This is a typical standpipe (also called water crane, water column, or water plug) used to fill steam locomotive tenders with water, which is supplied by pipe from a tank. A single tank might supply several standpipes. When not in use, they were swung away from the track. The bucket-like object between the end of […]
Section: Photos
San Joaquin Daylight near Tehachapi
A Daylight 4-8-4 and a 4-8-2 doublehead the Los Angeles-bound San Joaquin Daylight upgrade at Allard, Calif., a dozen miles north of famous Tehachapi Loop, in May 1953. W. E. Malloy Jr. photo […]
Santa Fe reefers in Arizona on a long curve
Four F7s take a train of refrigerator cars through a horseshoe curve near Gleed, Ariz., in the 1950s. A major line change in 1960 eliminated tough operating conditions like this for the Santa Fe across northern Arizona. Santa Fe photo […]
Steam and diesel on the Seashore Lines
At the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines station in Cape May, N.J., an RDC1 and Pennsy E6 Atlantic No. 645 share the platform in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Troop train on the Rio Grande
Denver & Rio Grande Western 4-8-2 1705 raises an impressive smoke plume as it lifts a troop train up the Front Range of the Rockies at Tolland, Colo., on May 16, 1943. Robert McKell photo […]
Consolidation vs. cow on the Virginia Blue Ridge
A crewman on Virginia Blue Ridge 2-8-0 No. 6 (ex-Southern 385) coaxes a cow off the track at Tye River, Va., in July 1954. Today this engine is at the Whippany (N.J.) Railway Museum. H. Reid photo […]
E8 on the Wabash Cannon Ball
Wabash E8 1007 brings the Wabash Cannon Ball into Litchfield, Ill., near the beginning of its St. Louis–Detroit run in March 1956. John C. Illman photo […]
EMD E8 demonstrator and test car
Electro-Motive 952, completed in August 1949, was the first E8 built. After a stint as a demonstrator, it became Rock Island 643. Electro-Motive photo […]
Milwaukee Class A No. 2
Townsfolk of New Lisbon, Wis., inspect Milwaukee Road Class A No. 2 after the 4-4-2 clipped off 14 miles at a steady 112.5 mph on a Hiawatha pre-inaugural test run on May 15, 1935. MILW photo […]
Night railroad shots
Check out these photos featuring trains at night submitted by Trains readers and railroad photographers. […]
Montana Rail Link photo roster
This Montana Rail Link photo roster from 2015 is a testament to the motive power and scenery of a great regional railroad. BNSF Railway is set to end its operations in the near future as of January 2022. At its start-up in October 1987, Montana Rail Link purchased a total of 52 locomotives, […]
N&W 611 Test Run
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