611 on its 2016 journey from Virginia to the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. See the classic streamlined steam locomotive and other trains out along the Norfolk Southern main line. Be sure to check out our special issue, 611 In Steam, and related […]

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County landmark

  A westbound Napoleon, Defiance & Western train passes the elevator in Antwerp, Ohio, on Oct. 17, 2014. With a modern unit train facility in the region, the elevator doesn’t have much use for the railroad anymore here. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]

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Don’t look down

  The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire puts on a show for visitors on July 27, 2014. Seen here is Jacob’s Ladder, the steepest part of the route at 37.4 percent. Photo by Ryan Trela […]

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Head-on

  With a fresh crew on board, a westbound Canadian Pacific freight departs Portage, Wis., and chases the setting sun on June 21, 2014. Photo by Matt Krause […]

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The mums

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A railfan went to Eureka, Calif., to see SD9s, but it’s the flowers at a memorial that made an impression. David Lustig photo It was the lure of the machinery that first attracted me to trains. But technology is nothing without people to operate it, and I suppose it’s a side effect of the aging […]

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Santa Fe GP7s

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Santa Fe GP7 No. 2651, above, was equipped with steam generators unlike its sister, No. 2656, which had dynamic brakes and was scrapped in 1966. Trains collection Q I have a black-and-white photo of Santa Fe GP7 No. 2656. The engine has what looks like a 48-inch fan on the top and 13 to 14 […]

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