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Railfan Road: Virginia’s 460 has all the elements: tracks generally within sight, a legendary grade, interesting endpoints, rail attractions along the way, and reasonable train density (including two Amtrak routes). Some unique cuisine and non-rail history along the way even make it palatable for the non-railfans in the car. The 225-mile trip between Roanoke and […]
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, commonly known as the Burlington Route, had many other Zephyrs. While not as prestigious as the Pioneer, Twin Cities, Mark Twain, Denver and California Zephyrs, these other streamlined trainsets and services, famously named after the Greek God of the West Wind, deserve a spotlight. Sam Houston Zephyr Fort […]
Rock Island passenger trains: All through May 2024, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Rock Island passenger trains, originally published online in July 2017. […]
On May 10, 1869, the first Transcontinental Railroad was completed during the Golden Spike Ceremony. Yes, every rail enthusiast and elementary school student has this date ingrained in their mind. The rail enthusiast probably remembers the date better than the elementary school student, but nonetheless, it is a significant date in U.S. history. However, for […]
With sunny skies and warm temperatures, there was only thing to do around Milwaukee this past Monday: chase (as best you could) the high-flying Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816, deep into its closely watched “Final Spike Anniversary Tour,” organized by CPKC to celebrate the April 2023 merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. The […]
EMD’s GP30 The unmistakable look of EMD’s GP30 model, with its humpback design applied from the automotive styling group of General Motors in Detroit, was a popular model when introduced in the early 1960s. During its short production life from 1961 to 1963 over 900 copies were built for almost 30 customers. As was the […]
What was your first byline in Trains? Michael Sawyer: A photo featured as the cover of the September 1980 issue. It was a silhouette of the train order signal at Blaine, Wash., on Burlington Northern’s Bellingham Subdivision at the Canadian border. I was a member of the crew that had arrived by taxi to dog […]
Locomotive wraps Railroad paint schemes span the color spectrum, from the dull to the fluorescent, the drab to the flamboyant, but not every railroad has the time, money, brand guidelines, or spare rolling stock to allow for frequent livery changes. Painting is an expensive and time-consuming process, with the results expected to last for years […]
Rock Island history is a mighty good history. In 1847 the Rock Island & La Salle Rail Road was chartered to build between Rock Island, Ill., on the Mississippi River, and La Salle, where connections would be made with the Illinois & Michigan Canal to Chicago. Contractor Henry Farnam persuaded the organizers to extend the […]
The best-known and most-popular early General Electric locomotives are its 44-ton and 70-ton switching locomotives, both of which found favor among large Class I railroads as well as short lines and industrial users. The GE 44-ton locomotive was significant, as it was the heaviest locomotive that, by operating rules, could be run by an engineer […]
Los Angeles Union Station Whenever communities, large or small, renovate and rejuvenate railroad passenger stations, the question becomes; What now? For many, whether it be one train a day, or dozens, local denizens want to see their hard work put to use the facility for events other than being a stationary harbor for incoming and […]
Train timetables The digital information age has spawned a flurry of welcome advances in rail transportation, such as the convenience of online , ticketing and instantaneous notification of delays. Getting rid of easy-to-access timetables showing stops trains make isn’t one of them. Fortunately, other providers have helped fill the void. History From their inception in […]
