‘The Carpetbaggers’

20190813

Santa Fe 2-6-2 No. 1010 is seen at Pasadena, Calif., in 1963 as a prop in the movie “The Carpetbaggers.” It was also used on Death Valley Scotty’s famous special in 1905 and a television recreation in the 1950s. Santa Fe photo […]

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Rescued!

20190802

As a streetcar rolls by, Missouri Pacific 0-8-0 9721 and caboose have tied on to stalled 2-10-2 helper 1716 and 4-8-4 road engine 2111. Soon the three engines begin to march up Missouri’s Kirkwood Hill in March 1946. Joe Collias photo […]

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Semi-streamlined

20190806

St. Louis-San Francisco semi-streamlined 4-8-2 No. 1503 works at Kirkwood, Mo., in 1942. The railroad, best known simply as the Frisco, had 30 such locomotives built by Baldwin from 1923 to 1926. William Barham photo, Don Wirth collection […]

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Sportsman

20190823

Chesapeake & Ohio’s lengthy Sportsman curves east through the Blue Ridge Mountains at Afton, Va., in July 1965. William E. Warden Jr. photo […]

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Stockton station

20190826

Santa Fe’s eastbound Golden State pulls into Stockton, Calif., on its way to Bakersfield in the 1950s. Passengers are lined up to board while a flagger holds vehicle traffic back from the grade crossing. Stan Kistler photo […]

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Taking a spin

20190808

A headache for trailer-on-flatcar ramp operations happened when flatcars arrived facing the wrong direction. This Milwaukee Road car goes for a spin on a turntable in 1969. Gerald R. Rademacher photo […]

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NOUPT

20190829

Taxis and private autos wait at the cab stand on the east side of New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in the 1950s. The complex, opened in 1954, sports a limestone facade. James G. La Vake photo […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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