Q What happened to the permanently coupled two business cars, the “Virginia” and the “Carolina,” that the Southern Railway provided for its president and chairman?— Bob Sewell, Marysville, Wash. A The Virginia (NS 1) and the Carolina (NS 2) have been paired since they were built in 1928. Pullman originally constructed them for Southern Railway. […]
Section: Train Basics
AM radio antenna
It may look like a tiny handrail, but this is actually an AM antenna installed on some 1940s-era passenger cars. Michael Belcher Q What is the pipe on part of the roof of some 1940s-era diner and lounge cars as shown in Michael Belcher’s photo on page 90 of the April 2011 issue?— Randall Keils, […]
Track signs
The black-and-white sign with dots tells the plow operator to raise flanges prior to crossings, switches, etc. Greg McDonnell Q What does a whiteboard sign with black circles mean? It’s near grade crossings and sometimes has one black circle, and sometimes two.— Mike Cough, Kemptville, Ont., Canada A That board (which can also be black […]
Santa Fe’s Surf Line
Read more about Santa Fe’s Surf Line in the following two PDFs: “Santa Fe Surf Line, 1940” by Keith Jordan, published in the August 2004 issue of Trains magazine “The Secret Borax Train” by Don Richardson, published in the Summer 2005 issue of Classic Trains magazine. Download each story by clicking on the underlined PDF […]
KCS Mid-1960s Passenger Policy
Read more about Kansas City Southern’s pro-passenger policy in a PDF of Lou Marre’s article “We Have No Intention of Going Out of the Passenger Business” published in the November 1967 issue of Trains magazine. KCS passenger policy DOWNLOAD […]
Martin Blomberg
Read more about Martin Blomberg’s work in a PDF of the article “Martin Blomberg, Designer Extraordinaire” by Max Ephraim Jr., published in the October 1994 issue of Trains magazine. Martin Blomberg DOWNLOAD […]
‘Super Chief’
Read more about the 1937 streamlined Super Chief in a PDF of the article “Crafting the Lightweight Super Chief” by Larry E. Brasher, published in the Streamliner Pioneers special issue of Classic Trains. Super Chief DOWNLOAD […]
Calculating track grade
Three Deseret Power Railway E60Cs begin the short but steep 2-percent descent into Coyote Basin near Bonanza, Utah, on July 8, 2009. David Honan Q How do you figure out the percent of the grade of a railroad track?— Richard Buckhold, Kirkwood, Mo. A Grades are expressed as the rise in feet per 100 feet […]
Pandrol rail fasteners
A Pandrol e-clip elastic rail fastener secures the rail to the tie, along with a type of hairpin spike. TRAINS: Kathi Kube Q How do Pandrol clips secure rails to concrete or wooden ties?— John Trifari, Sunnyvale, Calif. A The clips are made of spring steel and must be pressed into position by machinery or […]
Switch key
Q I bought this key almost 20 years ago. I know it’s from the “Frisco,” but can anyone date it or explain the “S” stamp?— Rick Goodell, Etna, Maine A A plain “S,” like on the key shown, means it is a switch key. Early railroad switch padlocks and keys came in various styles, but […]
“Silver Chalet” history
The Silver Chalet, once part of the Western Pacific’s California Zephyr, rests outside Quad/Graphics’ Sussex, Wis., printing plant Nov. 24, 2004. Cody Grivno Q I saw a private car named “Silver Chalet” at Union Station in Washington, D.C. It had an odd-looking observation platform. Can you tell me its history and who owns it now?— […]
Rock Island Diesel Menagerie
Read more about the Rock Island’s 1960s diesel menagerie in a PDF of the article “Christine and the Mongeese” by J. David Ingles, published in the December 1965 issue of TRAINS magazine. Rock Island Diesel Menagerie DOWNLOAD […]
