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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 […]
End-of-train devices replaced cabooses that, not so long ago, train watchers almost everywhere could count on as a final point of interest at the end of each freight train. The distinctive little cars housed crew members who would observe the cars ahead for defects, process the train’s paperwork, operate track switches, monitor the air-brake system […]
Steam excursions in the United States are like taking center stage. Star-studded locomotives arrived with some staying while others received curtain calls. Of those that have taken their final bow, here are five former U.S. steam excursion locomotives that left an impact. Grand Trunk Western No. 5629 Excursion service 1959-1973: The class K-4a, 4-6-2 No. […]
Given a choice, railroads will always follow a straight, level path. Trains use less energy, speeds are higher, and there’s less wear on equipment when railroads can build on an arrow-straight line. But land rises and falls, obstacles must be avoided, and this requires grades to compensate for changes in elevation and curves to reorient […]
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 […]
What was your first byline in Trains? Dan Cupper: It was a 10-page cover feature for January 1984, detailing Conrail’s E8-model passenger locomotive No. 4022, used for powering the road’s office-car fleet on inspection tours. At the time, I was working as a reporter for the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News newspapers and had written a full-page […]
Union Pacific is in the final stage of modifying the paint scheme of its locomotive fleet. Announced in July 2022, company employees at Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, Arkansas, created the new design which relocated the flag logo from the long hood to a smaller version placed on the side of the nose, […]
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. […]
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 — […]
Amtrak Miami services have been dominated by trains from New York City. This included, at various times, the Silver Meteor, Silver Palm, and Silver Star. Additionally, at times, the Magic City has been served by its own section of the Floridian from Chicago and an extension of the Sunset Limited. Amtrak’s current Miami […]
The General Electric BQ23-7 turned out to be an odd diesel that didn’t. At the dawn of railroads eschewing cabooses as unnecessary expenses, locomotive builders were putting forth ideas to accommodate train crews. One option was the BQ23-7, the Q indicating crew Quarters. General Electric’s design team took its standard 2,250 hp […]
Santa Susana Railroad Depot & Museum Tucked into the far eastern corner of the Simi Valley in Southern California stands a symbol of railroading that reaches back to practically its birth; the station. It was the station that was the main connection to the outside world for many communities, for passengers to board or detrain, […]
