WICHITA, Kan. — Prints of a painting by renowned railroad artist John Winfield of Fort Worth, Texas, are now being offered by Wichita’s Great Plains Transportation Museum to help fund cosmetic restoration of Santa Fe FP45 No. 93, subject of the painting. Winfield’s work, “Warbonnet Renaissance,” shows the locomotive pulling a freight train through the […]
Train Topic: History
East Broad Top starts rebuilding track south of Rockhill Furnace
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — A track crew began restoring East Broad Top Railroad’s main line south of here this week, a first step toward reopening the narrow-gauge steam tourist line’s 20-mile route to Robertsdale, Pa., a former mountain mining center that produced the semi-bituminous coal that was EBT’s revenue-freight lifeblood for more than 80 years. […]
Pennsy’s Broad Street Station on fire
The Pennsylvania’s giant Broad Street Station in Center City Philadelphia suffered a major fire on June 11, 1923. Train service was quickly restored, but the 16-track trainshed had to be removed. PRR photo […]
Canaan Union Depot: One of the oldest surviving union depots
Canaan Union Depot The past The story of this historic building traces back to the 1870s, a busy time for American railroads. Across the nation new lines were being built between cities and towns, often crossing over one another. One of these crossings happened in the small town of North Canaan. Located in the northwest […]
Long-Haul Luxury Coach Trains
U.S. railroads introduced long-haul luxury coach trains in the 20th century to attract a more budget-conscious traveler. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the worst of the Great Depression in the U.S. was over, and railroads began to invest in new passenger equipment; both new diesel motive power, and a radical new […]
CSX CEO unveils Family Lines heritage unit on social media
WAYCROSS, Ga. — CSX Transportation CEO Joe Hinrichs has debuted railroad’s latest heritage locomotive, this one honoring the Family Lines System, in a post on his LinkedIn account. It is the 11th locomotive in the CSX series, and like the others combines the current CSX scheme at the front of the locomotive with the predecessor […]
Warning: Railroad tell-tales ahead
Railroad tell-tales At one time, railroad tell-tales were placed along the track on either side of low structures such as bridges and tunnels to warn crew members on top of the cars that they could not remain in a standing position while passing under the structure. Before the adoption of the air brake, and for […]
New railroad podcast stays ‘Ahead of the Torch’
Is railroad preservation in ascendance, marked by a succession of triumphs in recent years? Or are we whistling past the wrecking ball and the acetylene torch? Is the glass half full, or half empty? The stars of a new podcast might answer “both.” Launched a few weeks ago with the title “Ahead of the Torch” […]
Transfer locomotives demonstrated
Transfer locomotives Transfer runs are trains that move cars from one freight yard usually to a nearby yard of another railroad (but not always). Early in dieselization, three of the major builders marketed locomotives built specifically for such service, called transfer locomotives, which demanded a lot of pulling power but not much speed. Transfer units […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Colorado and Wyoming, J. David Ingles Reel 14
Classic Trains Film Archive | Colorado and Wyoming, J. David Ingles Reel 14 – Amidst the Great Plains states of Colorado and Wyoming, J. David Ingles vintage color footage captures notable classic railroads, including Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Colorado & Wyoming; Rio Grande; Santa Fe; Union Pacific; and even Sperry Rail Service! ………………………………… Look back […]
United Railroad Historical Society sets 2024 schedule for Hudson River Rail Excursions
BOONTON, N.J. — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey continues to expand offerings of its Hudson River Rail Excursions, this year scheduling more than 50 day trips beginning and ending in New York City, as well as six overnight trips between New York and Chicago. Tickets for the 2024 trips go on sale […]
John Emery Trust awards $250,000 in preservation grants for 2024
The John Emery Rail Heritage Trust has selected 18 applicants to receive a total of $250,000 in awards for its 2024 grants. The awards were selected from 31 applications requestion almost $850,000. They come from the trust created by Emery, a long-time Chicago resident and rail enthusiast who wanted to help preserve rail equipment and […]