The General Electric BQ23-7 turned out to be an odd diesel that didn’t. At the dawn of railroads eschewing cabooses as unnecessary expenses, locomotive builders were putting forth ideas to accommodate train crews. One option was the BQ23-7, the Q indicating crew Quarters. General Electric’s design team took its standard 2,250 hp […]
As the world continues to shift toward more sustainable and eco-friendly modes of transportation, many industries are exploring new technologies that can help reduce their carbon footprint. The railroad industry, in particular, is looking for ways to reduce emissions and become more environmentally friendly. One potential solution is battery-powered locomotives. But are they really possible […]
EMD Joule locomotive Progress Rail’s long promised EMD Joule Battery Electric Locomotive has arrived at its destination at Pacific Harbor Line’s Wilmington, Calif., facility for long-term testing and demonstration purposes. The builder said it will be at home in switching service, regional service, and part of a consist with traditional diesel-electric locomotives. According to the […]
EMD’s Triclops locomotives At the beginning of the comfort cab revolution in the United States, EMD constructed its first “North American cab” SD60M for customer Union Pacific. Numbered 6085, it was a similar design to what Canadian National had been using for years, with one visual difference. The new cab featured three front windows instead […]
Name: Nevada Northern locomotive 93 Builder: American Locomotive Company (Alco) Wheel arrangement: 2-8-0 Consolidation Build date: 1909 Significance: Built in 1909, Nevada Northern 2-8-0 steam locomotive No. 93 is a survivor. One of four 2-8-0s purchased that year by American Smelters Securities Company for its copper mining operation based in Ely, Nev., the steam locomotive was […]
On the same route of the proposed Big Boy West Coast Steam Tour, Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 leads a matched UP office car train westward through Speer, Wyo., in 2019. Jim Wrinn photograph There was a collective groan that could be heard from many railfans west of the Rockies in 2022 when the Union […]
Q: What diesels to pull a 50s coal train? I’m building an “N” scale layout set in the 1950s. I plan to run two loops independent of the rest of the layout, up high, at the back. One loop will have a train running counter-clockwise, consisting of a locomotive and four loaded coal hoppers. When […]
Amtrak E60 locomotives are an important bridge for Northeast Corridor electric railroading between the GG1s of the 1930s and 1940s to the AEM-7 and HHP-8 locomotives of the 1980s and early 2000s. E60 locomotive history General Electric developed the E60 C-C or six-axle locomotives at its Erie, Pa., plant in the early 1970s. The […]
The Fairbanks-Morse H12-44TS locomotive was a familiar-looking unit with different internals. FM was a fierce competitor in the early days of dieselization, perhaps remembered most for its H24-66 Train Master, a six-axle 2,400 hp road-switcher that impressed almost every railroad it demonstrated on. Among its lesser-known successes were three specialized units produced […]
Kansas City Southern Shay locomotives were oddballs on a steam locomotive roster of non-conformity. Ephraim Shay came up with the design for the geared locomotive in the 1870s. The Lima Locomotive Works popularized the design and sold almost 2,770 copies. Throughout the Leonor F. Loree administration, Kansas City Southern was a loyal Alco […]
Kansas City Southern locomotives were full of surprises in both the steam and diesel fleets. Steam locomotives saw a gradual evolution, from 2-8-0 to articulated 0-6-6-0s (an oddball in the industry for road service) and 2-8-8-0s and eventually the much-vaunted 2-10-4s of 1937. The 0-6-6-0s were the largest group of the type built […]
Canadian National U-class 4-8-4 locomotives proved to be the most versatile of the type operated in North America. It’s generally accepted that the ultimate in steam power was the 4-8-4 Northern type, if defined by criteria that includes speed, power, technology, and, perhaps most importantly, versatility. A lot of railroads capped off the steam […]
