Trains magazine editor David P. Morgan pauses on a station platform at Joliet, Ill., to watch trains – in this case a Santa Fe streamliner behind EMD F7 diesels. Photo by Classic Trains collection […]
Legends in their fields
Train Topic: History
Half-tracks on tracks
Army half-tracks are loaded onto flatcars at an unidentified location during World War II. This image is from the 1943 Office of War Information film Troop Train, a 10-minute short depicting the movement of an armored division to the West Coast. Photo by Classic Trains collection […]
Lionel Legacy Light Mountain 4-8-2 Steam Locomotive
In the waning months of World War I, the USRA worked to develop a locomotive that would provide mixed service to railroads across the country. The 4-8-2 Light Mountain, with its longer wheelbase and lighter build, can navigate railroads with light-weight track where its heftier cousins can’t. These locomotives were built between 1918 and 1930, […]
Classic Toy Trains Insider | Cover Shoot at the Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club
Travel with CTT Editor Rene Schweitzer and the Art Crew, as they work the angles at the Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club in New Berlin, Wisconsin! That’s where they went on assignment to capture a photos for use in the forthcoming special issue (SIP), Great Layouts You Can Visit, coming soon to the Trains.com Store. Watch […]
Len Carparelli knew The Lionel Story
Len Carparelli knew The Lionel Story very well. This talented artist, who made a career from restoring trains, primarily locomotives, built by Lionel during the post-World War II era of production, understood deeply the heritage that had shaped him. Len respected greatly the painters and designers who had come before him, and he aimed with […]
Armstrong indeed
Armstrong levers – so named because they took some arm strength to move – were used to throw turnouts and change signal indications. Especially in older installations, each lever had its own personality and required various amounts of finesse to operate. Photo by Union Switch & Signal […]
Richard Jay Solomon, innovator and rail enthusiast, dies at 85
Richard Jay Solomon, of Monson, Mass., passed away suddenly on Sept. 10, 2025, following several months of illness. He was 85 years old. Born in New York City to Alfred P. and Bessie Solomon, Richard was an only child and grew up in the Bronx. As a child, he traveled by train with his parents, […]
50 Years Ago in Trains: Storming California’s Beaumont Hill
50 years ago in Trains: Bombarding Beaumont in 1948 WHAT a grand and extraordinary depiction this photograph is of Standard Railroading in full and final flower! For the flagship of Southern Pacific’s New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Route the Sunset Limited, which is destined to become the last of America’s great passenger trains to be dieselized […]
American Flyer’s postwar 0-6-0 steam locomotive
In its heyday as “The Standard Railroad of the World,” the Pennsylvania Railroad had thousands of trackside industries systemwide to service. Each needed regular switching, and many were located in industrial complexes with tight clearances and sharp curves. The PRR developed the 0-6-0 switcher, or as they called it, a “shifter.” The first model B6 […]
50 Years Ago in Trains: The truth about Conrail’s challenges
John G. Kneiling, by profession a consulting engineer, wrote Trains Magazine’s Professional Iconoclast column for many years. His column called out perceived problems with the rail industry and suggested new ways of thinking about solutions. Fifty years ago, in the September 1975 issue, Kneiling took aim at the government-supported Conrail, then newly created from several […]
Lackawanna Chapter of R&LHS makes $10,000 donation to troop sleeper restoration project
SCRANTON, Pa. — The Lackawanna Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society has donated $10,000 to the Iron Horse Society for restoration of a World War II troop sleeper built by Pullman. The Iron Horse Society is the non-profit organization supporting Steamtown National Historic Site, where Delaware, Lackawanna & Western car No. 3621 — […]
Fun and fancy in Lionel 2025 Catalog Volume 1
Fun and fancy fill Lionel 2025 Catalog Volume 1. What am I writing here? You will recall that I recently explored for Trains.com the latest additions to the roster of O gauge sets, locomotives, and rolling stock presented in Lionel’s brand-new catalog. There, I focused on a handful of great trains that impressed me because […]
