Biggest 4-6-2 Pacific: Omaha Road’s E-3 class

Three-quarter rear view of biggest 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive

The biggest 4-6-2 Pacific came from a surprisingly small railroad.     Any history of the American steam locomotive must save some superlatives for the 4-6-2 Pacific. The wheel arrangement allowed a wide variety of design and performance, such that approximately 6,000 were manufactured in the first half of the 20th century, all in the […]

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Recapping five years of News Wire’s top stories

Big_Boy_Test_1_Wrinn

Trains News Wire wrapped up its countdown of 2022’s top stories on Saturday. In case you missed any of our coverage, we open the new year with a recap — not only of this year, but of five years of News Wire top stories. 2018: Richard Anderson The highly controversial three-year tenure of the former […]

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Garden railroading in the snow

model diesel with load of logs on garden railway

I am a member of the Genesee G Gauge Railway Society and enjoy garden railroading in the snow. My Crow Haven line is in Springwater, NY and was built over the last five years. It is comprised of 300+ feet of track on three levels, three trestles, 72 buildings (each with solar lights), 24 diecast […]

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Locomotives we didn’t get for Christmas

A black and white photo of Soviet steam locomotive

Trains and Christmas go hand-in-hand, and many of us had some special railroad-related gifts on our wish list, but instead of a wish list, this is a list of the locomotives we didn’t get for Christmas. These models either have never been mass-produced in our preferred scale or have not been produced in a decade […]

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Rotary snowplow clears Cumbres Pass

Of all the forces that can bring trains to a halt, snow has to be one of the fiercest elements that Mother Nature can throw at a railroad. Keeping the tracks clear is a never-ending battle in the winter months. Depending on the severity, plows and flangers can do a good job winning the battle. […]

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The Lionel 2065 Hudson, ‘hair curler’ and all

The Lionel 2065 Hudson in a catalog spread

The Lionel 2065 Hudson is not uncommon, and it isn’t particularly valuable. What makes it so important to me is all that I remember because of it. This middle-of-the-road Lionel steamer from my youth has left me with so many wonderful memories. I was born in January 1953, and my brother Steve came along 4 […]

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Year in review: Preservation stories from coast to coast

Three-stall roundhouse building under construction

Trains News Wire continues our review of the top stories of 2022. We’ll count down the Top 10 stories of the year, as voted on by Trains editors, columnists, and correspondents, beginning Dec. 26. As a prelude, we’ll be looking at major stories that didn’t make that list. Today: Preservation. While some preservation stories did […]

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