The story of Squaw Valley

F7A 4219 and F3A 6709 bracket three B units on an Asheville-bound Southern Railway freight along the French Broad River in April 1966.

Downhill skiing buffs immediately think of the winter vacation destination (and site of the 1960 winter Olympics) in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains when “Squaw Valley” is mentioned. More than 50 years ago, the name Squaw Valley came to the mountains of Western North Carolina under entirely different circumstances. To set the stage, I was a […]

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‘Mark Twain Zephyr’ to run again

TREGO, Wis. — The opportunity may be coming to travel to Northwest Wisconsin and ride one of the first diesel-powered streamlined passenger trains. In a Trains News Wire exclusive, the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad has announced it has purchased the Mark Twain Zephyr, one of nine trainsets built by Philadelphia’s Budd Co. for the Chicago, […]

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Remembering Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo locomotives

Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo NW2 diesel locomotive

  Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and lore of famed (and infamous) railroads. In July 2020, we celebrate the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo. Please enjoy a collection of locomotive images located in the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include the TH&B’s iconic locomotives and classic scenic photos. […]

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Workaday Baldwins

Workaday Baldwins

Chesapeake Western, a 54-mile T-shaped west central Virginia road, employed three 1946 Baldwin DS-4-4-660s, two of which drill cars at Harrisonburg, site of the Southern Railway interchange, on November 5, 1958. CW, under Norfolk & Western control after 1954, also reached C&O at Staunton. Bob Krone photo […]

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SD45 hood comparison

SD45 hood comparison

Erie Lackawanna bought both EMD’s standard SD45 (No. 3602, right) and the lengthened version designated SDP45 (3639, left). The extra space at the rear of the SDP45 was intended to house a steam generator for passenger service, and the additional space between the trucks accommodated a tank for fuel oil and one for water for […]

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High-nose U25B demonstrator

High-nose U25B demonstrator

General Electric 2504 was one of four red-and-white U25B demonstrator diesels that toured the nation in 1962. One, No. 2501, was the first U25B with a low nose; the others had the high nose that was just then falling from favor. Nos. 2501–2504 went to Union Pacific after their tour. Photo by J. David Ingles […]

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F units into Alexandria

F units into Alexandria

A three-unit set of dark blue-and-gray Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac F7s brings a northbound freight train into Alexandria, Va., in December 1949. The train is bound for RF&P’s big Potomac Yard, about a mile ahead. Photo by Charles Wales […]

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Video: ScaleTrains.com N scale General Electric C44-9W

Part of the firm’s Rivet Counter series, the ScaleTrains.com N scale General Electric C44-9W is loaded with prototype-specific detail and comes factory equipped with an ESU LokSound decoder. See and hear the N scale Dash 9 haul a freight train along the main line of the Model Railroader staff’s N scale Canadian Canyons layout. […]

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Video: ScaleTrains.com N scale General Electric C44-9W

Part of the firm’s Rivet Counter series, the ScaleTrains.com N scale General Electric C44-9W is loaded with prototype-specific detail and comes factory equipped with an ESU LokSound decoder. See and hear the N scale Dash 9 haul a freight train along the main line of the Model Railroader staff’s N scale Canadian Canyons layout. […]

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Remembering Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo freight trains

Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo steam locomotive with freight train.

  All this month — July 2020 — Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and images of the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images from the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include TH&B diesel- and steam-powered freight trains through time. […]

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