Chicago & Eastern Illinois passenger trains: All through June 2024, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of “The Chicago Line.” Please enjoy this photo gallery of Chicago & Eastern Illinois passenger trains, originally published online in 2015. […]
Chicago & Eastern Illinois history was special to those to watched the railroad firsthand. In the pantheon of great railroad names, “Chicago” was so often the magic word. Think of all the carriers with Chicago on their letterhead, railroads with thousands of miles on their system maps, railroads whose names imply vast, continental […]
In the late 1930s and early 1940s the venerable Lehigh Valley streamlined several of its named passenger trains. This is the John Wilkes, decked in Cornell red, near Glen Onoko, Pa., in 1939. Wayne Brumbaugh photo […]
Some careers are more than just a way to make a living. Sometimes they represent history itself. The trick is to recognize that about yourself and plan appropriately. Anyone who cares about railroading in general over the past half-century, or about motive-power technology in particular, can be grateful that Preston Cook came to that realization […]
Although some units proved long-lived, the EMD NW5 sold just 13 copies. Although the pre-World War II EMD NW3 was not a stellar seller, after cessation of hostilities in 1945, the builder was keen on revisiting the idea in order to mine the light switcher market dominated by the Alco RS1 and Baldwin […]
Milwaukee train No. 6, the Morning Hiawatha, passes Tower A20 near Northbrook, Ill., on July 29, 1969. Ahead lies Chicago Union Station. Jim Scribbins photo […]
Indiana’s Valpo Dummy commuter train could not garner the public support and funding needed to survive into the modern era. In the 1890s, the Pennsylvania Railroad began operating commuter trains between Chicago and Valparaiso, Ind. Over the next century the service remained largely frozen in time, with operations changing relatively little as the trains passed […]
Southern Pacific Mt-3 class 4-8-2 No. 4344 helps the Overland Limited through Clipper Gap, Calif., in May 1949. For decades, the Overland was the flagship train on the original transcontinental route. David G. Edwards photo […]
Two Nickel Plate Road GP9s handle a local freight through the tabletop landscape near Madison, Ill., in 1958. EMD built 4,257 of the 1.750-h.p. model beginning in 1953. M.L. Powell, J. David Ingles collection […]
A Chicago, Burlington & Quincy freight hugs the Mississippi River north of Davenport, Iowa, in 1966. Lead GP7 No. 204 lacks dynamic breaks, while trailing SD7 No. 313 is so equipped. R. Ball photo […]
Rock Island locomotives displayed a remarkable lack of diversity in the steam era. In contrast, during the diesel era, the Rock hardly met a locomotive model it didn’t like. In the 20th century, the Rock made heavy use of the 0-6-0 (171), 2-8-0 (562), 2-8-2 (234), 4-6-0 (242), and 4-6-2 (175), types. Perhaps the best-remembered […]
Northern Pacific heavily promoted Yellowstone National Park, building a branch from Livingston, Mont., to Gardiner in 1883 to deliver passengers to the park. In 1956, its Livingston station still promoted its connection to the park. Donald Sims photo […]
