There’s just something special about witnessing steam trains working through winter weather. Watching as huge clouds of hot exhaust condense into steam in the cold air. Come with us for a quick trip across the United States, as we look back on some of our favorite Steam in the Snow moments. If you want to […]
Workers at Missouri Pacific’s Sedalia (Mo.) shops line up in a “V for victory” formation in August 1942 in a ceremony to commemorate the last of 25 Sedalia-built 4-8-4s. Missouri Pacific photo […]
The Lionel Vision Line Norfolk & Western Class A has finally arrived, fresh from the Volume 1 2022 Lionel catalog. I have to say, this beautiful steam locomotive does not disappoint! This isn’t a rehash of the previous 2-6-6-4 model available in the Volume 1 2000 catalog. Thanks to all-new tooling, this engine is fresh […]
The Lionel 2023 Big Book catalog is out. I just had a quick flip through it and here are my first impressions. I’ll tell you right off, this isn’t an exhaustive treatment and I can’t cover everything. Nor will you find any mention of the prices of these things. As I’m frequently inclined to say, […]
A John Armstrong inspired layout: In March of 1952 Model Railroader magazine began a series called Track Plan of the Month. A frequent contributor was John Armstrong, an undisputed genius of model railroad planning. Armstrong designed two track plans for the September 1953 issue. John rotated the center line of the layouts’ footprints 45-degrees and […]
It could have been a Trains News Wire headline: “Reading switcher shoves frozen Doodlebug.” You won’t believe the story. I awoke and gazed out the window of my home in Coatesville, Pa., to see a veritable torrent of fluffy snowflakes falling. They were burying the landscape of my hometown in a wonderland of whiteness. The […]
Canadian National 4-6-2 No. 5125 departs Burlington, Ont., with a Hamilton–Allandale local in March 1957. The Pacific and two cars are pinch-hitting for the usually assigned gas-electric car on this run. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern Railroad announced it set new records in 2022 for freight traffic and excursion passenger ridership. Revenue freight traffic rose over 4,000 carloads and the railroad carried over 250,000 passengers on its excursion trains. Reading & Northern, Pennsylvania’s largest privately-owned railroad, said the freight traffic increase was driven by […]
Portland day-trip rail experience: In the coastal Pacific Northwest, a Portland day-trip rail experience is easy enough that you can leave your vehicle at your local train station, and not think about automobiles for the rest of the day. With all Amtrak corridor and long-distance trains calling on Portland, Oregon one can usually find a […]
SILVIS, Ill. – Railroading Heritage of Midwest America crews have taken the first steps toward returning Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 to operation this week by stripping parts off the 4-6-6-4. Today crews lifted the cab off the locomotive. “RRHMA crews have been making good progress all week striping down [No.] 3985,” says Steve […]
In November 2022, Trains Magazine hosted their second photo special of the year on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad near Cumberland, Maryland, with 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. An earlier trip in February 2022 operated for 100 people. This time, a smaller crowd of 60 photographers from across the United States and as far away as England […]
EVANSTON, Wyo. — While restoration of Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 and 2-10-2 No. 5511 in Silvis, Ill., has grabbed headlines, there are at least two other Union Pacific steam locomotives currently undergoing return to operating condition. One that has really flown under the radar is UP S-4 Class 0-6-0 No. 4420 at the UP […]
