C&O steam turbine

20120130

Chesapeake & Ohio 500 was one of three class M-1 steam-turbine-electric locomotives built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in 1946–47 for the new Chessie streamliner. But the road de-emphasized its passenger business, the Chessie never ran, and the M-1’s led short lives. Classic Trains coll. […]

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Are DCC locomotives compatible with DC layouts?

DCC locomotives compatible with DC layouts: An image of a locomotive on a set of test rail

Cody Grivno addresses whether DCC-equipped locomotives can be ran on DC layouts without damaging the locomotives DCC control system. Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com, or leave a question in the […]

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Landmark diesel: CNJ 1000

20111026

Central Railroad of New Jersey box-cab No. 1000, built by an Alco/General Electric/Ingersoll-Rand consortium, gained the title of “first commercially successful diesel-electric locomotive” when CNJ put it to work on October 22, 1925. After a three-decade career, the unit was retired to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. CNJ photo […]

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SP “Black Widow” F units

20111010

An A-B-B-A quartet of Southern Pacific F units dressed in the distinctive “Black Widow” livery lift an eastbound freight up into the town of Tehachapi, Calif., in 1949. Exhaust from a 4-8-8-2 cab-forward helper rises in the distance. Linn Westcott photo […]

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Twin Zephyr hoopla

20110726

Crowds swarm around Burlington Route 9901 and 9902, the original three-car Twin Zephyr diesel trains, during a publicity event before the pair entered service between Chicago and the Twin Cities in April 1935. CB&Q photo […]

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Closing the gap on the Santa Fe

20180705

A crane places one of four 100-foot deck girders between piers 1 and 2 of the Santa Fe’s new bridge over the Colorado River at Needles, Calif. The double-track bridge opened in 1944 to replace a single-track span from 1890. Santa Fe photo […]

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