Railroad Labor Strike of the Century

Men on a locomotive in a building, illustrative of railroad labor strikes

Major railroad labor disputes haunted the nation during the latter part of the 19th century, highlighted by the “Great Railroad Strike,” which spread from Maryland to California in 1877 and the Pullman Strike 17 years later. Both of these bitter conflicts led to multiple deaths and costly physical destruction. The Shopmen’s Strike of 1922-23, however, […]

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PRR steam engine operating at Williams Grove

Small steam locomotive with two open-air cars and caboose

GRANTHAM, Pa. — With steam-locomotive giants like Western Maryland Scenic 2-6-6-2 engine No. 1309 and Reading & Northern Class T-1 4-8-4 engine No. 2102 grabbing all the attention in the East this year, one historic steam operation in the region is flying under the radar — as it usually does. And it’s in the midst […]

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The Trains Interview: Preservation priorities

Man standing in front of two steam locomotives

World events the past two years have kept people from doing what they enjoy. Communities have endured a near-two-year-long pandemic and are navigating the highest inflation in 40 years. Conflict overseas is rattling economies and threatening financial stability. Such events underscore the need for  rail preservation groups, who rely on those to share in their […]

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Thomas T. Taber III, author and historian, dies at 93

Black and white photo of man in white shirt and tie

Thomas T. “Tom” Taber III, 93, of Muncy, Pa., author of numerous railroad books, died Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, at Hillside Senior Living Center in Montoursville, Pa. A Life Member of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, he had been active in the organization since his childhood when he accompanied his father, Thomas T. Taber, […]

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Inside Amtrak’s Amfleet cars

Amfleet_Cars_Lassen

Amtrak Amfleet cars were the first of the National Passenger Railroad Corporation’s own passenger cars in the 1970s. They were and are, useful, flexible cars that have served the railroad for decades. Did you know these facts about Amfleet cars? The cars were initially billed as “the Amfleet,” but “the” was quickly dropped as trains […]

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Western Maryland Scenic schedules benefit for PRR No. 1361 restoration

Large steam locomotive with train at station

CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad will hold a steam-powered fundraiser Oct. 14 to benefit restoration of the Railroaders Memorial Museum’s Pennsylvania Railroad K4s-class 4-6-2 steam locomotive No. 1361, based in Altoona, Pa. An evening dinner train will be pulled by WMSR’s ex-Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 2-6-6-2 engine No. 1309 (Baldwin, 1949), temporarily […]

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Five receive R&LHS Railroad History honors

Logo of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society

The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society has announced pandemic-delayed winners of  its Railroad History awards for 2020, as well as one award for 2019. The awards recognize senior achievement, photography, and book and magazine authors. Winners for 2020 are John P. Hankey of Omaha, Neb., Gerald M. Best Senior Achievement Award; Brian Solomon of Center […]

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News photo: Demolition of Deshler, Ohio, station begins

Heavy machinery knocking down brick building

DESHLER, Ohio — After years of neglect, the former Baltimore & Ohio railroad station in Deshler, the community known as “Crossroads of the B&O,” is coming down. The building last saw a passenger train in 1971, has been closed since the 1990s, and was damaged by a coal hopper in an April 2002 derailment. The […]

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Five receive R&LHS scholarships

Logo of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society

Five students have received scholarship awards for 2022 from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. The awards, to graduate or upper-level graduate students studying railroad history, engineering, or operations, are each worth $3,000. They are given in the name of railroad historians who endowed the awards: Professor George W. Hilton, Edward T. Myers, and Bruce […]

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