Amtrak National Limited service through the years

Streamlined diesel locomotives on Amtrak National Limited service with city skyline

Amtrak National Limited service began operation on May 1, 1971, linking New York City and Washington, D.C., with Kansas City. It carried Nos. 30-31. The route roughly paralleled that of Interstate 70, which links Baltimore and Kansas City. The name was a nod to a Baltimore & Ohio train serving Washington and St. Louis, but […]

Read More…

Rare images of Reading 2102 on the P&LE

Smoking steam locomotive on curve along river

Of all the mainline steam locomotives running these days — and there is an uncanny amount of them — I can’t think of one with as many distinct transitions as Reading 4-8-4 No. 2102. By my count, she’s a cat with at least five lives, with four more to go, if you believe that sort […]

Read More…

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum to mark 40th anniversary

Aerial view of RDC in front of station

LENOX, Mass. — The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a celebration on July 27 and and a concert on July 28, the museum has announced. It also is launching a new capital campaign to support its continued operation. “We’re holding these events to celeb rate the work we’ve done and […]

Read More…

Locomotives We Love: Lionel No. 2245 Texas Special F3

red and cream model engine

Joe Algozzini, perhaps the preeminent expert on Lionel trains and accessories manufactured during the post-World War II era (1945-69) has been contributing deeply researched and thoughtfully written articles to Classic Toy Trains since its second issue hit newsstands in the spring of 1988. To be honest, Joe was laying the groundwork for what became the […]

Read More…

NC&StL locomotives remembered

Diesel NC&StL locomotives with passenger train by signal and station

NC&StL locomotives were distinctive but disappeared all too soon.   The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway had its share of unique items and was a pioneer. Historian Dain L. Schult says the “NC,” as it was known, was the only southern road to try a Camelback and a duplex; neither type worked out. It […]

Read More…

5 traits of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad

Orange-and-black diesel locomotives displaying traits of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton with freight train under bridge

Here are five traits of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton that made it special.   The DT&I was formed in 1905 with the combination of the Detroit Southern and Ohio Southern railroads. In 1920, automobile tycoon Henry Ford acquired the road, popularly to ensure a new River Rouge bridge could be built to ensure water […]

Read More…

Rare-mileage trip on Reading & Northern to benefit museum

RDC cars emerging from tunnel in forest

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The National Museum of Industrial History will offer a day-long, rare-mileage trip to Vosburg Tunnel on the Reading & Northern Railroad, using two R&N Budd Rail Diesel Cars, on Wednesday, July 31. The 3,900-foot former Lehigh Valley Railroad tunnel north of Tunkhannock, Pa., was completed in 1886. The trip, the 2024 Anthracite […]

Read More…

Canada marks 11 years since Lac-Mégantic disaster

Flowers, guitar at stone memorial

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — Canada’s Transport Minister, Pablo Rodriguez, today released a statement as part of events marking the 11 years that have passed since Canada’s worst rail disaster, the derailment and fire in Lac-Megantic that killed 47 people and destroyed most of the community’s downtown. “Since the tragedy on July 6, 2013, 11 years ago […]

Read More…

Scratchbuild cars for the American Freedom Train

red, white, and blue car on trestle

The most recent version of the American Freedom Train (AFT) was assembled to help celebrate the United States’ 1976 Bicentennial. The complete train, which visited all 48 contiguous states over a two year period, had a total of 23 pieces of rolling stock, including passenger cars, showcase cars (with full-scale historical artifacts, like the Lunar […]

Read More…