Classic conveyance

20200527

The plain 40-foot, general-purpose boxcar was the standard method of hauling bulk grain through the 1960s. Adding temporary grain doors to the door openings made a boxcar a rolling storage tub. This steel Chicago Great Western-marked car carries a load of corn at Milwaukee in the 1970s. Its replacements, high-capacity covered hopper cars, are already […]

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West Virginia coal

20190502

Baltimore & Ohio 2-8-8-4 No. 7609 carries a coal train to the summit at Altamont, W.Va., in June 1945. The locomotive is one of 30 EM1-class engines built by Baldwin. H.W. Pontin photo […]

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Model Railroader Photo of the Day: Pont-Rouge station

Sometimes rail photography is all about being in the right place at the right time. Pierre Dion photographed this five-unit consist of CP Rail C-630Ms and C-424s in front of the Pont-Rouge station. The crew of the westbound freight is waiting for a relief crew to arrive. Pierre took the photo on his freelanced HO […]

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Center Flow

20200515

Early ACF Center Flow cars were nearly cylindrical. This 100-ton Union Pacific car, built in 1964, has three trough hatches and a 3,700-cubic foot capacity. Introduced in 1961, the Center Flow design had no center sill and instead relied on the curved sides for strength. Union Pacific photo […]

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Totally Tubular

20190514

A man reads a book on the main level of a Budd-built Tubular coach while people relax in the smoking lounge above and behind him. Note the dark-colored ramp up to the end door. The train entered regular service on the Pennsylvania Railroad in June 1956 on the New York–Washington Keystone. Pennsylvania Railroad photo […]

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Monsters of Mingo

20190513

Six-axle units from three Conrail predecessors mingle at Mingo Junction, Ohio, in April 1976, the month of Big Blue’s creation. Visible left to right are former Erie Lackawanna GE U33C No. 3302, Lehigh Valley Alco C628 No. 628, and Penn Central C630 No. 3626. Jay Potter photo […]

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