Freight under wire: Electrified freight service is scarce

train carrying freight on electric railroad

Electrified freight service Hauling freight in the United States is almost exclusively a diesel locomotive affair today. However, a century ago, pockets of territory existed where freight was pulled by electric locomotives. Electrification began in the late 1800s, and by the early 1900s was expanding, primarily in locations where the switch from steam locomotives to […]

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Tools of railroading

A headlight glows in the distance beneath a signal bridge with two red lights across a position light signal next to another showing a vertical line of pale yellow lights.

Railroading tools Railroads are fixed-guideway systems for transporting goods or people. Its basis is the low friction, and hence high efficiency, of a hard wheel rolling on a hard surface. They are made up of many elements: people doing different jobs, and hardware for them to use. The jobs range from laborer to strategic planner. […]

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What’s on a locomotive cab roof?

White antenna housings cover the gray-painted roof of a modern diesel locomotive.

What’s on a locomotive cab roof? A cluttered battle for available space. But that wasn’t always the case. Decades ago, the roof of a locomotive cab was pretty bare. A majority of them had little more than an air horn and a single radio antenna mounted on it. The antenna was connected to the voice […]

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Locomotive air horn — a noisy necessity

train going through crossing fast

Locomotive air horn Throughout the United States, there are hundreds of thousands of railroad crossings that require sounding the horn. Federal law dictates that the engineer must blow the locomotive air horn with a sequence of blasts in the fashion of long, long, short, and long, no later than 15 seconds and as early as […]

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Steam locomotive tenders have a life of their own

Steam locomotive tenders It’s easy to forget that most steam locomotive designs are usually in two major parts; the locomotive itself and its tender dutifully hauling fuel and water. Take away one, and the other is useless. It seems reasonable to assume that a steam engine and its tender served together from the time they […]

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Ask Trains: Tank car color schemes

A line of white-painted railroad tank cars with a swath of green grass in the foreground, framed by a tree branch

Q What is the meaning of tank car color schemes? Is there a color code? Some tank cars have a contrasting horizontal stripe on the middle section of the tank, while other tank cars are painted a solid color. Since some tank cars carry hazardous or toxic chemicals while others carry edible materials, are the […]

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Blue flags

The side of a yellow and blue locomotive inside a maintenance facility. A blue metal sign hangs from the cab window, labeled in white with the words STOP Employees at Work

Blue flags protect workers. Here’s how they work. A major consideration in railroad operation is the maintenance that must be done on the rolling stock and track if freight and passengers are to be transported in a safe and timely manner. To maintain cars and locomotives, workers must get on, in between, and under them. […]

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Diesel engines: four strokes and two

Eight grimy diesel locomotive cylinders held upright in a yellow rack inside a maintenance building

What’s the difference between a four-stroke diesel engine and a two-stroke engine? It’s more than just a matter of numbers, as Vernon L. Smith explained in “Cycles and Cylinders,” in the May 1979 issue of Trains Magazine: A four-cycle engine requires four strokes of the piston, covering two revolutions of the crankshaft, to complete one […]

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Icy Hot: How to keep your diesel cool

closeup of train radiators

Keep your diesel cool Cooling has always been one of the most important aspects of a locomotive. Simply put, the higher the horsepower, the more cooling a locomotive needs. With the implementation of emission regulations over the last several decades, the amount of cooling has increased to meet requirements at each of the four levels […]

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How to own and maintain a caboose

A red caboose sitting perpendicular over railroad track tied to a crane on an overcast day.

Privately owned caboose Welcome to the world of privately owned cabooses. The craving for a cab is a continuing urge for Americans. So, let’s probe this topic deeper. Matt Bumgarner, noted railroad author, publisher, and driving force behind the Southeastern Narrow Gauge and Short Line Museum in Newton, N.C., answers the following questions about his […]

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Fixing diesel locomotives is all in a day’s work

Silhouette of worker in shop building

Fixing diesel locomotives Fixing diesel locomotives: The clang of tools, the whir of grinders, and the smell of diesel exhaust greets you as you walk in the door of an engine shop. People move to and from with equipment both large and small, with the ever-present cadence of idling locomotives just outside the door. This […]

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