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Windy City excursion A Michigan Railroad Club special from Detroit to Chicago pauses for a crew change at Battle Creek, Mich., in February 1967, following a 28-inch snowfall. The two locomotives, Nos. 4900 and 4901, were the GTW’s first passenger diesels, acquired as Nos. 1750-1751 in 1954. Photo by J. David Ingles […]
Automobile unloading Ramps at many early auto-handling facilities were permanently mounted. This Buck ramp on the Louisville & Nashville in 1962 has a full-width platform and can be adjusted to any deck height. Photo by Louisville & Nashville […]
Steam superlative The Rock Island had a fleet of 85 4-8-4s, largest in the United States. Here, No. 5058 leads a westbound freight near Lawrence, Kans., in January 1952. Photo by Robert Olmsted […]
Kickbacks Cars of coal are unloaded dockside by the Chesapeake & Ohio at this massive facility in Newport News, Va. Once unloaded, cars roll out of the dumper toward the camera, up a steep kickback track, and reverse direction down to the empties yard. Later they’ll head west for another load. Photo by W. A. […]
All through April 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, heritage, and grit of the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of DM&IR locomotives selected from the files of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Only from Classic Trains! […]
DANBURY, Conn. — The Conrail Historical Society and Danbury (Ct.) Railway Museum have combined to preserve a “Flexi-Flo” hopper car built in 1966 for the New York Central by ACF Industries. One of 220 such cars, the order represented the first pressure differential cars constructed, which allowed easy unloading of the contents by applying air […]
Chicago & North Western Historical Society archives bound for IRM The archives of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society are bound for the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. The archives will be located at a new building, to be formally known as the C&NWHS Archives Research Center, to be located on the museum’s […]
Wide open spaces Great Northern 2-8-2 No. 3117 is westbound at Richmond, Minn., in 1955. The railroad’s territory was sparsely populated, with one city over 100,000 between its endpoints. Photo by James Kreuzberger; Steve Glischinski collection […]
Around 1940, give or take a little, I was firing Southern Railway Ps-4 Pacifics heading the eastern leg of the Carolina Special between Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. This little rural train served towns like Mocksville, Cooleemee Junction, Woodleaf, Bear Poplar, Davidson, Mooresville, and the tobacco center of Winston-Salem. We met the Special’s Asheville connection at […]
From its launch in 1902, New York Central’s 20th Century Limited was arguably the most prestigious train in America. With its all-first-class passenger accommodations, the Century was the way to travel between New York and Chicago. By 1938 the train’s reputation was well established when it was completely re-equipped with new streamlined Alco locomotives and […]
WAUKESHA, Wis. — For only the second time in the 81-year history of Trains Magazine, the publication, website, and special events brand will sponsor a year-long fund-raising partnership with a non-profit to advance a landmark project in American railway preservation. The 2021-2022 Trains Magazine Preservation Partner is the Nashville Steam Preservation Society, home of the […]
Steam down south Gainesville Midland 2-8-0 No. 301 switches at its namesake Georgia town. The two-story building in the distance is the road’s headquarters. Photo by Philip R. Hastings […]
