New York Central F7 1678 leads westbound freight Advance LS-7 past BE Tower at Berea, Ohio, in 1957. Richard J. Cook photo […]
NYC freight at Berea
Type of Train: Freight
Cloudy day on “the J”
SD38-2s 666 and 669 lead an Elgin, Joliet & Eastern freight across the Union Pacific/CSX Transportation (former Chicago & Eastern Illinois) diamonds at Chicago Heights, Ill. R. B. Olson photo […]
DL&W freight at Lake Hopatcong
Three FT diesels bring eastbound freight BH-2 past the Lackawanna Railroad’s station at Lake Hopatcong, N.J., in May 1946. Theo. A. Gay photo […]
Galvanic corrosion
This coal hopper, seen in Butler, Wis., has a main body built from aluminum and a center sill made of steel. Freight-car makers use non-conductive materials to separate the metals and prevent galvanic corrosion. Steve Sweeney Q There are aluminum-body Talgos and aluminum-body coal cars, both with steel center sills. High school chemistry teaches that […]
Low-numbered Pennsy engine
Pennsylvania class L1 Mikado No. 26, trailing an additional tender for extra water capacity, heads a train of empty coal hoppers west out of Renovo, Pa., in September 1955. Under PRR’s unorthodox numbering system, the 574-member L1 fleet ranged from No. 2 to No. 8636. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
In the hole
A southbound Norfolk Southern freight takes the siding at South Leesburg, Ind., on May 16, 2011. The former New York Central branch line was upgraded with Pennsylvania-style position light signals recycled from other routes during Penn Central ownership. Photo by Bob Jordan […]
Clean cut
Clean BNSF Railway locomotives, clean ballast, and clean freight cars, match a clean, crystalline blue sky at the lower portion of “Sullivan’s Curve” in this October 2013 shot in California’s famed Cajon Pass. Photo by Steve Sweeney […]
Sunshine no more
Even the Sunshine State sees the occasional rainstorm, which has caught southbound Florida East Coast train No. 101 on Jan. 12, 2015, just north of St. Augustine. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]
Blue bearing caps
Two blue end caps for bearings made by Amsted Rail’s Brenco Inc. appear on a freight car truck at the Union Pacific’s Butler Yard in Wisconsin. Steve Sweeney Q What is the significance of the blue paint that I see on the rotating bearing caps on freight car wheelsets? – Tito Porfiri, Olney, Md. A […]
Homefront supply line
Railroads were the primary means of moving men and materiel within the United States during World War II. Here a freight conductor walks beside flatcars loaded with M3 Lee tanks at an unknown location. U.S. Army Signal Corps photo […]
The big picture
A westbound Union Pacific manifest freight works its way toward Los Angeles in October 2013 in the “Blue Cut” section of California’s famed Cajon Pass. With the lead locomotives a mile away in the distance, you gain a better perspective of magnitude of the San Gabriel Mountains and the challenges railroads overcame more than […]
MR Insider: Charlie’s Trackside Conversation with Richard Foster, Editor of Model Rail
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page On a recent trip to the United Kingdom, MRVP Contributing Editor Charlie Conway enjoyed a delightful trackside chat with Richard Foster, Editor of Model Rail magazine. While a cavalcade of British trains raced by, Charlie and Richard discussed a number of modeling and […]
