The superb Owl and its unique route in SP history

Southern Pacific train 26, the southbound Owl, stops at Glendale, Calif., with 4-8-8-2 No. 4116 on point. H. Sullivan photo

  Almost every railroad has its “other” passenger train. You know, the lesser known one usually received far less press. The one that deviated here and there from the timetable of the premier train that plied the route.   Thumb through a company history and you soon realize Southern Pacific had lots of them. Almost […]

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Wabash Railway passenger trains remembered

A black and white photo of a train on the tracks

Wabash Railway passenger trains: All through January 2024, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Wabash.     Please enjoy this photo gallery of Wabash Railway passenger trains, originally published online in May 2019. […]

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Baldwin diesels scrapped in France

Predominantly yellow diesel locomotive with some visible rust

PARIS — Four nearly 80-year-old, Baldwin-built diesel locomotives have been scrapped in France after preservation efforts failed. Two of the units were scrapped in December, following the scrapping of two similar diesels earlier in 2023. The locomotives were part of the effort to resupply French Railways (SNCF) following World War II, when it lost more […]

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Model Railroader Hall of Fame nominees

Black-and-white photo of man at drafting table with books and magazines in background.

The 90th anniversary year of Model Railroader magazine is off and running. In the January 2024 issue, Editor Eric White shared the news that we’re starting the Model Railroader Hall of Fame. Each month, we’ll present a slate of nominees. Inductees in the inaugural class will be announced in the December 2024 issue. This month, […]

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Canada’s Waterloo Central purchases Canadian Pacific 4-6-2

Men with oversized check next to steam locomotive

WATERLOO, Ontario — The Waterloo Central Railway has purchased former Canadian Pacific Railway G5c 4-6-2 No. 1238 and intends to restore the locomotive to operation, according to the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society, the nonprofit organization that operates the heritage railway. The locomotive was purchased for $150,000 from Vintage Locomotive Society Inc. of Winnipeg, Manitoba, […]

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CSX’s eighth heritage locomotive honors the New York Central

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX’s eighth heritage locomotive is a salute to the New York Central. The ES44AH, which carries No. 1853 for the Central’s founding year, made its debut today. It took the Waycross, Ga., paint shop crew 22 days to adorn the locomotive with the Central’s classic lightning stripe scheme. The New York Central […]

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Wabash Railway history remembered

Blue-and-gray diesel locomotive on freight train of Wabash Railroad history

Wabash Railway history started with the Northern Cross, the first railroad in Illinois, in 1837.   The term “Fallen Flag” first appeared in Trains in 1974, as the title for a series of thumbnail histories of merged-away railroads. The series began with the Wabash, and employed the road’s flag emblem outline to illustrate the series’ […]

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Montreal Locomotive Works DL535E diesel locomotives

DL535E diesel locomotives on flatcars

Montreal Locomotive Works DL535E diesel locomotives have proven to be versatile narrow-gauge haulers made famous by a garden railway staple.     In 1969, American Locomotive Co. of Schenectady, N.Y., was building seven six-axle, 1,200-hp DL535E diesel locomotives, Nos. 101-107, for the White Pass & Yukon when the builder abruptly shut down its manufacturing operations. […]

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