A few months ago I wrote about a boxcar storage shed in Crookston, Minn., my hometown. During that same visit my friend, then an employee of Minnesota Northern RR (since retired) gave me a tour of the rest of the yard. Sure, I spent time photographing the usual things — locomotives, rolling stock, structures, and […]
The trend toward professional archival preservation of the work of major railroad photographers continues, lately with the news that the huge collection of negatives, slides, and films of the late Mike Eagleson has gone to the Industrial Archives & Library based in Bethlehem, Pa. This is a big “get” for the IAL, buttressing its mission […]
Trains Photo Contest 2025 Trains Magazine and the National Railway Historical Society are pleased to present the 2025 photo contest. The NRHS is a nonprofit that promotes the interest and study of the railroad industry, a mission shared by Trains. The NRHS, which was established in 1935, is an excellent partner for a magazine that’s […]
The roots of GE’s ES44C4 and ET44C4 locomotives reach back to the transition period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when North American railroads were slowly converting from DC traction to AC traction six-axle road units and locomotive builders sought ways to completely eliminate six-axle DC locomotives from their order books. The answer came […]
Missouri Pacific locomotives, both steam and diesel, display a variety typical of their era. The “MoPac,” as it was called, merged several railroads during the diesel era, notably the International-Great Northern and St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico in 1956, the Texas & Pacific (which it had long controlled) and Chicago & Eastern Illinois […]
One of the fascinating aspects of being actively involved in firing and running steam locomotives was discovering that each one had its own personality. In the case of a class of engines, sometimes the entire group would demonstrate similar characteristics, but seemingly there would always be one or more in the class that were […]
Visiting a railroad town can take you on a journey through not only the town itself, but also its railroading’s past, present, and even future. Whether you’re just passing through or have an opportunity to stay for an extended getaway, consider these 10 must-visit historic railroad towns that’ll range from the OG of railroad towns […]
In 2025, the United Kingdom is celebrating Railway 200, marking the bi-centenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which opened for service on Sept. 27, 1825. More than just an historical commemoration, Railway 200 is a great public awareness campaign encompassing dozens of separately organized events across the UK and beyond aiming to entertain, educate […]
Compared to their traditional reciprocating rod-driven counterparts, geared steam locomotives can be seen as “oddballs” to the casual eye. They certainly fit that bill with their unique styles of running gear consisting of cylinders positioned at different angles and connected to the drive shaft through a series of gears to ultimately power every wheel […]
Rock Island passenger trains: All through February 2025, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Missouri Pacific. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Missouri Pacific passenger trains, originally published online in December 2020. […]
The rise and fall of cabless locomotives, also called B-units, is a story tracing back to the beginning of dieselization. A cabless locomotive is simply a diesel locomotive without a cab for a crew to occupy. This differs from a slug, which has no prime mover and requires power from a mother unit to provide […]
As an entity with 50-plus years under its belt, Amtrak now has plenty of its own history, in addition to that of the trains it took over as of May 1, 1971. Thus, it probably should not have been a total surprise when Amtrak launched a through train service in November 2024 between Chicago […]
