Portage Flyer

20190801

Huntsville & Lake of Bays Transportation Co. engines Nos. 1 and 2, which often doubleheaded together, are serviced at the South Portage water tank. Antiques even in the 1940s, both 0-4-0T’s still carry their shield-shaped H. K. Porter builder’s plates from 1888: No. 1 was construction number 911; No. 2 was c/n 912. Robert Holden […]

Read More…

Railroad Fair

20190828

The Chicago Railroad Fair of 1948–49 included modern equipment displays and a pageant featuring a reenactment of the 1869 Golden Spike ceremony, seen here. B.L. Stone, Krambles-Peterson Archive […]

Read More…

Extra 6311 East

20190815

Southern Pacific Extra 6311 East climbs fog-shrouded Donner Pass in October 1957. This view from the caboose shows a four-unit F7 helper set 18 cars ahead. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

Read More…

Face to face

20190821

Two Santa Fe PA diesels meet in La Junta, Colo., on August 8, 1954. Two survive out of a onetime fleet of 44, including B units. Al Chione collection […]

Read More…

Gainesville Midland

20190830

A southbound Gainesville Midland local lumbers into a curve near Candler, Ga., with 2-10-0 No. 209 up front. Bringing up the markers is one of the road’s two ex-Lackawanna cabooses. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

Read More…

Helping hand

20190822

Lightning-striped Fairbanks Morse C Liners hustle New York Central train No. 37 east at Millbury, Ohio, with the help of 4-6-4 No. 5273. The junction, 7.5 miles east of Toledo, joins parallel New York Central routes east to Cleveland. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

Read More…

Keystone landmark

20190827

Pennsylvania Railroad donated K4s No. 1361 to the city of Altoona, Pa., in 1957. The locomotive is undergoing a decades-long restoration to service. J.J. Young Jr. photo […]

Read More…

Alyth Yard

20190819

The engine terminal at Canadian Pacific’s Alyth Yard in Calgary, Alberta, in the mid-1940s hosts 2-8-2 No. 5440, left, and 4-6-2 No. 2388. Floyd W. Yeats photo […]

Read More…

Bluebirds

20190807

Two Boston & Maine “Bluebird” Geeps rest at Springfield, Mass., in August 1964. The railroad, which operated 2,077 route-miles in 1929, became part of Guilford Transportation Industries in 1983, by then down to about 1,500 miles. Ralph W. Bostian photo […]

Read More…

Central Illinois ‘Gulf’

20190809

A Gulf, Mobile & Ohio-painted GP30 and GP35 roll an Illinois Central Gulf train south near Odell, Ill., on the main line connecting Chicago, Springfield, Ill.; and Kansas City, Mo., in July 1980. J. David Ingles photo […]

Read More…

Chesapeake Western

20190820

Baldwin-built DS-4-4-660 No. 662 shows off its original Chesapeake Western paint scheme in a 1946 builder’s portrait. It resides today at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. Baldwin Locomotive Works photo […]

Read More…

Dairyland toehold

20190814

Grand Trunk Western owned and operated a small yard and ferry slip in Milwaukee into the 1970s. Here, 1926 Brill boxcab No. 73 works ferry Grand Rapids at Milwaukee in December 1955. Russ Porter photo […]

Read More…