October on ex-Sacramento Northern Railway Each October, two former Key System bridge units operated by the Western Railway Museum become more than artifacts of 20th century transit. They regain their original role of moving crowds of people, quickly. The riders now are mostly kids and families visiting a trackside pumpkin patch, not commuters headed to […]
Abandoned railroads In railroad operations, what is an abandoned railroad? If a railroad abandons a part of its line, does it still physically own the right-of-way? But who owns the right away when the tracks go away? Using some online resources, Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions […]
Markings on railroad tracks From signs that denote locations from terminals to speed limits signs, railroads leave us clues about them and how they operate. These clues can be hard to see because they are often covered with rust, mud, or dirt. For instance, the side of a railroad rail has identification markers that reveal […]
Restored steam locomotives We are blessed with an abundance of steam locomotives that are in operating condition today. But do they use modern technology to function? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions on model railroading or full-size railroads? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is […]
Railcar couplers Railcar couplers have been an issue since the beginning of railroading. Keeping the cars together yet making them easy enough to separate was key in the design of the rail transportation system. For many years, railroads used the link and pin coupler system, which required a trainman to be stationed between the cars for […]
Freight car wheels As railroads have developed and embraced emerging technology, the design of railcar wheelsets has remained the same for the past century. The amount of engineering that has gone into the development of wheelsets ensures a high level of safety every day. Here are five interesting things that may surprise you about how […]
Composite ties Wood crossties have been part of railroading from the beginning and North American railroads still purchase and install 25 million new wood ties in a typical year. Although concrete ties, which appeared in the 1970s, are increasingly common wood supports 95% of North America’s track. But hovering around the fringes is a third […]
BNSF’s Truxton Flyover project Truxton, Ariz., is not exactly one of the metropolitan centers of the American Southwest. “Population: very small,” says Craig Rasmussen, BNSF Railway assistant vice president, engineering services and structures. Officially, as of the 2020 census, 104 people live in the hamlet 42 miles northeast of Kingman, Ariz., on U.S. Route 66. […]
Covered hoppers on a coal-hauling railroad? It makes perfect sense. Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions on model railroading or full-size railroads? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where editors answer the […]
Amtrak’s Maple Leaf catches a CSX intermodal train With vehicle-train collisions near the top of the issues list following the Southwest Chief derailment at a Missouri roadway earlier in the summer, Trains News Wire scouted an appropriate photo location in western New York during a recent trip to capture an Amtrak train at a […]
What are the duties and responsibilities of a trainmaster? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions on model railroading or full-size railroads? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where editors answer the questions […]
Concrete ties are gaining in popularity. But what’s the difference between the two? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions on model railroading or full-size railroads? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where […]
