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 […]
Riverside running
Magazine: Classic Trains
Rock Island locomotives remembered
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 […]
Entrance to Yellowstone
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 […]
Inversion
Chesapeake & Ohio hopper No. 47859 gives up its coal load in the rotary dumper at Newport News, Va., in June 1955. The car traveled 512 miles from a West Virginia mine to the Tidewater. W.A. Akin Jr. photo […]
Illinois Alco
An eastbound Toledo, Peoria & Western local behind olive-green-and-gold Alco RS2 No. 204 rolls across a steel bridge near Forrest, Ill., on Feb. 27, 1960. At the time, the road operated between Effner, on the Indiana-Illinois border, and Keokuk, Iowa, on the Mississippi River. J. Parker Lamb Jr. photo […]
America’s oldest railroad tunnels
America’s oldest railroad tunnels What seems like a straightforward question can have three different answers, depending on how you define “oldest.” Partisans of the Pennsylvania, the New Haven, and the New York Central (and their ancestral lines) will have their own takes on it — and each will be right. Ask where is the first […]
Harvey’s house
Harvey House restaurants were a staple of Santa Fe stations in the west, celebrated for quality food no matter the location, as well as for their “Harvey Girls.” Mabel Wells collection […]
Burlington’s other Zephyrs deserve a spotlight
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, commonly known as the Burlington Route, had many other Zephyrs. While not as prestigious as the Pioneer, Twin Cities, Mark Twain, Denver and California Zephyrs, these other streamlined trainsets and services, famously named after the Greek God of the West Wind, deserve a spotlight. Sam Houston Zephyr Fort […]
Rock Island passenger trains remembered
Rock Island passenger trains: All through May 2024, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Rock Island passenger trains, originally published online in July 2017. […]
Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 and the enduring appeal of Canadian steam
With sunny skies and warm temperatures, there was only thing to do around Milwaukee this past Monday: chase (as best you could) the high-flying Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816, deep into its closely watched “Final Spike Anniversary Tour,” organized by CPKC to celebrate the April 2023 merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. The […]
Golden Spike centennial
Railroad fans of all stripes congregate at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1969, for the Golden Spike centennial celebration, including a trainload that came from New York City behind High Iron 2-8-4 No. 759 and a Union Pacific streamliner west of Kansas City. Arthur W. Zimmerla, collection of Arthur A. Zimmerla […]
Crumple zone
Rio Grande F7 No. 5661 struck a standing train at Thistle, Utah, on Dec. 19, 1963. Much of the impact energy was released just behind the cab, which remains intact. James H. Karle photo […]
