A look back in time: October 1958

Classic Trains logo

As of October 1, 1958, Class I railroads own or lease 27,622 diesel locomotives, 1,532 steam locomotives, and 559 electrics. . . . Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line are mulling a merger. . . . New York Central unveils a system for transporting ballistic missiles in conventional 70-foot baggage cars. . . . […]

Read More…

A look back in time: September 1958

Classic Trains logo

New Jersey challenges the constitutionality of the Transportation Act of 1958, under whose provisions the Erie and New York Central seek to discontinue their Hudson River ferry service. . . . Reading Company completes a $500,000 upgrade at its Port Richmond Marine Terminal on the Delaware River in Philadelphia; new ore-unloading machinery nearly doubles the […]

Read More…

A look back in time: August 1958

Classic Trains logo

SP announces it is standardizing on silver livery for all passenger equipment; although Armour yellow will be retained for cars assigned to Overland Route trains, SP’s tow-tone gray and bright Daylight colors will fade away. . . . On August 12, the Transportation Act of 1958 is signed into law. Among its provisions are greater […]

Read More…

Wheeling & Lake Erie’s predecessors

The Wheeling traces its history back to April 6, 1871. It reinvented itself on May 18, 1990. The pdf below shows all of its predecessor railroads. To read more about the Wheeling & Lake Erie, see July 2008 Trains, which hits the newsstands on June 10, 2008! […]

Read More…

Your Favorite Railroad Books

I thought of “Portrait of the Rails” by Don Ball, Jr. immediately when reading Jim Wrinn’s editorial about favorite railroad books. As a child I spent hours gazing at the photos it contained of steam trains billowing smoke and funny looking streamliners while my dad would tell me stories about the trains of the 40’s […]

Read More…