Drew’s “Epic” Trackside Adventure now heads into Montana, home of the Montana Rail Link. Drew’s expedition guide and Trains art director Tom “Sherpa” Danneman knows this regional railroad success story like the back of his hand, so join the MRVP crew as they trace the MRL main line from Billings, Mont., to the shops and […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Waiting game
CSX train Q216 waits, with a Canadian Pacific leader, while a Norfolk Southern train heads west through the Vickers interlocking in Northwood, Ohio, on Jan. 18, 2014. The CSX crew spent a lot of time waiting this morning while NS ran its traffic first through this suburban Toledo crossing. Photo by Michael D. Harding […]
Local hero
With a short five-car train, Canadian National’s local out of Dubuque, Iowa, has just crossed the Mississippi River and pops out of the short tunnel in East Dubuque, IL. The train will travel down the BNSF Railway using trackage to an industry that CN switches before calling it a day and returning home after dark. Photo […]
Waiting game
CSX intermodal train Q124 rolls northbound on the main line at Lineville, Ala., as a Herzog ballast train awaits in the siding on Sept. 30, 2011. Photo by Bradley Bates […]
Drew’s Trackside Adventures, Episode 9 – Tower A2 in Chicago
In part 2 of Drew’s trip to Chicago, he visits two towers along Metra’s former Milwaukee Road lines – A5 and A2. In this video, Drew gives you a close-up look inside the towers, and you get to meet the people who run these busy railroad junction points. […]
Tightening up before taking off
The crew of Cass Scenic Railroad Shay No. 4 attaches the spark arrester to the diamond stack before the day’s run in the early 1970s. Check out more Cass and West Virginia coverage in the August 2013 issue of Trains magazine. Photo by J.J. Young Jr. […]
Video: History according to Hediger 7: A real railroading story from our senior editor
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger worked on the Wabash RR as a relief operator. Listen as Jim tells the story of how he learned not stand on the wrong side of the diamond when a freight train passed by. You’ll also see […]
Video: History according to Hediger 7: A real railroading story from our senior editor
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader Senior Editor Jim Hediger worked on the Wabash RR as a relief operator. Listen as Jim tells the story of how he learned not stand on the wrong side of the diamond when a freight train passed by. You’ll also see […]
1975-1982: Seven more years of change in Philadelphia
South of 30th Street Station in September 1980, an Amtrak E60 accelerates a train toward Washington while, in the background, SEPTA Silverliner IV’s head out on a commuter run to either Media/Elwyn or Wilmington. Robert S. McGonigal Bob Trennert, in his article “A West Coast Railfan in Philadelphia, 1967–1974” in the Spring 2013 issue of […]
Intermodal crane at work
Ever wonder how the UPS and FedEx Ground packages you ship travel across the country? They go by train. And in the December 2012 issue of Trains magazine, we take you inside one of the top railroad intermodal yards for FedEx and UPS Ground shipments: BNSF Railway’s Willow Springs terminal outside Chicago. We spent 24 hours inside […]
Intermodal crane at work
Ever wonder how the UPS and FedEx Ground packages you ship travel across the country? They go by train. And in the December 2012 issue of Trains magazine, we take you inside one of the top railroad intermodal yards for FedEx and UPS Ground shipments: BNSF Railway’s Willow Springs terminal outside Chicago. We spent 24 […]
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 […]