Santa Fe 3460 Hudsons had an impact on the railroad much larger than their class size would indicate. Mention the Hudson steam locomotive and the name “Santa Fe” likely won’t come up right away. To be sure, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway’s roster was light on 4-6-4s, just 16 of them. And they […]
General Electric’s U30C Up in the north woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula sits the last serviceable U30C — LSI No. 3009, dead and drained outside Lake Superior & Ishpeming’s diesel shop in Eagle Mills. This locomotive and its cousin, LS&I C30-7 No. 3073, had been filling in on ore trains when not enough LS&I AC4400CWs […]
Locomotive power 2024 Someone turned on the new locomotive faucet, but its just a slow drip right now. For several years no new six-axle freight locomotives have been built for North America’s Class I railroads. Now, there are some signs of life. Last year saw orders from Canadian National and BNSF Railway — Canadian National […]
Boise Locomotive’s MK1200Gs During the heyday of ultra-low emission liquid natural gas as an alternative to diesel propulsion, Boise Locomotive Co. [formerly Morrison Knudsen Rail Co.] produced a quartet of LNG 1,200 hp switchers for domestic use in 1994. Two were sent out into the world to be tested on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa […]
The Illinois Central’s EMD SD40A diesel locomotive resulted from the railroad’s desire to increase fuel capacity. “Customer modifications to production units aren’t all that unusual, don’t usually result in more than minor engineering and construction revisions, and seldom are dignified by a separate builder’s class,” wrote former Trains Managing Editor Wally Abbey in the January […]
Five Alco locomotives no one wanted: In the annals of locomotive history, there are a great many success stories. The GP7, the U25B, and the SD40-2 spring to mind for many railfans. But among these successes, there are of course failures, models forgotten to time. This article highlights five locomotives from the famed manufacturer Alco […]
Q: I would like to know how to patch out leased locomotives. I model a bridge line connecting the Nickel Plate (NKP) at Wheeling, W.Va., with the Norfolk & Western (N&W) at Bluefield, W.Va. I roster several EMD GP30s and some Alco units, all in NKP livery. Most of my steam power is lettered for […]
Wabash locomotives were distinctive in both steam and diesel eras. After depending on more than 150 2-8-2s for freights that succeeded typical smaller types, Wabash in 1930 received 50 handsome 4-8-2s and 4-8-4s (25 each) from Baldwin. Perhaps more remembered were seven 4-6-4 Hudsons, rebuilt at Decatur from unsuccessful three-cylinder Mikados in the […]
The 4-8-4 steam locomotive wheel arrangement was exemplified in the South by the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Dixies. Of all the regions in the U.S., the South had the fewest of what might be called the ultimate dual-service “modern” steam locomotive, that is, engines with four-wheel trailing trucks, especially 4-8-4s. An agrarian […]
Q: My father, who gave me my first train set in 1974, asked me a couple questions about steam locomotive power that I didn’t know the answers to, so I’m directing them to you. Which wheel configurations are better for pulling a train up a hill versus long freight loads a long distance, and why? Also, […]
A plethora of steam locomotives made comebacks in late 2023 after being out of service for extended periods of time. Expect these primed-and-ready locomotives to return to service for the full 2024 season. Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad No. 8419 As a reminder of the twilight of steam locomotive manufacturing in the world, No. 8419 […]
Montreal Locomotive Works DL535E diesel locomotives have proven to be versatile narrow-gauge haulers made famous by a garden railway staple. In 1969, American Locomotive Co. of Schenectady, N.Y., was building seven six-axle, 1,200-hp DL535E diesel locomotives, Nos. 101-107, for the White Pass & Yukon when the builder abruptly shut down its manufacturing operations. […]
