Great Northern Railway used three-phase locomotives in the 1920s. This General Electric locomotive operated with three-phase power. General Electric Q In a September 1999 article in Trains, I read that the Great Northern Cascade Tunnel electrification project was the first and only three-phase A.C. system in America. Was three phase delivered to a moving locomotive? […]
A Fort Worth & Western mixed freight ascends a grade near Cresson, Texas, in May 2013. Steve Sweeney Q Do railroads have formulas managing the length or tonnage of a train based on how many engines are pulling it? What factors would be in such a formula? — Doug Gard, McCordsville, Ind. A Each railroad […]
Southern Railway 2-8-0 No. 630 on a Norfolk Southern excursion carries 10,000 gallons of water in its tender and an additional 12,500 gallons in its auxiliary tender to negate the need for additional water between stops. Allyson Praytor Q I saw a television show where steam locomotives were operating with two tenders instead of just […]
Erie No. 2603, later No. 5014, was built in 1914 by Baldwin in Philadelphia. None of these 850,000-pound-plus locomotives were preserved. Herb Broadbelt Q With so much talk about Union Pacific’s Big Boy, I was wondering about other North American “big steamers.” Do you know the current location of any of the Erie Railroad’s three […]
This Chicago Railroad Fair plate commemorates the 1949 industry gathering in Chicago. It is popular, but worth less than $50. Two photos, Peter Smith Q I have been given a nice dining-type plate commemorating the 1949 Chicago Railroad Fair. It is cream-colored with red-brown single-color images of seven period locomotives (for example: Minnetonka, Tom Thumb, […]
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 No. 4449 at Bend, Ore., in October 2012. The fog horn is at the top of the smokebox on the fireman’s side, or the right, as you look at the engine. Alex Mayes Q I was watching a video about the Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 No. 4449, and I noticed that […]
Santa Fe GP7 No. 2651, above, was equipped with steam generators unlike its sister, No. 2656, which had dynamic brakes and was scrapped in 1966. Trains collection Q I have a black-and-white photo of Santa Fe GP7 No. 2656. The engine has what looks like a 48-inch fan on the top and 13 to 14 […]
Q What happened to the permanently coupled two business cars, the “Virginia” and the “Carolina,” that the Southern Railway provided for its president and chairman?— Bob Sewell, Marysville, Wash. A The Virginia (NS 1) and the Carolina (NS 2) have been paired since they were built in 1928. Pullman originally constructed them for Southern Railway. […]
It may look like a tiny handrail, but this is actually an AM antenna installed on some 1940s-era passenger cars. Michael Belcher Q What is the pipe on part of the roof of some 1940s-era diner and lounge cars as shown in Michael Belcher’s photo on page 90 of the April 2011 issue?— Randall Keils, […]
The black-and-white sign with dots tells the plow operator to raise flanges prior to crossings, switches, etc. Greg McDonnell Q What does a whiteboard sign with black circles mean? It’s near grade crossings and sometimes has one black circle, and sometimes two.— Mike Cough, Kemptville, Ont., Canada A That board (which can also be black […]
Three Deseret Power Railway E60Cs begin the short but steep 2-percent descent into Coyote Basin near Bonanza, Utah, on July 8, 2009. David Honan Q How do you figure out the percent of the grade of a railroad track?— Richard Buckhold, Kirkwood, Mo. A Grades are expressed as the rise in feet per 100 feet […]
A Pandrol e-clip elastic rail fastener secures the rail to the tie, along with a type of hairpin spike. TRAINS: Kathi Kube Q How do Pandrol clips secure rails to concrete or wooden ties?— John Trifari, Sunnyvale, Calif. A The clips are made of spring steel and must be pressed into position by machinery or […]
