A sleeping berth shown set for feet first in the direction of travel on an Amtrak long-distance train. Bob Johnston Q I previously understood that the safest position to sleep while traveling by train was with feet first, but the past Amtrak trips I took had the bed set up head first. Is there an […]
Dots painted on trilevel auto racks indicate clearance heights. Rob Burnet Q I have seen colored painted dots on freight cars, mostly multilevel auto rack cars. What do they signify? – Rob Burnet, Etobicoke, Ont., Canada A Colored marks on auto multi-levels are to designate slightly different deck height clearances on trilevels. Orange dots indicate […]
On Aug. 6, 2012, a single Illinois Central manned helper locomotive brings up the rear of a southbound Canadian National intermodal train working up Byron Hill on the Waukesha Subdivision near Byron, Wis. Tom Danneman Q How do locomotive engineers know they are doing equal work on trains equipped with manned helpers? – Robert A. […]
Gene Mendonca’s painting of Ewbank Electric Transmission Co.’s train. Gene Mendonca Q Can you tell me anything about the Ewbank Electric Transmission Co. that is the subject of a picture I painted from a very old newspaper clipping? – Gene Mendonca, Folsom, Calif. A H.B. Ewbank Jr. built No. 333, a 75-foot-long gas-electric locomotive with […]
Sporting a red cab roof, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 4-8-4 No. 5632 departs Chicago Union Station in spring 1962 with an excursion. The locomotive’s graphite smokebox and firebox are also readily apparent. Ed DeRouin, Barbara DeRouin collection Restored Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-0 No. 315 shows off its contrasting graphite smokebox. Martin E. Hansen […]
Bridge: A bridge comprising multiple span types crosses Swinomish Slough on BNSF Railway’s Anacortes Spur in Washington. Three photos, David Honan Q From the perspective of the railroads, what is the difference between bridges, trestles, and viaducts? – Ron Dutton, Los Angeles Viaduct: Union Pacific’s Joso Bridge carries the Ayer Subdivision over the Snake River […]
Cass Scenic Railroad’s Heisler No. 6 climbs a grade puffing smoke and steam into a gray cloud. Steve Sweeney Q Why is it that one locomotive, on the same day, may have black exhaust, white/light gray, or at times almost invisible exhaust coming from the smoke stack? – Russ Gray, Kernersville, N.C. A The color […]
Krauss-Maffei diesel-hydraulic No. 9120 pulls an excursion for the Pacific Locomotive Association out of Oakland, Calif., in April 1967. The same organization would later work to restore sister unit No. 9010 to operation. Robert L. Hogan Q What can you tell me about the Krauss-Maffei diesel-hydraulic locomotives that operated in the U.S. in the 1960s? […]
Controls for measuring the length of a train (circled) are integrated into the touch screen Video Information Display on an EMD SD70ACe. Tom Danneman Q If an engineer has a train with 100 or more cars and he gets a signal to take the siding, how does he know when he and all the cars […]
On June 8, 2015, Montana Rail Link’s business train soars high over the white waters of Fish Creek, near Rivulet, Mont. During this trip, the railroad’s owner, Dennis Washington, hosted business partners aboard the train. Steven Welch Q What is the purpose of railroad business and inspection trains, and who would use them? – Dennis […]
In May 1995, a westbound Dakota Southern freight with a (former Long Island) Alco C420 and an SD7 rolls slowly into the setting sun, west of Chamberlain, S.D. Tom Danneman Q The line in Chamberlain, S.D., was abandoned, I thought, but coal cars with BNSF markings are sitting in various parts of the line. Is […]
Amtrak’s ‘Empire Builder’ streaks through Brookfield, Wis. The speed limit for Amtrak on Canadian Pacific’s Watertown Subdivision is 79 mph. Tom Danneman Q Most Amtrak trains have a 79-mph speed limit. Will positive train control systems allow Amtrak to operate faster where track conditions allow? For instance, the Southwest Chief operates to 90 mph in […]
