Special handling at Las Vegas

UP-Las-Vegas-sta

Union Pacific’s Las Vegas depot was the gateway to temptation for some passengers. Fletcher Swan I am a fanatic when it comes to preserving old paperwork related to railroad operations and history, as attested by a cluttered basement. I tell my wife, who is sometimes a bit skeptical, that there is always some interesting history […]

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Plow train coming through

A Wisconsin & Southern plow train clears the line through Eagle, Wis., in February 2011, the morning after a storm dumped 2 feet of snow across the area. The plow once belong to the Milwaukee Road, as did the tracks here, part of a route from Milwaukee to Madison and Janesville. Photo by Matt Van […]

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CN sunrise

Morning sunlight glints off a Canadian National freight train rolling across Broadway in Waukesha, Wis., in August 2011. The train left Chicago in the wee hours and is headed for western Canada. Photo by Matt Van Hattem […]

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KCS Mid-1960s Passenger Policy

Read more about Kansas City Southern’s pro-passenger policy in a PDF of Lou Marre’s article “We Have No Intention of Going Out of the Passenger Business” published in the November 1967 issue of Trains magazine. KCS passenger policy DOWNLOAD […]

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Martin Blomberg

Read more about Martin Blomberg’s work in a PDF of the article “Martin Blomberg, Designer Extraordinaire” by Max Ephraim Jr., published in the October 1994 issue of Trains magazine. Martin Blomberg DOWNLOAD […]

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‘Super Chief’

Read more about the 1937 streamlined Super Chief in a PDF of the article “Crafting the Lightweight Super Chief” by Larry E. Brasher, published in the Streamliner Pioneers special issue of Classic Trains. Super Chief DOWNLOAD […]

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An A-OK roster

AOK_Leopard

Arkansas & Oklahoma B23-7 No. 4062 leads a train to interchange cars with Union Pacific in Oklahoma City. John Leopard Although General Electric B23-7s dominate the Arkansas & Oklahoma’s roster, the railroad does use a few Electro-Motive Division locomotives and has previously even rostered a couple of Alcos. With heritages ranging from Santa Fe to […]

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Rolling by rocks

A southbound Canadian National freight rolls through a limestone quarry in Waukesha, Wis., in August 2011. Stone, sand, and gravel make up the largest source of originating traffic on Wisconsin railroads. Photo by Matt Van Hattem […]

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Incident at Tucson

SP4173

When SP cab-forward 4173 derailed on the turntable at Tucson, “suits” and laborers reported to the scene. R. S. Plummer, Gordon Bassett coll. I have been collecting old black-and-white railroad negatives for nearly 30 years. When I receive a new batch, it’s like Christmas, opening the package and sorting through the stuff. You never know […]

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