It’s a small world after all… At the end of my Army gate story, I mentioned that the next day’s Mobase local crew was amused about having to fix our mess — well, I have to admit that was a tad bit sarcastic. Though it would take eleven years to learn the whole story. When […]
Rock Island locomotives displayed a remarkable lack of diversity in the steam era. In contrast, during the diesel era, the Rock hardly met a locomotive model it didn’t like. In the 20th century, the Rock made heavy use of the 0-6-0 (171), 2-8-0 (562), 2-8-2 (234), 4-6-0 (242), and 4-6-2 (175), types. Perhaps the best-remembered […]
Train fans In every generation of train fans, there are those among us that feel they should have been born a decade, or perhaps even a generation, earlier so they could have witnessed railroading now gone and buried. Whether it be a particular branch line, an entire railroad, first-generation diesels, steam, or anything else dear […]
WASHINGTON — National Park Service volunteers from national or historic parks and monuments along Amtrak routes are again be hosting informative programs aboard trains this summer and fall under the “Trails and Rails” program. The table below shows the segments and days of the week where personnel discuss the historical significance of the route’s points […]
America’s oldest railroad tunnels What seems like a straightforward question can have three different answers, depending on how you define “oldest.” Partisans of the Pennsylvania, the New Haven, and the New York Central (and their ancestral lines) will have their own takes on it — and each will be right. Ask where is the first […]
MOORESTOWN, N.J. — Twenty-eight organizations have been awarded a total of $125,000 from the National Railway Historical Society as part of its Railway Heritage Preservation Grants program, the organization has announced. The 2024 grants are awarded in the memory of longtime member Carl S. Jensen, who died in March [see “Carl Jensen, manager of NS […]
ALTOONA, Pa. — Milestones of progress on two Pennsylvania Railroad steam-locomotive projects were unveiled at last week’s 56th annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. The Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust brought the frame and four drivers for its 21st-century recreation of the PRR T1 class of 100-mph streamlined 4-4-4-4 passenger […]
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, commonly known as the Burlington Route, had many other Zephyrs. While not as prestigious as the Pioneer, Twin Cities, Mark Twain, Denver and California Zephyrs, these other streamlined trainsets and services, famously named after the Greek God of the West Wind, deserve a spotlight. Sam Houston Zephyr Fort […]
Though all our Model Railroader Hall of Fame nominees so far have been hobbyists, sometimes an avocation becomes a vocation. That was the case for our three June Model Railroader Hall of Fame nominees, all of whom turned an early interest in model trains into well-known businesses that are still going strong today. Irvin Athearn, […]
On May 10, 1869, the first Transcontinental Railroad was completed during the Golden Spike Ceremony. Yes, every rail enthusiast and elementary school student has this date ingrained in their mind. The rail enthusiast probably remembers the date better than the elementary school student, but nonetheless, it is a significant date in U.S. history. However, for […]
With sunny skies and warm temperatures, there was only thing to do around Milwaukee this past Monday: chase (as best you could) the high-flying Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816, deep into its closely watched “Final Spike Anniversary Tour,” organized by CPKC to celebrate the April 2023 merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. The […]
Railroad fans of all stripes congregate at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1969, for the Golden Spike centennial celebration, including a trainload that came from New York City behind High Iron 2-8-4 No. 759 and a Union Pacific streamliner west of Kansas City. Arthur W. Zimmerla, collection of Arthur A. Zimmerla […]
