Virginia & Truckee

Virginia & Truckee

V&T 11 and 27 with a railfan special on the 2 percent grade at Moundhouse, Nev., June 5, 1938. T.G. Wurm V&T 11 and 27 run light into Virginia City to turn on the turntable after pulling a railfan excursion from Carson City to Gold Hill on June 5, 1938. T.G. Wurm Last train from […]

Read More…

North Platte: The rise of a railroad town

Union Pacific depot, North Platte, Neb.

Soldiers and citizens pose in front of the Union Pacific depot in North Platte, Neb., on April 27, 1898. Union Pacific Museum Before there was a burning man festival, North Platte threw the biggest party in the West, when Union Pacific tracklayers made a winter camp with miners, traders, Mormon emigrants, and stagecoach drivers in […]

Read More…

Preserving Railroad History

Albany, Ore., station, Ciddici's Pizza

Preservation of former railroad stations takes many forms, from visitor centers and museums to offices and restaurants. Ciddici’s Pizza of Albany, Oregon, retains most of the original exterior features of the Oregon Electric structure, especially the “OER” logo. Scott Lothes The locomotive John Bull, donated by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1884, was the Smithsonian Institution’s […]

Read More…

Video Extra: Union Pacific turbine and diesel action in the 1960s

Yellow locomotive on freight train in yard

View three video clips of gas turbines and diesels in action on UP’s Overland Route main line across Wyoming in the 1960s. These clips are from Herron Rail Video’s DVD program “Rails West,” featuring the films of Donald J. Krofta. Diesels and Turbines at Green River Passenger at Laramie Turbine East from Laramie […]

Read More…

Video Extra: Union Pacific turbine and diesel action in the 1960s

Yellow locomotive on freight train in yard

View three video clips of gas turbines and diesels in action on UP’s Overland Route main line across Wyoming in the 1960s. These clips are from Herron Rail Video’s DVD program “Rails West,” featuring the films of Donald J. Krofta. Diesels and Turbines at Green River Passenger at Laramie Turbine East from Laramie […]

Read More…

Amtrak trains on May 1, 1971

Trains Magazine looks at passenger trains per day across the United States in its May 2010 issue. Our “Map of the Month” compares today’s train volumes with those Amtrak was running on its first day of operation, May 1, 1971, and what was running the day before. Check out the May issue and see which […]

Read More…

Mainline tonnage of the early 1970s

Mainline tonnage of the early 1970s

In the early 1970s, economic growth was transforming the South and West, and Western railroads surpassed Eastern roads in ton-miles carried for the first time in 1971. Traffic declines in the East heped trigger a rash of bankruptcies, which spurred Congress to commission detailed studies of railroad lines and operations. The results warned that, absent […]

Read More…

History according to Hediger 10

Office interior in black and white

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger shares a vintage story about a practical joke involving former Associate Editor Gordy Odegard, former Editor and Publisher Russ Larson, and a rather complicated oscilloscope kit. You’ll also see photos of the staff and the Model Railroader […]

Read More…