CA&E train at Wheaton

20180212

A Chicago-bound local of interurban Chicago Aurora & Elgin prepares to leave the Wheaton station. The first car is one of 10 built for CA&E in 1945, among the last interurban cars built. William D. Middleton photo […]

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President Grant on the march

20180202

Seen from a troop train out of Fort Meade, Md., Baltimore & Ohio 4-6-2 5316, formerly named President Grant, hurries east with Cumberland–Baltimore passenger local No. 34 near Rockville, Md., in May 1953. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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Have railroads considered side-view or backup cameras on locomotives?

Have railroads considered side-view or backup cameras on locomotives?: Since most locomotives are equipped with RailView cameras to record activity in front of a train, has there ever been any consideration given to side-mounted cameras or back-up cameras on engines?

Have railroads considered side-view or backup cameras on locomotives? Cody discusses locomotive-mounted cameras, their purpose, and whether or not railroads have considered side-view or backup cameras on locomotives. Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains […]

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B&O’s Ambassador on Thomas Viaduct

20140124

A Baltimore & Ohio P-7 Pacific has the Detroit–Baltimore Ambassador in tow as it crosses famous Thomas Viaduct at Relay, Md., just outside Baltimore, in November 1953. Having pulled into the stub-end Washington Union Station, the train is running “backward” – two sleepers right behind the engine, then two coaches, and a combine on the […]

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‘Twin Zephyr’ at Aurora

20140121

Diesel locomotive 9901, named Zephyrus, leads Burlington Route’s Twin Zephyr into Aurora, Ill., about 38 miles into the streamliner’s Chicago–Minneapolis run sometime in 1937. L. E. Griffith photo […]

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How are repairs performed in remote areas?

How are repairs performed in remote areas?: When a derailment occurs in an isolated area where there are no roads or other ways of access, how does the railroad get the equipment in to make repairs, remove damaged cars, etc.?

How are repairs performed in remote areas? Cody discusses how railroad repairs are performed in remote areas following derailments, where road access can be limited. Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular […]

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West Side Lumber Co. car shops

20150121

This 1950s overview of the West Side Lumber Co. car shops in Tuolumne, Calif., shows the dual-gauge track with the mill switcher — a former narrow-gauge Heisler that was converted to standard gauge. Glenn W. Beier photo […]

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Standard-gauge East Broad Top 0-6-0

20150106

The 3-foot-gauge East Broad Top had two standard-gauge 0-6-0s to switch the dual-gauge yard at Mount Union, Pa., where EBT interchanged with the Pennsylvania. Here, EBT’s Three-Spot moves a PRR hopper in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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How is plywood shipped by rail?

I currently model in HO scale and have made several scale 4x8 sheets (stacked) of plywood. I use them as scenery on various parts of my layout. I place them as boxcar loads, but was wondering if plywood was in fact shipped in boxcars, or were other types of railcars used?

How is plywood shipped by rail? Cody discusses how plywood is shipped by rail. Looking to learn more about how lumber is transported by rail? Read Jeff Wilson’s The Model Railroader’s Guide to Industries Along the Trakcks, Vol. 4, available from the Kalmbach Hobby Store. Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, […]

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Rio Grande FT’s at Coal Creek

20150127

Four Rio Grande FT diesels labor up the Front Range of the Rockies with a 55-car freight out of Denver in March 1942. Smoke from the train’s 2-8-2 pusher is visible in the distance. This line up to and though Moffatt Tunnel was built by the Denver & Salt Lake but used heavily by Rio […]

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