This blue roller bearing cap is a Brenco Class K 6 1⁄2 x 9 model. These are more common as half of the freight-car fleet is made of heavier cars. Bucyrus Railcar Repair Q Why are the roller bearing caps of some freight cars painted blue? – Nathan Penn, Monmouth, Ill. A In 1988, the […]
A CSX Transportation freight passes Marion (Ohio) Union Station. The site is now a museum with a restored interlocking tower. Brian Schmidt Q Why is the word “Union” used so often in the names of passenger stations and terminals? For example, Cincinnati Union Terminal, St. Louis Union Station, or Denver Union Station. Is there a […]
A train-view of a flyover at Zoo Interlocking in Philadelphia. Brian Solomon Question: Where are some other mainline flyovers in the U.S.? — Frank Klos, San Diego, Calif. Answer: A flyover is grade-separated track arrangement used to keep busy lines fluid by avoiding the need for conflicting crossover movements, often built in conjunction with junctions […]
Question: What do the numbers and letters mean on the side of the cab of Union Pacific Challenger 4-6-6-4 No. 3985? — Ben Fairbank, San Antonio, Texas Answer: 21 – 21 4-6-6-4-4-69 ————— 404 UP […]
Classification lights on Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern SD40-2 No. 6090. David C. Schauer Question: When a train displays color flags on the engine indicating “Extra” or “Second” section, how is that information used in the operation of the railroad? — Robert Miller, Hernando, Fla. Answer: A complete answer is available in Trains’ online “ABCs of […]
BNSF Railway ES44C4 No. 8338 works at the lead of a freight train. The locomotive’s C4 trucks have only two powered axles in the three-axle trucks arranged in a powered-unpowered-powered arrangement known as A-1-A. Tom Danneman Question: What is the purpose of the A-1-A C4 truck on the BNSF Railway Evolution Series diesels, and how […]
What appears to be an Omaha Orange and Pullman Green Great Northern Railway EMD SD9 in 2017 actually is a BNSF Railway unit that had been built in 1959 for Chicago, Burlintgon & Quincy subsidiary Colorado & Southern. For several years, BNSF has assigned Great Northern “GN” reporting marks to some older diesels generally assigned […]
BNSF Railway distributed power pushes an eastbound empty coal train at Hathaway, Mont., in June 2014. Tom Danneman Q In two recent issues, Trains stated that distributed power helps maintain trainline air for brakes. How can this be without giving up lead unit control of the brakes? – Jay Noyes, Lowell, Ind. A In distributed […]
A low-floor Alstom Citadis light rail vehicle for United Arab Emirates has minimal truck components so it remains closer to the street. Steve Sweeney Q In the August 2015 issue of Trains, the article on Alstom light rail mentioned continuous low floors as a design feature. How does Alstom make this work? – Jack Munro, […]
A Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis train crosses the Etowah River, soon to be Lake Allatoona, in December 1944. CSX Transportation now operates the line. Trains collection Q Which issue of Trains featured the article about a line relocation on the Western & Atlantic, an early Louisville & Nashville predecessor, at Lake Allatoona, near Cartersville, […]
A Union Pacific local train passes through suburban areas near Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., in October 2017. TRAINS: Steve Sweeney Question: How do trains crews earn their money? — Lee Martens, Rifle, Colo. Answer: In short, it is complicated. There are differences between how most Class I railroaders are paid and their short line colleagues — […]
Siemens Charger SC-44 No. 4632 leads Amtrak train 391, the southbound Saluki from Chicago to Carbondale, Ill., on the Canadian National Centrailia Subdivision, after passing the coaling towers that were built for the then Illinois Central Railroad in 1949. 18302-27 Jim Pearson Question: What effect, if any, will the implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading by […]
