On May 1, 1971, Amtrak Passenger Service Rep Patty Saunders, who once was a Seaboard Coast Line hostess, poses with the first system timetable. The passenger carrier’s “pointless arrow” logo is featured prominently. Photo by Amtrak […]
Orange groves are visible across the road from the LaVerne Cooperative Citrus Association packing house, one of California’s largest in 1920. The large building features several rooms and multiple loading tracks. The rooftop refrigeration condenser unit (back center) marks it as having a cooling or cold storage room. Photo by University of Southern California Libraries/California […]
By G. Mac Sebree History of the Pacific Electric Railway By any standard, the Pacific Electric was the largest interurban electric railway in the United States. It boasted more than 1,000 miles of track and had 1,000-plus cars. It played a major role in building up the vast open areas surrounding Los Angeles. The cities […]
All through September 2020 Classic Trains editors celebrate the history, legends, and grandeur of the Great Northern Railway. This month, we hope you enjoy a photo gallery of GN steam locomotives, electric locomotives, and diesel locomotives through time. You might also enjoy this history article; a photo gallery of passenger trains or Great Northern […]
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Just after the turn of the 20th century, large terminal elevators began to appear. Grain gathered in these mammoth concrete structures (the one here holds 3.6 million bushels) at Amarillo, Texas, in 1943, is forwarded by rail to mills and to port elevators for export. Note the three boxcars for scale. Photo by Jack Delano, […]
The Rio Grande passenger train named Royal Gorge paused for 10 minutes of sightseeing at the bottom of the chasm in the 1960s. Here we see the train running in its namesake Colorado gorge. Photo by Bob Borcherding […]
Roundhouses were filled with life, from steam locomotives to the workers who maintained them. This is a 2-8-2 in the Galesburg, Ill., roundhouse of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in the 1950s. Photo by Jim Shaughnessy […]
Pennsylvania K4s 4-6-2 No. 5399, built at the railroad’s Juniata shops in 1923, was rebuilt by Lima in 1939 with a front-end throttle and poppet valves to improve performance and efficiency. Photo by Lima Locomotive Works […]
Alco’s distinctive pre-war DL passenger locomotives were styled by industrial designer Otto Kuhler. The diesels also featured a distinct sound, with a pair of 539 engines—the post-war PAs had a single 244 power plant. Gulf, Mobile & Ohio’s pair frequently pulled trains 15 and 16, the Gulf Coast Rebel, between St. Louis and Mobile. Photo by […]
An A-B set of drawbar-connected Boston & Maine EMD FTs (in Boston in March 1950) shows the distinctive four-porthole styling and close spacing between units. The boxy structure on the roof is the dynamic brake housing. The F unit’s “bulldog” carbody styling blended nicely with passenger cars but did not facilitate clear views to the […]
Chesapeake & Ohio H-8 2-6-6-6 No. 1647 departs Handley, W.Va., with tidewater coal — a dozen 67-inch driving wheels, 90 loads, lend engine slipping wildly. The railroad had 60 such locomotives, built by Lima in 1941-1948. Photo by Philip R. Hastings […]
