Engine 1126, one of Western Maryland’s colossal class I-2 Decapods, assists a train upgrade at Helmstetter’s Curve west of Cumberland, Md., in May 1952. Ed Theisinger photo […]
Western Maryland 2-10-0 pusher
Wartime in Washington
In a scene typical of World War II-era train travel, passengers stream off Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania trains at Washington Union Station. Harold M. Lambert photo […]
Late era railroad dining car meals
In the past, railroad dining car meals were something to write home about, positively. A notable summary of this can be found in the lyrics of the popular song Chattanooga Choo-Choo, with its assertion that “dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer.” As private-railroad passenger service declined in the 1960s, however, this […]
Illinois Central’s EMD SD40A diesel locomotive
The Illinois Central’s EMD SD40A diesel locomotive resulted from the railroad’s desire to increase fuel capacity. “Customer modifications to production units aren’t all that unusual, don’t usually result in more than minor engineering and construction revisions, and seldom are dignified by a separate builder’s class,” wrote former Trains Managing Editor Wally Abbey in […]
Typical second-generation road-switcher
Grand Trunk Western GP38-2 5849 is a fairly typical example of the more than 2,200 of the four-axle road units that were built by Electro-Motive Division between 1972 and 1986. Cody Grivno photo […]
Troop train Pullman porter
At Fort George G. Meade, Md., the porter assigned to the rear Pullman of a troop train watches as supplies are loaded aboard the kitchen car of another train. It’s May 1953 — two months before the end of the Korean War. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Five Alco locomotives no one wanted
Five Alco locomotives no one wanted: In the annals of locomotive history, there are a great many success stories. The GP7, the U25B, and the SD40-2 spring to mind for many railfans. But among these successes, there are of course failures, models forgotten to time. This article highlights five locomotives from the famed manufacturer Alco […]
Super C on Cajon Pass
Santa Fe train 100, the Los Angeles–Chicago Super C, climbs the west side of Cajon Pass with four Flexi-Van containers and four trailers trailing an SD45 and F45 on January 26, 1970. Joe McMillan photo […]
Railroad Places
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Spot of trouble for a 4-4-0
In May 1952, Chicago & Illinois Midland 4-4-0 500 simmers at Oakford, Ill., as crewmen investigate a problem with one of the engine truck’s journal boxes. The problem was soon remedied, and the American type resumed its run with Springfield–Peoria train 6. Ed Theisinger photo […]
Reefers on the C&NW
A Chicago & North Western Baldwin switcher begins pulling cars from the “potato yard” in Chicago as an icing truck services a refrigerator car (middle) and buyers finish unloading cars (left) in 1957. Chicago & North Western photo […]
Friendship and gratitude: Europe’s Merci Train
France’s 1949 Merci Train left a legacy of European rail equipment displays throughout the U.S. During the period around World War I and II a number of European railroads utilized a small boxcar — small by American standards. The cars rode on four wheels and carried all of 20 tons. In France, such […]
