A train dispatcher supervises the movement of trains over a designated portion of a railroad and also supervises the other employees involved in that movement. The dispatcher’s first responsibility is safety, to see that each train gets over the road without trying to occupy the same piece of track at the same time as any […]
In February 2020, Classic Trains is celebrating the history, heritage, and splendor of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad. Enjoy this photo gallery, originally published online in September 2016, as the perfect salute to the Nickel Plate Road. Return each week for another salute to the railroad of the month! See what we […]
In February 1956, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved abandoning the East Broad Top Railroad. Here are a handful of images by acclaimed steam locomotive and steam railroad photographer, Philip R. Hastings. A full timeline of East Broad Top events is available from Classic Trains online. […]
Model Railroader magazine remains the leading source of information for our great hobby. You can get access to all of the more than 1,000 issues of Model Railroader from January 1934 to the present day by signing up for the exclusive online archive. Check out this classic story from the April 1988 issue. […]
East Broad Top Railroad Mikado No. 15 and its short train head out of Orbisonia, Pennsylvania, June 21, 2009, the 49th year the former coal hauler has been a tourist line. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn EDITOR’S NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the October 2009 issue of Trains Magazine. Stanley G. Hall has […]
East Broad Top Railroad Mikado-type 2-8-2 locomotives Nos. 12 and 15 appear at the Orbisonia, Pennsylvania, station as part of a nighttime photo shoot in October 2011. Alex Mayes East Broad Top Railroad map The East Broad Top was the last narrow gauge common carrier in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River. It was […]
On June 10, 1993, a Burlington Northern SD60M and SD40-2 take an eastbound freight along the Missouri River and into Lombard Canyon just east of Toston, Mont. Tom Danneman Learn about Trains Art Director Tom Danneman’s favorite Burlington Northern Railroad Company diesel locomotives, presented in no particular order. The story of Burlington Northern has been […]
A Florida East Coast train. TRAINS: Tom Danneman A version of this list was previously published in the November 2015 issue of Trains Magazine. 1 RAHWAY, N.J. Google Image search Six tracks abreast proclaim speed and intensity on the Northeast Corridor. 2 THURMOND, W.VA. Trip Advisor entry Classic 20th century coal and railroad town deep in the […]
As an eastbound clears in the distance, Nickel Plate 779, Lima’s last 2-8-4, and a sister placed five cars back because of bridge weight restrictions, leave NH Tower near North East, Pa., in March 1957. Jim Shaughnessy History and major events of the Nickel Plate Road The New York, Chicago & St. Louis opened between […]
The Cold hard tracks Crystal Lake was once used for harvesting ice. Blocks of ice were cut from the lake in winter, then stored in warehouses along the shore. The ice was shipped in refrigerator cars to Chicago via the “Ice Track,” a 2-mile branch that ran from the C&NW main line through the west […]
Not everyone has a fabulous railroad library to work from, but the library at the Model Railroader offices didn’t get me as far as you’d think. Following is a short list of places I’ve found amazing stuff when looking for research: • Most railroads have a historical society, so it’s good to have an up-to-date […]
Not a Berkshire, but not bad: New York Central PA diesel No. 4208 and an unidentified PB hurry through Willoughby, Ohio, on Dec. 19, 1954. J. W. Swanberg I grew up in Connecticut, but my parents came from Minnesota, so all our relatives were there. Dad drove us to the Twin Cities at least once a […]
