Bobby Troup called out Flagstaff, Ariz., in “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” and railfans will too. The city of 65,000 is surrounded by ponderosa pines and flanked by the San Francisco Peaks. At 7,000 feet, Flagstaff offers comfortable summers, snowy winters, and fall colors. The city is home to BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision, part of […]
Section: Railroads
Fostoria, Ohio
Fostoria is a city of 14,000 in northwest Ohio, about 35 miles south of Toledo. Like its larger neighbor to the north, Fostoria is known for its one-time glass production. The Fostoria Glass Co., founded in the city in 1887, even supplied glassware to railroads for their dining cars! The city is also known for […]
Gibson City, Illinois
Gibson City, Ill., located in the heart of Central Illinois’ grain-growing region, is the headquarters for the Bloomer Shippers Connecting Railroad, otherwise known as the Bloomer Line. Gibson City also serves as a junction and interchange point for two Class I railroads, Canadian National and Norfolk Southern. CN runs up to two locals a day […]
Arlington, Virginia
A location to safely watch trains has opened near Washington, D.C. Arlington County recently opened Long Bridge Park adjacent to control point RO on CSX’s RF&P Subdivision. Arlington is at the south end of CSX’s Long Bridge across the Potomac River. This double track bridge was opened in 1904. The name “RO” comes from the […]
Byron Hill, Wisconsin
Nestled among hillside dairy farms, corn fields, and rock quarries, Byron Hill, Wis., sees more than 20 trains per day on Canadian National’s busy Waukesha Subdivision. Positioned halfway between Fond du Lac and Lomira, Wis., the main line is paralleled by two vital roadways, Highways 175 and 41. Branching off of those main arteries are […]
Chicago’s “Racetrack”
Chicago is still the railroad capital of the country in most people’s opinion. What puts it on top over other cities like Kansas City is the strong passenger-train presence. It’s Amtrak’s midwestern hub (8 routes), and hundreds of Metra commuter trains (11 routes) hustle in and out of the city daily. Much of the railroad […]
Tales of the Rails | Classic Trains Magazine
“Tales of the Rails” is a podcast from Classic Trains magazine. Each installment features a firsthand account of a rail experience, written by a railroader or a railfan and read by Editor Rob McGonigal. […]
History According to Hediger: The Clinchfield in N scale
Featured in Model Railroader in 1978, the N scale Clinchfield remains one of the magazine’s all-time great project railroads. Jim Hediger shares some of the insight behind the planning and construction of the unique model railroad. […]
History according to Hediger 4
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In this episode, Senior Editor Jim Hediger recalls more of his early days at Model Railroader magazine. Jim describes “Lurch” the infamous elevator at the old Kalmbach building in downtown Milwaukee. See vintage photos of the Model Railroader offices and staff. […]
Video: History according to Hediger
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger has had a long and impressive career at the magazine. In this video interview Jim shares his experiences about first coming to work for Model Railroader, including meeting the magazine’s then-Editor Linn Westcott. Subscribe today and watch […]
Stories about Steam
Classic Trains presents Stories about Steam, a six-part series from the era of great locomotives. In this free, 20-page download, you will receive the following stoires: Queen of the First Ladies, all about the Southern’s streamlined Ps-4s Steam’s Dream Team, showcasing a lineup of five great steam engines Bad Coal, a tale of how […]
Penn Central and its Predecessors
Read unique stories about the railroads that eventually made up the Penn Central: Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central and New Haven. In this free 20-page download, you will receive the following: The Broadway’s Best Years: Pennsylvania Railroad’s post-World War II glory after decades of playing second fiddle to the 20th Century Limited My Summer in […]