Wanting to get a look at the Jersey Central and Lehigh Valley just before they disappeared into Conrail, future Classic Trains magazine Editor Rob McGonigal spent several hours on March 17, 1976, at CNJ’s Bound Brook station. Here is his train log. 08:51 Reading RDC2 9165 and RDC1 9164, Crusader, eastbound 08:55 CNJ GP7 1524 […]
It was on March 5, 1850, that the Kentucky legislature approved a charter for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company. The first through train operated between L&N’s namesake end points in 1859. Had it not been for dynamic leadership, vision, money, and some luck, the L&N might not have matured beyond this original route and […]
In 1879 and 1880, a syndicate headed by George I. Seney, a New York banker, assembled the Lake Erie & Western Railway, a line from Fremont, Ohio, to Bloomington, Ill. After a dispute with the New York Central System about the routing of freight, Seney decided to build a line to connect the LE&W to […]
Webster Classic Models HO scale Baltimore & Ohio interlocking tower Webster Classic Models HO scale Baltimore & Ohio interlocking tower This craftsman kit from Webster Classic Models builds into a classic structure indeed, an elegant Baltimore & Ohio signal tower. The prime ingredient is laser-cut wood parts, which fit together precisely and are also fun […]
The gift By Curtis L.Katz I have always been fascinated with trains. My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Bannister, a grandmotherly woman wiry and wise, once told my mother that most little children go through a phase when they are interested in trains or ships or trucks, “but with Curtis, trains are a hobby.” Had my 5-yeard-old […]
For many years, the Lehigh Valley maintained some offices in downtown Philadelphia, even though this was an off-line point. In the mid-1940’s, the Valley relocated the offices to its building just west of the Bethlehem (Pa.) Union Station. The LV cushioned the hardship of the move by having a special chartered train run each working […]
Like many a now-mature railfan, my passion for railroading began at an early age as I haunted the local depot. Many of us also met someone, usually a friendly clerk or an engineer, who inspired us to pursue our passions. For me, Wayne Junction, Pa., in the heart of Reading’s Philadelphia commuter network, was the […]
KAAABOOM! I woke in my roomette with a start as the car lurched forward a couple of feet. Caaaa-lank, clank, clunk! Then three violent jerks the other way. I didn’t have to look at my watch or raise the shade to know that cars were being cut from the train at Buffalo Central Terminal. I […]
