Railroads Archives - Page 208 of 279

Indiana Northeastern locomotive roster

Indiana Northeastern GP30s Nos. 2185 and 2230 approach the Fox Lake Road overpass at Angola, Ind. Steve Smedley Veteran photojournalist Steve Smedley documents the history and operations of shortline Indiana Northeastern, and pays tribute to the line’s hand-me-down GP30s and hard-working railroaders in “Second-generation Sojourn” in Locomotive 2014. Explore the line’s entire all-EMD roster here […]

A hard way to make a living

Illinois Central 2-8-2 Mikado 1544 is eastbound at Villa Park, Ill., on a cold day in 1951. Henry M. Stange Some years ago, after a reunion of my old 10th Engineer Battalion at Springfield, Ill., I boarded Amtrak’s Statehouse for Chicago. I’d never ridden the former Chicago & Alton before, but I was eager to […]

Guests in the Gorge

Canadian National power leads a westbound BNSF grain train through the Columbia River Gorge on April 1, 2013. Photo by David Lassen […]

Campaigning to preserve the route of the Southwest Chief

FULL SCREEN Bob Johnston A 120-car BNSF empty coal train slinks west through a 30-mph speed restriction 10 miles east of Syracuse, Kan., on July 13. Once a raceway for the Super Chief and other streamliners, the Kansas portion of the line was downgraded under the current operating contract to 60 mph maximum passenger speeds […]

Beer, cheese, and paper

Canadian National local freight L518 heads north into Fond du Lac, Wis., with a train of empty paper boxcars from Quad Graphics in Lomira on Aug. 4, 2012. Photo by Craig Williams […]

Southern Railway No. 4501 returns to steam

FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN FULL SCREEN One of the most famous steam locomotives in America is returning to steam. Southern Railway 2-8-2 No. 4501 has emerged from Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s Soule Shops after an extensive overhaul. The 1911 Baldwin Mikado is ready for a new career on the point of Norfolk Southern 21st Century […]

Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 18 – Montana Rail Link local operations

A blue and white-striped diesel locomotive hauls a freight train through a green Montana field under blue skies and white clouds.

Drew’s “Epic” Trackside Adventure now heads into Montana, home of the Montana Rail Link. Drew’s expedition guide and Trains art director Tom “Sherpa” Danneman knows this regional railroad success story like the back of his hand, so join the MRVP crew as they trace the MRL main line from Billings, Mont., to the shops and […]

Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 17 – Powder River Basin, Wyoming

Freight train winds through wide open prairie.

And so the epic Drew’s Trackside Adventure to Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota begins! After drawing up plans for this three-state railfan trip, Drew and Trains art director Tom Danneman hit the road for their first stop in Wyoming coal country. MRVP cameras are there as BNSF and Union Pacific coal traffic keeps the rails of the […]