Twin Cities Zephyr Led by 1936 power unit 9905 Zephyrus, the Burlington’s Twin Cities Zephyr swings into the downtown La Crosse, Wis., depot circa 1939. Slow street running was an obstacle in the speed war with rivals Chicago & North Western and Milwaukee Road. Elden H. Hunter photo […]
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Niagara Junction Although it was built by the Niagara Falls Power Co. in the 1890’s, 11-mile switching road Niagara Junction used steam locomotives at first. Electrification, with 660-volt D.C. catenary and steeplecabs, came in 1913. New General Electric motors arrived in 1952 (that’s one at right, in October ’67), by which time the road was […]
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The Northern Pacific Railway is Classic Trains‘ Railroad of the Month for May 2021. Please enjoy this photo gallery originally published in November 2019 as part of editors’ salute to the grit and grandeur that was the NP. Only from Classic Trains! […]
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Lucius Beebe-David Morgan correspondence project Between 1961 and 1966, prolific railroad book author Lucius Beebe and Trains editor David P. Morgan exchanged a flurry of letters, telegrams, and postcards, up to the week before Beebe’s death on February 4, 1966. The contents of this volume of correspondence regarded many things, including the art of book […]
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Hippo Pennsylvania 2-10-0 4414 races north along Route 14 north of Williamsport, Pa., at 40 mph. The locomotives’ lumbering appearance gave rise to the nickname “Hippo.” Jim Shaughnessy photo […]
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Imperial Southern Pacific GS-4 No. 4439 leads train No. 40, the eastbound Los Angeles-Chicago Imperial, 3 miles north of Corona, N.M., on the Golden State Route, as it nears its handoff to the Rock Island at Tucumcari, N.M., on May 27, 1949. The route was a significant one for the SP. D.L. Ingersoll photo […]
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Flexi-Van innovation With highway-wheel bogies in place, New York Central’s Flexi-Van pioneering containers looked like standard truck trailers. Flexi-Van containers had lights, unlike standard shipping containers. New York Central photo […]
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F unit parade Two Great Northern paint schemes are on display as GN Extra 312-A passes Extra 311-C, waiting in the siding at Floodwood, Minn., on Aug. 16, 1969. Doug Wingfield photo […]
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Amtrak sale, offering 50% off or $50 for anniversary, ends Wednesday As part of events marking its 50th anniversary, Amtrak is offering a non-refundable “50% off or maximum $50 fare” sale that ends Wednesday, May 5. The offer is good on any train in coach or Acela Business Class for travel between June 2 and […]
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Seatrain Georgia Seatrain Georgia, built in 1951 as one of the last two 1928-style rail car ships, is on the Hudson River at the start of a voyage. The vessels carried mostly boxcars, with tank cars and gondolas a distant second and third. Her colors are gray and white, with red funnel markings. U. S. […]
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History of the Northern Pacific Railway In 1864 Abraham Lincoln signed the charter of a railroad to be built from the Great Lakes to Puget Sound — the Northern Pacific Railroad. The Philadelphia banking house of Jay Cooke & Co. undertook to sell the bonds, which were to yield 7.3 percent interest, and sold $30 […]
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Sunset Limited station stop Southern Pacific 4-8-2 4326 has just entered Arizona from California as it brings the Sunset Limited into the station at Yuma sometime in the 1940s. Seated on the platform are local Indians with souvenirs to sell to passengers. Classic Trains collection […]
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