‘Piedmont’ cab ride video

View from a locomotive cab at bridge overpasses and railroad track.

Ride along with Trains Magazine passenger correspondent Bob Johnston on Amtrak’s northbound Piedmont, train No. 73, between Cary and Durham, N.C. This September 2015 trip features a look at corridor improvements funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. NCDOT Rail Division Manager of Design and Construction Jason Orthner answers questions while engineer Fred Gibson […]

Read More…

Catching the Gulf Wind

SALE73032

The sight of an approaching Seaboard E7 signaled adventure: a boy’s first train ride.  Wiley M. Bryan I don’t know how my fascination for trains began, but ever since I could remember, I had been drawn to their mystique. I like tracks, switches, sidings, and depots. I like everything associated with trains. So, in November […]

Read More…

Trains’ 75th anniversary gala video

Man standing at podium in front of crowd.

Trains Magazine celebrated its 75th anniversary at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee on Nov. 14. See how Trains‘ staff, correspondents, contributors, and readers enjoyed the night in style! There’s also a photo gallery highlighting the night’s events. […]

Read More…

Journeys on World War II troop trains

WWIItroop

A Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 leads a troop train east through California in 1946. George M. Speir In early May 1945, I boarded a troop train at Fort Knox, Ky., and headed west on the Louisville & Nashville, destination unknown. The war in Europe had just ended and my fellow 18-year-old replacement tank crewmen had been […]

Read More…

Water standpipe

20151019

This is a typical standpipe (also called water crane, water column, or water plug) used to fill steam locomotive tenders with water, which is supplied by pipe from a tank. A single tank might supply several standpipes. When not in use, they were swung away from the track. The bucket-like object between the end of […]

Read More…