An eastbound Union Pacific freight smokes it up leaving Taylor, Texas, on a December 1995 day. On the point is a leased unit, Motive Power Industries, SD40M-2 No. 9037. The unit started out as Louisville & Nashville, SD40-2 No. 1237. J. Parker Lamb photo […]
Looking not unlike Miss Hazen’s train 719, an unidentified Bay Head local rockets out of South Amboy behind Pennsy K4 5428 circa 1940. Frank Quin Life can be funny sometimes. The first railroad tracks I ever saw were those of the New York & Long Branch at Manasquan, N.J., in the mid-1930’s. But I don’t […]
Q How have traffic patterns changed on the former Illinois Central line just west of Hawthorne Yard in Cicero, Ill., since Canadian National took over? Also, what is the latest on its future east of the ex-Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (now CN)? How much freight will be diverted off the Iowa line onto that route? […]
Richard Benton (left) with a railroader in a traditional Eastern hat at Potomac Yard in the 1950s. Richardson D. Benton Ben Curtis’ father’s Eastern railroad hat (left) and the new version Kromer Cap will begin offering. Ben Curtis (left) Q My father wore this style train cap in the 1960s, purchased in the Boston area. […]
Q Is it gantlet or gauntlet? My dictionary describes the former as a type of railroad track and the latter as an armored glove. But now my railroad guru tells me that all railroads use “gauntlet” to describe the track. Which is it? – D.G. Townsend, Falls Village, Conn. A Always trust your dictionary. Gantlet […]
Q I just saw the preview for “Unstoppable.” How can a train with no air in the reserve tank and brake cylinders roll away? I thought once all the air is drained the brakes will automatically apply?— Andrew Marino, Lincoln Park, N.J. A Railroad air brake systems need air pressure to function, and it’s held […]
Union Pacific “Heritage” SD70ACe No. 1989 emerges from the tunnel at Newcastle, Calif., on July 31, 2010. The engine is leading UP’s high-priority Chicago-Lathrop, Calif., intermodal train, and it’s on the home stretch to the Roseville, Calif., yard. Jake Millie photo […]
In addition to everything else the American Civil War might have been, it was also the first reliably documented major conflict. A combination of well-kept “Official Records” and preserved photographs give us a unique view into the first modern, industrialized, documented war. These images are only a sample of the rich documentary resources available from […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Season 2 of History according to Hediger will feature various items from the historical display cases at the Model Railroader offices. Senior editor Jim Hediger will share the background of these items. In this first episode you’ll learn about the red switcher of […]
This landscape view of the Colorado & South Eastern is full of railroad and pictorial interest, hallmarks of Charles Clegg’s work. Typically, both Clegg and Beebe asked the fireman to “turn on the smoke.” California State Railroad Museum Lucius Beebe’s “wedge of pie” view of Virginia & Truckee No. 27 at Steamboat, Nevada. No. 27, […]
Author Hartley finally caught up with the elusive New Haven FA’s in Boston. Allan G. Hartley The New Haven Railroad was the perfect pike for a young railroad enthusiast. Station agents and block operators always would take the time to talk and tell me about what would be arriving next. Train crews were professional, yet […]
On a hot summer night in the early 1960s, Rock Island E3 626 stands at Waterloo, Iowa, with train 190. Ahead 110 miles: Columbus Junction. J. David Ingles Sad to say, this story is true. Only the name of the guilty is omitted. Sad to say, I knew this man—and still do now. It happened […]
