CSX to run repainted F unit for annual ‘Santa Train’

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Children and railfans waiting along the route of CSX’s Santa Train this year will get an extra treat from Santa Claus — an original Clinchfield Railroad F unit in new paint pulling the trainload of cheer. CSX Transportation unveiled the cosmetically restored Clinchfield F3 No. 800 in yellow and gray at its […]

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‘Wanna ride along with us?’

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The engineer of Southern SD35 3007, preparing to depart East St. Louis in April 1968, invited me up for a cab ride—but logistics intervened. J. David Ingles Over the years, I’d bet most of us non-railroaders who’ve been out taking train pictures have received a spontaneous invitation from an engine crew we encountered. And how […]

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A fresh-painted Warbonnet is back NEWSWIRE

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The Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, Calif., has restored Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe EMD FP45 No. 108 to its as-delivered Warbonnet paint scheme. Elrond Lawrence A close-up shot of Santa Fe No. 108 in fresh paint at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in California. Elrond Lawrence PERRIS, Calif. — The Orange Empire Railway […]

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Open-hearth light show: Benwood at night

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A steel mill at night, like this one in the Pittsburgh area, was an unforgettable sight. Baltimore & Ohio At night the atmosphere in many railroad yards was completely different than it is during the daytime. Although few railroaders would admit it, there were scenes that pleased both the eye and the psyche: The colors […]

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Western Maryland diesel stands in for big steam this fall NEWSWIRE

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Western Maryland Scenic Railroad workers pose on the nose of recently re-painted GP30 No. 501. Excursions pulled by the locomotive in the “circus” paint scheme will benefit continued restoration of Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. Western Maryland Scenic Railroad CUMBERLAND, Md. — Western Maryland red, white, and black could mean green for the Western […]

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Lehigh Valley mail car

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Workers transfer mail between a Post Office Department truck and a Lehigh Valley Railway Post Office car around 1910. The 60-foot, all-steel RPO is state of the art, unlike the ancient wooden, open-platform car to its left. Library of Congress photo […]

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GG1 at Swarthmore

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GG1 4903 heads a westbound rush-hour commuter train at Swarthmore, Pa., sometime during World War II. A mainline motor like this was a rarity on PRR’s West Chester Branch. George Gillespie As were many railroads during the busy World War II years, the Pennsylvania Railroad was hard-pressed for equipment. Many of us remember seeing locomotives and […]

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Rock Island E units make first public appearance NEWSWIRE

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Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific No. 652 was one of 13 E8As purchased by the Rock Island in 1951. The locomotive and sister unit E6A No. 630 are gradually being restored to operating condition. Jerry Huddleston OELWEIN, Iowa — This weekend the Manly Junction Railroad Museum’s two former Rock Island E units, E6A No. 630 […]

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Pennsy T1 Trust buys unrestored tender for project NEWSWIRE

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A view of a Pennsylvania Railroad long-haul fuel tender that the T1 Trust recently purchased. Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Trust The T1 Trust has purchased a 200,000-pound Pennsylvania Railroad long-haul tender No. 6659 from the Western New York Railway Historical society that had been used behind an M1, a 4-8-2 Mountain-type locomotive. Essentially, a T1 tender […]

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Coast-to-coast passenger train

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Amtrak’s westbound ‘Sunset Limited’ pauses for a station stop in Atmore, Ala., at sunrise in January 1995. It was the nation’s first and only transcontinental passenger train. Bob Johnston Q There were numerous named passenger trains that spanned distances beyond the reach of a single railroad, such as the California Zephyr between Chicago and Oakland, […]

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