Frustration on Horseshoe Curve

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In position for a shot of Pennsylvania Railroad J1 2-10-4 No. 6427 climbing Horseshoe Curve with empty hopper cars in September 1955, photographer Phil Hastings had to settle for this view when a mixed freight overtook the Texas type on the outside track. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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Realistic operations on a raised railroad

model trains in a downtown scene

Realistic operations on a raised railroad: In my first garden railroad, (see Garden Railways May-June 1990), The Great Lakes and Gazebo Railroad, the objective was to add interest to my garden, have fun around the pool, and engage my kids in a new way to play with Dad. My new chapter had to include a […]

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More fiction books about railroading and locomotive topics

two railway themed books

Fiction books about railroading and locomotive topics     The Necropolis Railway (A Jim Stringer mystery) By Andrew Martin Genre: Mystery/crime novel First published: 2002 It’s November 14, 1903, and young Jim Springer is traveling to London to start a job on the London & South Western Railway. He’s put to work cleaning engines No. […]

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The first Hudson comes to life

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 […]

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Monticello museum hosts Railroad Days event (with video)

Blue, white, and gray streamlined diesel with passenger train

MONTICELLO, Ill. — The Monticello Railway Museum hosted its annual Railroad Days event Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18, 2022, drawing hundreds of people to the museum in central Illinois. The event featured Southern Railway Consolidation No. 401 pulling a coach passenger train; Wabash F7 No. 1189 pulling a three-car train; a caboose hop powered by […]

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Mt. Rainier Scenic to return in 2024 or 2025, museum official says

Logo of Western Forest Industries Museum

ELBE, Wash. — The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Museum, shut down by owner American Heritage Railways in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume operation in 2024 or 2025, according to the executive director of the Western Forest Industries Museum. The Centralia Chronicle reports Forest Industries Museum Executive Director Bethan Maher […]

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A Big Boy adventure photo gallery

Steam shooting from a large black articulated steam locomotive as it pulls its train.

“Been there. Done that.” In no way does this saying apply to standing trackside as Union Pacific No. 4014 — Big Boy — rumbles by. Every trip taken by the world’s largest operating steam locomotive is a new adventure. Here is a spectacle that doesn’t get old. It’s time for a Big Boy adventure. Although […]

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