ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – Already powering past its current-year fund-raising goal, the volunteer Friends of the East Broad Top group has hit another milestone, announcing this week that since the historic East Broad Top Railroad was reopened in 2020, the group has raised $1 million in donations. The 33-mile-long narrow gauge EBT, a National Historic […]
THOMASTON, Conn. — The Railroad Museum of New England’s Naugatuck Railroad will formally unveil the museum’s restored Russell snow plow during its Connecticut Open House Day this Saturday (June 8). The plow was refurbished after being damaged by vandals last May. The plow, Maine Central No. 70, was built by the Russell Snow Plow Co. […]
DETROIT — Diana Ross, Jack White, Big Sean, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra headline the list of performers scheduled to appear this Thursday, June 6, as part of a 90-minute concert to celebrate the reopening of Michigan Central Station. The lengthy lineup for the concert for the long-closed landmark, purchased and restored by Ford Motor […]
Chicago & Eastern Illinois history was special to those to watched the railroad firsthand. In the pantheon of great railroad names, “Chicago” was so often the magic word. Think of all the carriers with Chicago on their letterhead, railroads with thousands of miles on their system maps, railroads whose names imply vast, continental […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Pacific Northwest and California, J. David Ingles Reel 103 – Through the lens of J. David Ingles, you’ll see the Canadian Pacific, Great Northern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific; and other roads as he ventured into the Pacific Northwest and California too. Dave rides along Puget Sound with his sights set […]
CHICAGO — Four private cars have made their way to the Windy City to participate in this weekend’s “Pullman Railroad Days: People, Progress and Innovation.” The event Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, is sponsored by the Historic Pullman Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. […]
Some careers are more than just a way to make a living. Sometimes they represent history itself. The trick is to recognize that about yourself and plan appropriately. Anyone who cares about railroading in general over the past half-century, or about motive-power technology in particular, can be grateful that Preston Cook came to that realization […]
Although some units proved long-lived, the EMD NW5 sold just 13 copies. Although the pre-World War II EMD NW3 was not a stellar seller, after cessation of hostilities in 1945, the builder was keen on revisiting the idea in order to mine the light switcher market dominated by the Alco RS1 and Baldwin […]
Indiana’s Valpo Dummy commuter train could not garner the public support and funding needed to survive into the modern era. In the 1890s, the Pennsylvania Railroad began operating commuter trains between Chicago and Valparaiso, Ind. Over the next century the service remained largely frozen in time, with operations changing relatively little as the trains passed […]
If you’ve seen Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 charge through your town this spring — or if you’ve been lucky enough to chase Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s Final Spike Steam Tour — I’m envious. Thus far I’ve had to settle for being an armchair railfan as the steam spectacle of the year unfolds. Now, don’t […]
Lionel brought out its first No. 6464 near-scale boxcars in 1953. The models it developed were strongly influenced by what Athearn, a manufacturer of O scale trains, had already been doing, especially with a Rock Island prototype. Little wonder that toy train enthusiasts of every age praised the four new 6464 boxcars. Experienced O gauge […]
UNION, Ill. — Dedication of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society’s Archives Research Center at the Illinois Railway Museum highlighted the society’s 50th anniversary celebration during its three-day 2024 convention at Union and Crystal Lake, Ill. The research center joins the replica 1950s street scene on the museum’s Main Street, and replaces the society’s […]
