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Yard Dog In mid-September 2022, the first nationwide railroad strike in three decades was narrowly averted thanks to a tentative deal between Class I railroads and three labor unions. The news brought to mind a labor dispute more than 30 years ago — and an unusual picket line. In the 1980s, railroaders in Norfolk, Nebraska’s […]
What was your first byline in Trains? “Beyond the 100-inch isoline — Railroading in the Lake Huron snowbelt,” published in the February 1980 issue. I began reading Trains at age 8 (the September 1963 issue) and aspired from that moment to write for Trains. I was never confident enough to submit anything until the summer of […]
Chessie’s story is a unique one. Born to the world in 1933, from the imagination of many, Chessie’s tale begins innocently with her asleep, one eye slightly opened, and a paw stretched out from underneath a blanket. Her story, as it develops, flooded the mainstream media, creeping into people’s homes during a painful and uncertain […]
Mind-blowing East Broad Top facts Tucked deep in the Allegheny Mountains, between Altoona and Harrisburg, is Rockhill, Pa. Today, Rockhill is home to a railroad time capsule called the East Broad Top Railroad, arguably one of the more famous and best-preserved U.S. narrow gauge lines. Built between 1872 and 1874, the EBT mostly lugged coal […]
Locomotive’s ditch lights With the implementation on December 31, 1997, ditch lights in the United States have been required for 25 years. First used in North America in the 1960s, Canadian National first used them in its mountainous territory out west. Transport Canada eventually standardized them on all Canadian railroads a decade later. What’s the […]
In 1895, a globetrotting mixed-breed mutt named Owney the Railroad Post Office Dog paid a brief call on Milwaukee. As was his custom, the dog arrived aboard a mail car on one train and departed a few hours later by another. His home was anywhere U.S. mail traveled by railroad – and in the 1890s […]
What was your first byline in Trains? Kevin Keefe: My first published piece in Trains was in the October 1975 issue, a two-page story in what was called the “Frontispiece” format, basically a single photo with some commentary. My story was called “Anonymity on the Pere Marquette,” a brief tribute to the Pere Marquette Railway’s […]
Q: I plan to add Soo Line Mikado 1003 to my railroad empire. In looking for an appropriate model to start with, I need to know if it is a light or heavy Mikado. How do I tell the difference? – Gary Salzmann A: I’ll answer your second question – how to tell the difference between […]
Romance aboard Amtrak’s Capitol Limited: A bit of background is in order to set the stage for this romance aboard Amtrak’s Capitol Limited. For 27 years, my wife, Julie, worked as a children’s librarian. I met her in the library. Yes, you could say I went there to check her out. That was early in […]
Amtrak Amfleet cars were the first of the National Passenger Railroad Corporation’s own passenger cars in the 1970s. They were and are, useful, flexible cars that have served the railroad for decades. Did you know these facts about Amfleet cars? The cars were initially billed as “the Amfleet,” but “the” was quickly dropped as trains […]
Mind-blowing Big Boy facts In the 1959 Union Pacific movie Last of the Giants the narrator comments, “ … There are no small parts on a Big Boy.” This is also true of the story that accompanies this colossus of the rails. As one digs into Big Boy’s details, everything — measurements, operating statistics, even […]
Small O and S gauge layouts are how the hobby began. To demonstrate the wonders of layouts designed to fit into small spaces, let’s travel back to when most current enthusiasts were youngsters. This most likely means we’re talking about the 25 years immediately following World War II. These men and women can trace their […]
