End of the Lima line

20140521

Nickel Plate 779 was not only the final member of that road’s notable family of Berkshires, it was also the last steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works. This fact was not known until some time after its May 13, 1949, completion, and Lima did not make an official photo of her. Instead, the […]

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Milwaukee racer

20140528

It’s been said that Milwaukee Road’s class F6 4-6-4s, built 1930–31, looked like they were going fast even when standing still. There does seem to be a rakish “leaning-forward” quality to this photo of nearly new No. 6402. MILW […]

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Santa Fe RDC on the Reading

20140505

En route from Philadelphia’s Budd Co. to its owner, Santa Fe Railway Rail Diesel Car DC-192 is added to the rear of the Reading’s Harrisburg Special at RDG’s Outer Station in Reading, Pa., in May 1952. At right, a Reading G-3 Pacific stands with another passenger train. George W. Gerhart photo […]

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C&O at Elkhorn City

20140429

The Chesapeake & Ohio and Clinchfield met end-to-end at this yard at Elkhorn City, Ky. In this misty 1973 scene, a C&O train is ready to head north with a string of hopper cars from the Clinchfield. Tony Koester photo […]

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Famous railroads with unique official nicknames

Nickel Plate Railroad caboose at rear of freight train. Five-mind blowing facts — cabooses.

Railroads with cumbersome names that can be a mouthful to say and a headache to remember often opted for nicknames. These aliases served to enhance brand identity and solidify their legacy. Commonly, railroads used city names in their nicknames, as seen with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific, popularly known as the Milwaukee Road. […]

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Santa Fe FT’s on Tehachapi

20130404

An A-B-B-A set of Santa Fe FT diesels leads a westbound freight just below famous Tehachapi Loop in 1949. This train met an eastbound Southern Pacific freight at Walong siding on the Loop itself; steam from the SP train’s cab-forward helper is visible in the distance. Linn H. Westcott photo […]

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WM Pacific at Baltimore

20140411

Handsome Western Maryland 4-6-2 No. 204 is ready to depart the road’s Hillen Street station in Baltimore with the daily train to Hagerstown, Md., in April 1951. Russ Wilcox photo […]

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San Francisco Chief connection

20140407

Santa Fe trains 93, the West Texas Express, and 94, the Eastern Express, were the Amarillo–Lubbock connection for the San Francisco Chief. Between 1955 and 1965, the trains looked like this: an E8M (rebuilt from an E1), baggage-express car, coach, and sleeper. Fred M. Springer photo […]

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