Twin Cities Zephyr Led by 1936 power unit 9905 Zephyrus, the Burlington’s Twin Cities Zephyr swings into the downtown La Crosse, Wis., depot circa 1939. Slow street running was an obstacle in the speed war with rivals Chicago & North Western and Milwaukee Road. Elden H. Hunter photo […]
Niagara Junction Although it was built by the Niagara Falls Power Co. in the 1890’s, 11-mile switching road Niagara Junction used steam locomotives at first. Electrification, with 660-volt D.C. catenary and steeplecabs, came in 1913. New General Electric motors arrived in 1952 (that’s one at right, in October ’67), by which time the road was […]
Visiting the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Chama, New Mexico, might be some of the most sacred ground for 1920s railroad and steam locomotive enthusiasts. That’s the western end of the mighty Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, and it’s the site of an authentic shop, yard, and depot. It’s the start of the dramatic eastbound climb across […]
Why do you stage a model train layout? Let’s be clear about the need for staging. Unless you’re modeling a very small railroad or perhaps a branch line, you’re faced with the need to simulate the connections that the part of the railroad you’ve opted to model makes with the rest of that same railroad […]
Less Than Carload Buffalo Creek & Gualey motor “B’s” awaits departure from Dundon, W.Va., for Widen, in 1948. A truck has arrived with LCL freight, including a new tire, which is being leaned against a rattan seat. After loading was complete, freight filled the front of the car back into the second row of seats. […]
The Northern Pacific Railway is Classic Trains‘ Railroad of the Month for May 2021. Please enjoy this photo gallery originally published in November 2019 as part of editors’ salute to the grit and grandeur that was the NP. Only from Classic Trains! […]
Hippo Pennsylvania 2-10-0 4414 races north along Route 14 north of Williamsport, Pa., at 40 mph. The locomotives’ lumbering appearance gave rise to the nickname “Hippo.” Jim Shaughnessy photo […]
Imperial Southern Pacific GS-4 No. 4439 leads train No. 40, the eastbound Los Angeles-Chicago Imperial, 3 miles north of Corona, N.M., on the Golden State Route, as it nears its handoff to the Rock Island at Tucumcari, N.M., on May 27, 1949. The route was a significant one for the SP. D.L. Ingersoll photo […]
Trackside Photos is a showcase for the work of Model Railroader readers. Send your photos (digital images 5 megapixels or larger) to: Model Railroader, Trackside Photos, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612; or upload them to http://fileupload.kalmbach.com/contribute. For our photo submission guidelines, contact associate editor Steven Otte at sotte@mrmag.com. […]
Flexi-Van innovation With highway-wheel bogies in place, New York Central’s Flexi-Van pioneering containers looked like standard truck trailers. Flexi-Van containers had lights, unlike standard shipping containers. New York Central photo […]
F unit parade Two Great Northern paint schemes are on display as GN Extra 312-A passes Extra 311-C, waiting in the siding at Floodwood, Minn., on Aug. 16, 1969. Doug Wingfield photo […]
Swamp Rats Argent Lumber 2-6-2 No. 5, a 1910 Lima (left) brings logs to the Bear Creek transfer point as 2-6-0 No. 2, a 1906 Baldwin (right) waits for the exchange. The operation was based in Hardeeville, S.C., and lasted into the late 1950s. Jim Shaughnessy photo […]
