Mind-blowing East Broad Top facts Tucked deep in the Allegheny Mountains, between Altoona and Harrisburg, is Rockhill, Pa. Today, Rockhill is home to a railroad time capsule called the East Broad Top Railroad, arguably one of the more famous and best-preserved U.S. narrow gauge lines. Built between 1872 and 1874, the EBT mostly lugged coal […]
Locomotive’s ditch lights With the implementation on December 31, 1997, ditch lights in the United States have been required for 25 years. First used in North America in the 1960s, Canadian National first used them in its mountainous territory out west. Transport Canada eventually standardized them on all Canadian railroads a decade later. What’s the […]
Model railroaders have long relied on historic maps for information about track arrangements, trackside industries, and building footprints. With the continual growth of the internet, finding these railroad maps online is becoming easier all the time. Here are some helpful sources for finding both current and historic railroad maps online. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps Sanborn […]
Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads: A drive along twisting mountain byways through freshly fallen snow, ears straining for the slightest hint of the groan from the horn atop an ALCO RS-3, camera at the ready for the first sign of a brightly colored locomotive is how my trip […]
Mountain type 4040 rolls the Rock Island’s Golden State Limited, bound for Los Angeles via Tucumcari, N.Mex., where the Southern Pacific takes over, near Annawan, Ill. Classic Trains coll. […]
Having ridden a GP7-powered train in from the National Jamboree camp at Valley Forge, Pa., Boy Scouts troop down a platform at Reading Terminal, Philadelphia, en route to tour historic sites in July 1957. RDG photo […]
Brand-new New York Central J-1a 5200 — the first of the road’s famous fleet of Hudsons, and the first example of the 4-6-4 wheel arrangement in North America — steams through a ceremonial banner at Alco’s Schenectady plant on February 14, 1927. NYC photo […]
GM’s Train of Tomorrow In the blaze of postwar passenger optimism, General Motors and Pullman-Standard produced the Train of Tomorrow — an E7 diesel and four dome cars, all dressed in blue with stainless-steel trim — to showcase the possibilities of rail travel in the future. GM photo […]
The rakish front end of a Milwaukee Road F7 4-6-4 hints at the locomotive’s famous potential for speed. MILW photo […]
The EMD RS1325 light road switcher. Someone at EMD must have thought, “here’s an idea that can’t miss!” We’ll offer a modern light road switcher for railroads needing a little bit more oomph than a standard end cab unit that don’t need a heavier and more complex traditional Geep or RS-series locomotive. The concept […]
Three great paint schemes A paint scheme on a locomotive is the visual face of a railroad. It’s what the public sees, and field employees work on and around daily. Some schemes may appeal to some but not others. I’ll run down what I find appealing trackside within the Class I rosters today and explain […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appeared in the June 1947 issue of Trains magazine following the resumption of service on the strike-crippled Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway. Things are peaceful again after the Toledo, Peoria and Western strike ends. The bitter 19-month strike which was climaxed by the murder of President George McNear is […]
