St. Louis — San Francisco Railway 2-10-0 Decapod type steam locomotive No. 1630 hauls an excursion train at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. Jim Wrinn 2-10-0 •YEARS BUILT: 1924-1933 •MANUFACTURERS: Baldwin, Canadian •OPERATED ON: Alabama, Tennessee & Northern, Durham & Southern, Georgia, Florida & Alabama, Seaboard Air Line, Great Western, Gainesville Midland, Woodward […]
McCloud River Railroad 2-6-2 Prairie type steam locomotive in California in 2008. Jim Wrinn 2-6-2 •YEARS BUILT: 1900-1909 •MANUFACTURERS: Rogers, Alco, Baldwin, Burlington Route shop forces •OPERATED ON: Burlington Route, Santa Fe, Milwaukee Road, and Northern Pacific •NAME: Prairie •QUANTITY: 1,250 for common carriers; more for loggers and mining roads; Burlington Route had the most […]
A Rock Island DL-series type diesel electric locomotive pulls the Rocket from Des Moines, Iowa, in 1946. Tom Harley DL-series •YEARS BUILT: 1940-1945 •MANUFACTURER: Alco •OPERATED ON: Santa Fe; Milwaukee Road; Chicago & North Western; Rock Island; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; New Haven; Southern; among other railroads •NAMES: DL103B, 105, 107, 109 •QUANTITY: 78 (includes […]
EMC FT diesel-electric locomotive No. 103 is on display at the Museum of Transport in St. Louis, Missouri. Jim Wrinn FT •YEARS BUILT: 1939-1945 •MANUFACTURER: Electro-Motive Corp. •OPERATED ON: Santa Fe, Atlantic Coast Line, Baltimore & Ohio, Boston & Maine, Chicago & North Western, Burlington Route, Rock Island, Rio Grande, Erie, Great Northern, Lehigh Valley, […]
Southern Railway EMD E8 type diesel electric locomotive No. 6900 once pulled the Southern Crescent passenger train. Jim Wrinn E8 •YEARS BUILT: 1949-1953 •MANUFACTURER: EMD •OPERATED ON: Most major Class I railroads, notably Chesapeake & Ohio; Canadian Pacific; Chicago & North Western; Burlington Route; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; Erie; Illinois Central; Missouri Pacific; New York […]
Southern Railway EMD GP30 type diesel electric locomotive No. 2601 pulls a passenger train at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. Jim Wrinn GP30 •YEARS BUILT: 1961-1963 •MANUFACTURERS: EMD, GMD •OPERATED ON: Most Class I railroads, notably, Chesapeake & Ohio, Burlington Route, Chicago & North Western, Denver & Rio Grande Western, Great Northern, Louisville & Nashville, […]
Nickel Plate Road PA-1 type diesel electric locomotive No. 190 called the Oregon Rail Heritage Center home. Jim Wrinn PA-1 •YEARS BUILT: 1946-1950 •MANUFACTURER: Alco •OPERATED ON: Santa Fe; Denver & Rio Grande Western; Erie; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Lehigh Valley; Missouri-Kansas-Texas; Missouri Pacific; New Haven; Nickel Plate; New York Central; Pennsylvania; Cotton Belt; Southern […]
Dakota, Minnesota, & Eastern, SD40-type diesel electric locomotives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. SD40/-2 series •YEARS BUILT: 1966-1988 •MANUFACTURER: EMD •OPERATED ON: Most Class I freight railroads in North America •NAMES: SD40, 40-2, Snoot (for extended nose versions), Tunnel Motor (for SD40T-2), High Hood (for SR and N&W), Wide Nose (for CN), Fast Forties (on UP) •QUANTITY: […]
Sharknose •YEARS BUILT: 1948-1953 •MANUFACTURER: Baldwin •OPERATED ON: Baltimore & Ohio; New York Central; Pennsylvania Railroad; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern •NAMES: DR-6-4-20, RF-16, DR-4-15 •QUANTITY: 187 total A&B units combined •HORSEPOWER: 1,600 for RF-16 and 2,000 for DR-6-4-20 •KNOWN FOR: Distinctive nose/cab design by Raymond Loewy, based on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s streamlined T-1 steam locomotive […]
Josef Lesser, one of the pioneers of realistic “hi-rail” modeling with new and vintage Lionel trains, has died at the age of 83. Joe contributed to the growth of the toy train hobby as a modeler and author. His landmark O gauge layout, the JL&ATSF Railroad, was featured prominently in Classic Toy Trains throughout the […]
We had another year of great model railroading products for this year’s Readers Choice Awards. From locomotives and rolling stock to scenery and structures to track and electronics and more, there were many worthy entries nominated by model manufacturers, but ultimately chosen by you, our readers. The only real limitation we put on the choices […]
SoundTraxx, a well-known manufacturer of sound decoders and HOn3 narrow gauge trains marketed under the Blackstone Models label, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The company is based in Durango, Colo. SoundTraxx was founded in 1989 as the Throttle Up! Corp. in Pocasset, Mass., producing the Hyperlight lighting system. In the 1990s the company […]
