In the 1910s, automobiles were shipped as “knock-downs,” with the bodies removed from the chassis and then loaded in boxcars. This is Ford’s Highland Park, Mich., plant in 1915. Ford Motor Co. photo […]
Man power
Era: 1920 - 1945
Fn3 scale Rio Grande Southern, Western Division
Click on the image to download a PDF copy of this track plan. Name: Rio Grande Southern, Western Division Layout owner: Roy Allan Scale: Fn3 (1:20.3, 36″ gauge) Size: 26′-6″ x 36′-3″ Prototype: Rio Grande Southern Locale: southwestern Colorado Era: 1937 to 1942 Style: island Mainline run: 200 feet Minimum radius: 60″ (main), 51″ (sidings) […]
Semi-streamlined
St. Louis-San Francisco semi-streamlined 4-8-2 No. 1503 works at Kirkwood, Mo., in 1942. The railroad, best known simply as the Frisco, had 30 such locomotives built by Baldwin from 1923 to 1926. William Barham photo, Don Wirth collection […]
Portage Flyer
Huntsville & Lake of Bays Transportation Co. engines Nos. 1 and 2, which often doubleheaded together, are serviced at the South Portage water tank. Antiques even in the 1940s, both 0-4-0T’s still carry their shield-shaped H. K. Porter builder’s plates from 1888: No. 1 was construction number 911; No. 2 was c/n 912. Robert Holden […]
Necessary travel
Travelers during World War II swarm the New York Central ticket windows in Grand Central Terminal. Signs above the windows caution against “unnecessary travel” during wartime. New York Central photo […]
ASK TRAINS: How do you operate two steam locomotives together?
On West Virginia’s Cass Scenic Railroad, engine crews with three Shay locomotives signal each other with whistles for moves and stops. TRAINS: Steve Sweeney Q: When you have two steam engines together, how does the second engineer know how much throttle to give? — Dennis E. Schardt, Sr., Summerdale, Pa. A: We get asked this […]
Railroads at war
Stuart tanks and crated loads on flatcars tell of the herculean effort of American industries, including railroads, to bring victory in World War II. Classic Trains collection […]
20th Century Limited
Streamlined Hudson-type No. 5448 leads New York Central’s 20th Century Limited at LaSalle Street Station in Chicago in the late 1930s. Nos. 5445-5454, known as the J-3a subclass, wore the Henry Dreyfuss-styled streamlining. Alexander Maxwell photo […]
Ask Trains: Who named 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives, a ‘Big Boy’?
Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 as it slowly departs Pomona, Calif., in 2013. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn Question: Reportedly, Union Pacific had a name picked out for it’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotive but someone at American Locomotive Co. in Schenectady, N.Y., beat them to the punch by writing the name “Big Boy” on […]
Spiffy Mallet
Rio Grande 2-8-8-2 3404, nicely turned out with white tires, running boards, and cylinder-head covers, assists a train up Tennessee Pass in July 1941. Up front is a 4-8-2; at the rear is another 2-8-8-2 helper. J. W. Maxwell photo […]
St. Louis Union Station at war
An early-1940s view from atop St. Louis Union Station’s trainshed imparts a sense of how busy the big terminal was during World War II. In the foreground a Terminal Railroad Association diesel switcher shares station tracks with New York Central, B&O, and Chicago & Eastern Illinois trains, while in the distance men stand alongside a […]
O gauge Q-Type subway set by MTH Electric Trains
O gauge Q-Type subway set by MTH Electric Trains Price: $439.95 (no. 30-20427-1 powered three-car set) and $219.95 (unpowered three-car set) Cmd low speed: 6.4 smph Cnv low speed: 7.8 smph High speed: 63.2 scale mph Drawbar pull: 1 pound, 6 ounces Features: Two can-style motors, ProtoSound 3.0 command and sound system, directional lighting, and […]
