New York Central J-3 Hudson 5437 rushes west with mail train 257 at Millbury Junction, 7.5 miles east of Toledo on the Water Level Route, in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Hudson carrying the mail
Hiawatha 4-6-4 cab
Ready for service at the head of the Milwaukee Road’s 100-mph Hiawatha trains, a brand-new F7 streamlined 4-6-4 shows off its cab interior. Classic Trains coll. […]
Largest 2-6-2 Prairie fleet: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Unsurprisingly, the largest 2-6-2 Prairie fleet operated on the U.S. prairies with the railroad that originated the type. As the railroad industry approached the late 19th century, it became obvious that what had been considered the preferred locomotive — the 4-4-0 American — could no longer provide the horsepower nor the speed necessary […]
Grand Trunk Western F3s on freight
Two Grand Trunk Western F3s, dressed in the memorable but short-lived livery of parent Canadian National, wheel fast freight 492 (68 cars, all loads, including 63 reefers) near GTW’s crossing with the Pennsy and Nickel Plate west of Valparaiso, Ind., in May 1953. R. R. Malinoski photo […]
Fallen Flags: Wisconsin Central Remembered
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Best-selling early GE diesel locomotives
The best-selling early GE diesel locomotives are familiar to fans of mid-century diesel power. General Electric has a long relationship with railroad motive power. The company began building heavy electric locomotives in the 1890s, furnished traction motors and electrical equipment to other builders through the 1950s, and eventually become the dominant diesel-electric locomotive manufacturer […]
Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville fan trip
During an October 15, 1950, excursion, Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Alco S2 No. 20 stands beside the short line’s substantial headquarters building at Gloversville with a consist of two cabooses, two wooden combines, and a gondola car. Edward Theisinger photo […]
Penn Central locomotives remembered
Penn Central locomotives were varied from Alco and Baldwin to EMD and General Electric. There were electrics, too, on the Northeast Corridor and branches between New Haven, Conn., and Alexandria, Va. PC inherited its diesel and electric locomotives from components New York Central; and New York, New Haven & Hartford; and Pennsylvania Railroad. […]
Corn Belt Rocket at Des Moines
Passengers wait in the shade at Des Moines, Iowa, as Rock Island train 10, the Corn Belt Rocket from Omaha, pulls in on April 15, 1960. Ed Wojtas photo […]
Clearing a Rio Grande rotary
During an epic battle to reopen Cumbres Pass after a late December 1951 storm, a worker uses a shovel to clear the discharge chute of Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge rotary OM of heavy, wet snow. John Norwood photo […]
Santa Fe El Capitan of 1956
The 1956 Santa Fe El Capitan was a special train that deserves attention of its own merit. Just say “Santa Fe” to anyone in the realm of railroading and they’ll likely think “Super Chief”! Truly, that Chicago-Los Angeles first-class-only streamliner was about as top notch as they got here in North America — […]
BL2 at Muskegon
EMD’s BL2 of 1948–49 was conceived to be as versatile as a road-switcher yet attractive enough to give passenger trains a respectable appearance. Chesapeake & Ohio 1841 illustrates the BL2’s bi-directionality as it idles at the head of a passenger train at Muskegon, Mich., in the 1950s. David W. Richter photo […]
