When I fell into the mileage hobby more than 35 years ago, I was late to the game but ambitious to mark up as much of my Rand McNally Handy Railroad Atlas as possible. This was around 1987, when my boss, J. David Ingles, inspired me to keep track of everything I rode, something I […]
Few, if any railroads, duplicated what the Wabash Railroad did in 1930 and ’31 when it ordered 50 big locomotives from the Baldwin Locomotive Co., split half and half between the tried-and-true 4-8-2 wheel Mountain type and the still relatively new 4-8-4 Northern. It was a remarkable decision, given the slight differences between the […]
The Illinois Terminal Railroad might be one of the most misunderstood Class 1 railroads of the 20th century. If you think “the I.T.,” as most called it, was just a creaky electric interurban that gave up on passengers and got some diesels to haul freight to a few customers, think again. Illinois Terminal was […]
The Baltimore & Ohio dieselized its named passenger trains with six sets of Electro-Motive EA-EB passenger diesels in 1937–38. Here, two of the sets rest in Chicago between runs. Baltimore & Ohio photo […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The 20th heritage locomotive in the CSX fleet is ES44AH No. 1902, a tribute to predecessor and Appalachian coal-hauler Clinchfield. CEO Joe Hinrichs unveiled the locomotive today in a post on LinkedIn, as has been customary. “Here is our 20th CSX Heritage Locomotive celebrating the Clinchfield Railroad. The Clinchfield Railroad was set […]
The first two of seven Western Maryland 2-8-0s lift a 78-car eastbound train up the twisting grade through Black Fork Gorge toward Thomas, W.Va., on May 16, 1952. Edward Theisinger photo […]
Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66, dubbed the Train Master, was known for its substantial carbody. At 2,400 hp, the Train Master was the highest-horsepower road switcher on the market when introduced in 1953. No. 6301 was one of five Train Masters rostered by the Southern Railway. Ken Douglas photo […]
Mention the name, “horseshoe curve,” and your mind will immediately think of the World Famous Horseshoe Curve nestled deep in the Allegheny Mountains west of Altoona, Penn. That shouldn’t be a surprise considering this landmark’s history and engineering marvel that’s been attracting visitors for 170 years, ranging from the curious to the most enthusiastic. […]
Trailer Train began acquiring 85-foot flatcars in 1958. This class F85A car, built by American Car & Foundry in 1958, carriers two Baltimore & Ohio 35-foot trailers shortly after delivery. Classic Trains collection […]
My first train set (or locomotive) was…? When I was quite young, my parents bought me a secondhand Christmas train set. My best recollection is that it was probably a Marx set with strange couplers and lithographed tinplate sides. There was a small 0-4-0 steamer, a silver Gulf Oil tank car, a tan baby Ruth […]
SILVIS, Ill. — Santa Fe No. 537 sparkled in the paint booth of the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America shops during a Friday night dinner and unveiling of the repainted GE B40-8W at the former Rock Island Railroad Silvis Locomotive Shops. The RRHMA hosted its “Trains & Tractors” event on Friday and Saturday, October 18-19, […]
Atlanta & West Point locomotives were carefully curated alongside those of its sister roads. Although much of the West Point roads’ 20th-century steam locomotive fleet looked like the “Georgian Locomotive” memorialized by H. Stafford Bryant Jr. in his book of the same name — a handsome, elegant group — perhaps the most interesting […]
