Big town, no main lines

MILWsiouxfalls

The Milwaukee Road was one of the big players in Sioux Falls. One of its hottest trains in the late 1940s was the daily-except-Sunday meat train to Chicago, seen passing a diesel switcher as it departs Sioux Falls. Mikado 508 carries an extra tender to reduce water stops. Henry J. McCord Growing up in an […]

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Remembering Clinchfield Railroad locomotives

A train sitting on the tracks

Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and lore of famed (and infamous) railroads. In March 2020, we celebrate the Clinchfield Railroad. Please enjoy a collection of locomotive images located in the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include the Clinchfield’s iconic locomotives and classic scenic photos. You might also enjoy […]

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Bringing light into a black hole

MRRNS0520_01

Jim Kelly wanted to see all the fabulous detail on his new ScaleTrains.com carbon black covered hoppers. A few simple steps had them looking more like their full-sized counterparts. Bill Zuback photo The universe has its black holes, and we who model in N scale have ours: black locomotives and rolling stock. The details are […]

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Remembering Clinchfield Railroad freight trains

A black and white photo of K-4 2-8-2 Mikado heading down the tracks

All this month — March 2020 — Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and images of the Clinchfield Railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images from the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include Clinchfield diesel- and steam-powered freight trains through time. You might also enjoy this Clinch history […]

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Remembering Clinchfield Railroad passenger trains

A black and white photo of Clinchfield 4-6-2 No. 154 coming down the tracks

In March 2020, Classic Trains is celebrating the history, heritage, and splendor of the Clinchfield Railroad. Enjoy this photo gallery, selected from the David P. Morgan Library collections, as the perfect salute to the Clinchfield. Return each week for another salute to the railroad of the month! See what we did last week for the […]

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“Most dangerous task I ever performed”

GTW8090

The little door below the headlight on an Alco switcher like Grand Trunk Western S4 No. 8090 led to a veritable chamber of horrors for a young roundhouse worker. J. David Ingles I know there are many dangerous occupations. My wife’s ancestors were coal miners in Pennsylvania after coming to America, having mined coal in […]

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Remembering the Clinchfield Railroad

Southbound manifest train 26, three F unit diesels, pauses by the Borden Textile Mill in Kingsport, Tennessee, in March 1967 to add a three-unit rear-end pusher for the 42-mile climb to Erwin.

Southbound manifest train 26, three F unit diesels, pauses by the Borden Textile Mill in Kingsport, Tennessee, in March 1967 to add a three-unit rear-end pusher for the 42-mile climb to Erwin. C. K. Marsh Jr. History and major events of the Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield was different. It was conceived by men who had […]

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Remembering Nickel Plate Road freight trains

A striped train passing by

All this month — February 2020 — Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and images of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images from the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include Nickel Plate diesel- and steam-powered freight trains through time. You […]

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Remembering Nickel Plate Road locomotives

A close up black and white photo of Nickel Plate Road No. 125

Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and lore of famed (and infamous) railroads. In February 2020, we celebrate the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad. Please enjoy a collection of locomotive images located in the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include the Nickel Plate Road’s iconic locomotives and […]

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Alstom reaches agreement to buy Bombardier (updated)

Alstom logo

SAINT-OUEN, France — Rail equipment manufacturer Alstom will acquire Montreal-based Bombardier Transportation in a deal worth 5.8 to 6.2 billion Euros ($6.28-$6.71 billion), Alstom has announced. It is Alstom’s second attempt to grow in an effort to compete with China’s CRRC, the world’s largest manufacturer of rail equipment. A previous attempt to merge with Germany’s […]

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Remembering Nickel Plate Road passenger trains

A train pulling into a station

In February 2020, Classic Trains is celebrating the history, heritage, and splendor of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad. Enjoy this photo gallery, originally published online in September 2016, as the perfect salute to the Nickel Plate Road. Return each week for another salute to the railroad of the month! See what we […]

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East Broad Top narrow gauge equipment drawings

Image of East Broad Top article, page 1

Some of the most interesting narrow-gauge equipment to come off production lines is that made for the East Broad Top Railroad & Coal Co., especially the locomotive and cars pictured on these pages. Mikado No. 16 (Baldwin 1916) was one of the heaviest engines owned by the EBT, tipping the scales at 160,500 pounds. Nos. […]

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