This hot eastbound BNSF Railway “Z train” is seen near Bucklin, Mo., on July 28, 2013. The searchlight signals are a hallmark of the former Santa Fe route. Photo by Russell J. Lyon […]
Searchlight sentinels
Zone & Region: Midwest
Green beans and trains
Erie Pacific 2707, a sister to the engine that enthralled author Noble during Ohio summers, is seen at Dunkirk, N.Y., 200 miles and two seasons away, but coincidently also alongside an NYC line. Al Rung My dad, after changing jobs following World War II, from Crosley Corp., in Cincinnati to one at Wright-Patterson Air Force […]
Night moves
Canadian Pacific train No. 493 meets opposing traffic at Reeseville, Wis., on June 14, 2014, as the last light disappears from the sky. Photo by Matt Krause […]
A Day With The Des Moines “Tramp”
Follow Iowa Interstate Train NTSW-29, affectionately known as the Des Moines “Tramp”, as it delivers a carload to Beisser Lumber on the IAIS Grimes Line. Read about this modern-era model railroad and get a track plan in Model Railroad Planning 2014. Video shot by James McNab […]
A Day With The Des Moines “Tramp”
Follow Iowa Interstate Train NTSW-29, affectionately known as the Des Moines “Tramp”, as it delivers a carload to Beisser Lumber on the IAIS Grimes Line. Read about this modern-era model railroad and get a track plan in Model Railroad Planning 2014. Video shot by James McNab […]
Omaha Road local departing Minneapolis
Bound for Ashland, Wis., on Lake Superior, the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha’s local train No. 508 departs Minneapolis on August 4, 1950. Drawn by 4-6-2 No. 500, the train’s consist suggests that its mission involved considerably more express and mail than passenger traffic. The “Omaha Road” was a Chicago & North Western subsidiary. […]
Rochelle, Ill.
Rochelle, Ill., is known as the Hub City for good reason. Main lines of both BNSF Railway and Union Pacific cross on the west side of town. Because of this, and the heavy rail traffic they bring, the city of Rochelle started the Rochelle Railroad Park in 1998. As many as 120 trains a day […]
Video: History according to Hediger 7: A real railroading story from our senior editor
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger worked on the Wabash RR as a relief operator. Listen as Jim tells the story of how he learned not stand on the wrong side of the diamond when a freight train passed by. You’ll also see […]
Video: History according to Hediger 7: A real railroading story from our senior editor
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger worked on the Wabash RR as a relief operator. Listen as Jim tells the story of how he learned not stand on the wrong side of the diamond when a freight train passed by. You’ll also see […]
Night ride to Valparaiso
As on the train artist buddies Gil Reid and Howard Fogg rode, an open-platform observation car brings up the rear of PRR’s Detroit Arrow at Englewood on the South Side of Chicago. R. S. Stemier One day in 1940 or ’41, I was in my Chicago apartment trying to make up my mind about whether […]
Chicago Panorama: images from Stuart Klipper
FULL SCREEN Stuart Klipper Stuart Klipper visited Chicago recently and took photos of the yards in the vicinity of the Chicago and Calumet rivers, including the Amtrak operation and the South Chicago/Indiana Harbor yard; Bridge No. 70; the Torrence Avenue bridge; the Cermak Avenue bridge, and the Chicago Skyway. FULL SCREEN Stuart Klipper Stuart Klipper […]
Industrial landscape
Two of the few remaining Elgin, Joliet & Eastern-painted SD38-2s are switching the industrial plants east of Morris, Ill., on Dec. 30, 2012. Canadian National acquired the “J” in 2009. Photo by Jonathan Hill […]
