Q I saw an unclear photo of a Pennsylvania steam locomotive identified as an S2, with the number 6200. Two things caught my eye: the 6-8-6 wheel arrangement, and the absence of any visible cylinders or driving rods. What can you tell me about it?– J.H. Lehman, Dayton, Ohio A The 6200 was a one-of-a-kind […]
Section: Railroads
Ask Trains from November 2005
Q I saw a big tank car (DUPX 29744) at Wilson, N.C. It was quite long, with four trucks. What products do these cars carry? How many are there, how heavy are they, and why so big? – D. Wescott, Wilson, N.C. A It is a 43,800-gallon, 526,000-pound (gross weight) car owned by DuPont, in […]
Ask Trains from October 2007
Q On many Union Pacific refrigerated boxcars, the reporting mark “ARMN” appears below the UP shield. What railroad is that?– Kevin Margan, Madison, Wis. A Normally any reporting mark not ending is “X” indeed stands for a railroad company (“X” signifying privately owned cars), and UP, like several Class Is, still uses initials of railroads […]
Ask Trains from November 2006
Q On the front of a typical diesel locomotive are six “hoses.” Please define their purpose. Further, above the coupler is what appears to be a shorting hose. What is that? – Howard Beard, New Port Richey, Fla. A What you’re seeing is two sets of three hoses that are part of a train’s air-brake […]
Ask Trains from May 2007
Q On page 57 of January TRAINS is a magnificent photo of a BNSF train about to hit the diamonds at Savanna, Ill. What intrigues me is thepattern on the railheads within the diamond. They appear to be deliberate and not just from wear. Is there a reason for them, or are my eyes deceiving […]
Ask Trains from September 2007
Q Lately I have noticed that many freight cars, including tank cars, boxcars, and hoppers, have five to seven vertical reflective strips on their sides. What’s the deal? — Frank C. Darling Jr., Wolcott, N.Y. A The objective is better nighttime visibility. In January 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration issued “The Final Rule on Reflectorization […]
A look back in time: November 1958
Rock Island buys GM’s two Aerotrains for suburban service out of Chicago, where they join RI’s own Jet Rocket Talgo train, powered by an Aerotrain-style locomotive. . . . Illinois Central buys eight sleeping cars (four 10-5’s, four 4-4-2’s) from New York Central for City of Miami service. . . . Pullman-Standard’s first 85-foot flatcar […]
Ask Trains from May 2008
Q As a boy, I used to watch the magnificent Southern Pacific cab-forward steam locomotives on their way to Donner Summit in Northern California. Someone referred to them as Mallets. What’s the true definition of a Mallet? — C.W. Haffey, Bakersfield, Calif. A By definition, a Mallet (mal-LAY) is an articulated, meaning the two engine […]
TRAIN CONSISTS: Champion and Auto-Train
In his article “One Day at . . . Sanford, Fla.” in the Winter 2008 issue of Classic Trains, author George Hamlin presents his photos of the northbound Auto-Train and Amtrak’s northbound Champion. Here are the consists for those trains. Amtrak No. 88, the Champion, at Sanford, Fla., on November 15, 1975: SDP40F 641; baggage […]
Ask Trains from October 2008
Q My 5-year-old grandson asked me, “Where do engineers go to the bathroom?” I told him that locomotives probably have a restroom similar to those on airplanes. What restroom facilities are available on locomotives, and where are they located? Who runs the train in his absence? Are comfort breaks governed by either federal or union […]
A look back in time: October 1958
As of October 1, 1958, Class I railroads own or lease 27,622 diesel locomotives, 1,532 steam locomotives, and 559 electrics. . . . Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line are mulling a merger. . . . New York Central unveils a system for transporting ballistic missiles in conventional 70-foot baggage cars. . . . […]
A look back in time: September 1958
New Jersey challenges the constitutionality of the Transportation Act of 1958, under whose provisions the Erie and New York Central seek to discontinue their Hudson River ferry service. . . . Reading Company completes a $500,000 upgrade at its Port Richmond Marine Terminal on the Delaware River in Philadelphia; new ore-unloading machinery nearly doubles the […]
