The Pennsylvania Railroad was a coal-hauling road if there ever was one. Lists of heavy trains were pulled by a major fleet of standardized freight locomotives. There were 475 of the 2-8-2 L-1 class erected and were a mainstay of the coal and general freight fleet for decades on the railroad. In 2014, MTH added […]
GORE, Va. — A sand mine that has provided the majority of carload traffic for the original main line of the Winchester & Western Railroad for 80 years is preparing to close, with an uncertain impact on what is now the railroad’s Virginia Division. The Winchester Star reports the mine in Gore stopped accepting orders […]
Almost every railroad has its “other” passenger train. You know, the lesser known one usually received far less press. The one that deviated here and there from the timetable of the premier train that plied the route. Thumb through a company history and you soon realize Southern Pacific had lots of them. Almost […]
Like several other model railroaders, I lost my “right” to more layout right-of-way within our house several decades ago. Nevertheless, building a layout is perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the hobby for me. Despite having two operating model railroads in the house, I still wanted to build more. At train shows I noticed many […]
Wabash Railway passenger trains: All through January 2024, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Wabash. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Wabash Railway passenger trains, originally published online in May 2019. […]
PARIS — Four nearly 80-year-old, Baldwin-built diesel locomotives have been scrapped in France after preservation efforts failed. Two of the units were scrapped in December, following the scrapping of two similar diesels earlier in 2023. The locomotives were part of the effort to resupply French Railways (SNCF) following World War II, when it lost more […]
LA BROQUERIE, Manitoba — Twenty-seven cars of a Canadian Nation train derailed Thursday, Jan. 11, in rural Manitoba, CTV News reports. The derailment occurred about 7:15 p.m. No injuries were reported; CN told the network that there were no leaks or fires and the derailment posed no risk to the public. Cause of the incident […]
GRANITE CITY, Ill. — Port Harbor Railroad SW1200 No. 9335 sits gleaming in fresh paint — a scheme reminiscent of its former Conrail livery — at America’s Central Port in Granite City on Wednesday, Jan. 10. The switcher was built by EMD in November 1957 for the Pennsylvania Railroad, went to Penn Central in 1968 […]
As a child I remember my parents buying me a big book filled with photos of the New York Central Railroad. The book cover featured a unique steam locomotive. I was too young to understand its significance, but I knew that this locomotive stood out from every other train I had seen. Its beauty left […]
3562-1 Operating Barrel Car (cataloged 1954): $190 (excellent) $65 (good) The No. 3562-1, the first of Lionel’s four operating barrel cars, helped make 1954 one of the most significant years in the company’s history. The trains offered then contributed to a line that stood out by promising innovation and complexity. To understand where the 3562-1 […]
Last year’s merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, the two smallest Class I systems, has turned out to be the little spark that has ignited a lot of railroad competition. Skeptics have scoffed at Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s meandering route from the Midwest to the Mexican border at Laredo, Texas. It’s got more […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — A lot has happened since Class I railroads averted a strike in 2022. CEOs and other officials at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting were happy to point to progress in labor relations. Which is good, because — believe it or not — the whole national contract process is about […]
