The engineer of Canadian National 2-8-2 3503 enjoys the breeze as he hurries a freight eastward at Lorne Park, Ont., in August 1955. […]
Black (smoke) Friday
Section: Photo of the Day
Diesel diaspora
The first two ex-Reading Alco Century-series diesels to appear in Cleveland following the creation of Conrail do so here in April 1976. C424 5204 and C630 5307, not yet renumbered, are arriving with a train of empty cars at the C&P ore dock on Whiskey Island on the lakefront. The Alcos are ducking under the […]
Rebuilt for grain
Union Pacific had the largest fleet of rebuilt boxcars with built-in grain doors, visible in the upper part of the right plug door. No. 520003 was rebuilt from an older 40-foot car in 1967. Photo by Union Pacific […]
Doodlebug discontinued
Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf gas-electric M-23, assembled by GE in 1939 using parts from other cars, stands at Denison, Texas, on July 8, 1954. M-23 was scrapped a few months later, after its Denison–Muskogee, Okla., run, the last Muskogee Group varnish, was discontinued. Photo by Harold K. Vollrath […]
Burlington high stepper
In April 1965, the Mississippi River rose enough at Savanna, Ill., to endanger diesel traction motors, but the tracks were still passable. So, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy fired up fantrip 2-8-2 Mikado No. 4960, which ferried freight and passenger trains (like the North Coast Limited, pictured) through the high water. Photo by Chicago, Burlington & […]
Diesels for victory
An A-B-B-A set of Erie Railroad FTs, acquired during World War II, is fueled at an unknown, albeit modern, location on the railroad. The Erie had six such sets, Nos. 700–705 with A-B-C-D suffixes, followed by F3 and F7 units after the war. […]
Kansas City, again
Nameless Rock Island train 39, heavy with “head-end” mail-and-express business, is 2 miles out of Kansas City Union Station on February 9, 1963, as it arrives at the Kansas City, Kans., station, behind an E7A-B duo. The depot, which sat between the two main tracks used by RI and UP through trains, was beside the […]
Wabash mogul
Just uncoupled from its train, Wabash 2-6-0 Mogul 573 looks spiffy at Keokuk, Iowa, on October 18, 1953. The locomotive resided on the railroad’s Keokuk Branch due to the Illinois River bridge at Meredosia, Ill., which was unable to support newer diesels. Photo by Don Hofsommer […]
Produce packers
Workers pack ice in wooden crates with carrots at Elsa, Texas, northwest of Brownsville, in February 1939. There is an unidentified wooden reefer behind them. Photo by Russell Lee, Library of Congress […]
Photo of the Day
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Modern grain movers
Some of Soo Line’s 50-foot, 70-ton boxcars were equipped with grain doors, visible in the upper part of the plug door. The railroad built 200 of the modern-looking cars in 1964. Photo by Soo Line […]
Dispatcher’s delight
Missouri-Kansas-Texas 4-6-2 400 leaves Denison, Texas, with an extra in late 1948. Above the engine, awnings shade the windows of the dispatcher’s office, where the photographer then worked. One of 10 members of the Katy’s H-3-c class Pacifics, No. 400 was built in 1920 by Lima. Photo by Harold K. Vollrath […]
