This graph shows the calculated drawbar horsepower curves for five classes in the first wave of 4-8-4s: Lackawanna Q-1, Canadian National U-2-a, Northern Pacific A, Santa Fe 3751, and Canadian Pacific K-1. Neil Carlson In the days of steam it was a normal practice to estimate the horsepower potential of a locomotive. Baldwin Locomotive Works […]
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac 4-8-4 No. 602, named Governor Thomas Jefferson, rushes an 18-car passenger train toward Washington, D.C., near Four Mile Run, Va., in June 1940. C. W. Whitbeck Back pressure Back pressure is caused by the resistance of the exhaust steam exiting the cylinders. Overcoming this resistance represents negative work done by the […]
S12 No. 300 and VO1000 No. 412 congregate at the SMS’s Pureland operation. Scott A. Hartley In the August 2011 issue, we take a look at SMS Rail Lines Inc., owner of one of the coolest rosters of locomotives anywhere. Here’s a look at what locomotives are part of the fleet and where they came […]
Amtrak MP15 No. 576 leads a work train across the Northeast Corridor at Newark, Del., on Jan. 19, 2011. Michael S. Murray In the July 2011 issue, we look at Amtrak’s switcher fleet. Here’s a glimpse at where the passenger railroad assigned its switchers in April 2011. […]
Name No. Type Builder Year built Peppersass 1 Campbell, Whittier & Co. – 1866 Mt. Washington 1 0-2-2-0 Manchester Loco. Works 1883 Ammonoosuc 2 0-2-2-0 Manchester Loco. Works 1875 Agiocochook 3 0-2-2-0 Manchester Loco. Works 1883 Chocorua 4 0-2-2-0 Manchester Loco. Works 1883 Kancamagus 6 0-2-2-0 Manchester Loco. Works 1874 Moosilauke 8 0-2-2-0 Mt. Washington […]
Ringling’s Blue Unit circus train exits Huntsman Canyon at Moapa, Nev., June 15, 2010, oln its way to Las Vegas. This rare view shows the entire 61-car, 5,409-foot, 4,490-ton consist. Kenneth Kuehne The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus rail car fleet is an amazing collection of equipment from many railroads and many configurations. […]
Genesee & Wyoming-owned St. Lawrence & Atlantic units congregate at Danville Junction, Maine, in August 2006. Matt Martin In Trains June 2010 issue, we told you how a 14-mile New York short line became a holding company with 62 railroads. How does Genesee & Wyoming manage its power? As of spring 2010, Genesee & Wyoming […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: When we asked the Class I railroads for input on the May 2010 locomotive column on the subject of A.C. traction diesels, Norfolk Southern Assistant Vice President-Mechanical Don Graab responded by email and provided us some great detail. What follows is his perspective on why some railroads order only A.C. diesels, some D.C., […]
Durango & Silverton crew favorite 473 turns a photographers’ special on the Silverton wye during Railfest in August 2009. Her big plow was useful in fighting snow four months later. Robert S. McGonigal Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad engineer Jarrette Ireland assesses the K-28 Mikados:There are many reasons why I personally enjoy the K-28’s, […]
Lloyd Stagner’s book AMERICAN STEAM FINALE, 1954-1970 (South Platte Press, 2001; www.southplattepress.com) is the definitive resource on the end of steam on U.S. Class 1’s and short lines. In “Just Who Was First to Dieselize,” in Diesel Victory (2006), we mentioned 17 U.S. Class 1 railroads that dieselized early. To qualify for the list, the […]
Late in the day, but early on author Fred Frailey’s trip, Pan Am train AYMO passes Otter Creek, Mass., on Aug. 6, 2009. Ryan Parent In our January 2010 issue, Fred W. Frailey explores Pan Am Railways’ history and its history-making partnership with Norfolk Southern Railway: Pan Am Southern, which provides Pan Am a lot […]
Freightliner No. 70006 represents GE’s new PowerHaul series, a potential competitor to the venerable EMD Class 66 diesels that currently rule in Britain. GE Twenty-four years ago, a British aggregate company, Foster Yeoman, took the unusual step of ordering American motive power for its movement of stone trains on the British rail network. Electro-Motive built […]
