Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific had a fleet of 85 4-8-4 Northerns, largest in the country. Here, No. 5058 leads a westbound freight near Lawrence, Kans., in January 1952. Robert P. Olmsted photo […]
Superlative steam
Train Topic: Fallen Flags
Illinois Central SD40 6000
I have always had a thing for “class units,” that is, the first in a series, and “my engine” is Illinois Central SD40 6000, delivered in late 1967 in the then-new orange and white color scheme. I have a custom-painted HO scale model of it, weathered in that livery. Best of all, during my […]
Burlington Northern renumbering
Q: I’m building a layout based on the early Burlington Northern in Idaho. I’ve seen a number of photos of renumbered locomotives and cabooses. Most have white numbers and reporting marks, but I’ve seen a few prototype photos online with the data in black. Did BN have a standard font and size for renumbering equipment, […]
4-6-4 Hudson steam locomotives
While growing up in Cleveland and Buffalo after World War II, a close encounter with a 4-6-4 Hudson-type locomotive was just a train ride away. My first memory was as a four-year-old. My family had taken the New York Central to Chicago, and as we walked forward at La Salle Street Station, I was […]
Man and machine
At Works Tower in Altoona, Pa., a fresh crew gets ready to take Chicago-bound Pennsylvania Railroad piggyback train TT1 west. Unseen, car inspectors check for loose tie-down bracing on the trailers. GP9 No. 7000 is preserved at the Cape May Seashore Lines in New Jersey. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
West Virginia coal
Baltimore & Ohio 2-8-8-4 No. 7609 carries a coal train to the summit at Altamont, W.Va., in June 1945. The locomotive is one of 30 EM1-class engines built by Baldwin. H.W. Pontin photo […]
Fast run on the Kansas City-Florida Special
A particular run of the Kansas City-Florida Special may have changed the course of steam locomotive assignments on the Frisco. During the mid-1930s, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad started rebuilding low-drivered 2-10-2 freight locomotives into modern, high-horsepower, coal-burning 4-8-2s, also for freight service. The first series of these Mountain types was the big, […]
Monsters of Mingo
Six-axle units from three Conrail predecessors mingle at Mingo Junction, Ohio, in April 1976, the month of Big Blue’s creation. Visible left to right are former Erie Lackawanna GE U33C No. 3302, Lehigh Valley Alco C628 No. 628, and Penn Central C630 No. 3626. Jay Potter photo […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Midwestern Missouri Pacific Journey, J. David Ingles Reel 0052
Classic Trains Film Archive | Midwestern Missouri Pacific Journey, J. David Ingles Reel 0052 – Journey through the heart of 1960s Midwest railroading in this colorful film from former Trains Magazine Editor J. David Ingles. Ride a classic Missouri Pacific passenger train from St. Louis to Kansas City and witness historic rail action along the […]
GN “Mountain”-series observation car
In 1951 Great Northern received from ACF six remarkable observation-lounge cars to re-equip the Empire Builder. Named for mountains along the train’s route, the cars featured extra-deep windows for better scenery-viewing. GN photo […]
The Roundhouse | Classic Trains Magazine Origin Story
This reboot of The Roundhouse, an on-camera interview series established in 2013, welcomes host Brian Schmidt, Editor of Classic Trains Magazine, and guest Rob McGonigal, former (retired) Editor of Classic Trains Magazine, back to the roundtable. Just as the Summer 2025 issue of the now 25-year-old periodical is set for publication, Brian and Rob sit […]
Class A power
A massive Norfolk & Western class A 2-6-6-4 dwarfs workers in the road’s yard at Roanoke, Va., in 1954. W. A. Akin Jr. photo […]
