Frisco steam to diesel transition: The mid-20th century was a time of great change for U.S. railroads. They were in the midst of a great steam to diesel transition that would revolutionize the industry for generations to come. An example of how the diesel changed part of one railroad may be found on the rolling […]
Section: Railroads
The Chief at Dearborn
In October 1950, Santa Fe’s Chief awaits the highball for Los Angeles at Chicago Dearborn Station as an RS1 of Chicago & Western Indiana, Dearborn’s owner, stands at right. Bob Borcherding photo […]
Rio Grande 4-8-2 on freight
Denver & Rio Grande Western 4-8-2 No. 1517 exhibits a clear stack as it brings a freight downgrade at Keeldar, Colo., between Tennessee Pass and Malta, on July 3, 1941. John W. Maxwell photo […]
Texas type in Vermont
Central Vermont 2-10-4 703 steams through a snowy landscape with northbound freight 429 on the grade south of Roxbury, Vt., in the 1950s. Paul A. Reynolds photo […]
Railfan first aid kits
Railfan first aid kits might be the furthest thing from your mind when planning a train-themed outing. One, however, might be among the most important — if you have a minor injury or a mild medical reaction to something you come across in the field. Trains.com exchanged questions via email with Robert W. Scott, Operations […]
Southern Railway history remembered
Southern Railway history: The earliest portion of the Southern Railway was the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company, which was chartered in 1828 to build from Charleston, S. C., to Hamburg, S. C., on the north bank of the Savannah River. Its purpose was to bring trade to the port of Charleston from inland […]
Tennessee Central freight
An Alco FA-FB set leads a westbound freight out of a tunnel near Rockwood, Tenn., in the 1950s. R. D. Sharpless photo […]
Springfield, Mass., station
Amtrak’s station at Springfield, Mass., had six tracks in this early 1990s view. Regular trains to and from Boston and Washington, plus the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited, stopped at the station. The elevated structures are baggage elevators used for handling mail and express in pre-Amtrak days. Located on New York Central’s Boston […]
Sam Houston Zephyr at Fort Worth
Burlington Route E5 9909 arrives at Fort Worth with the Sam Houston Zephyr from Houston in the late 1940s. R. S. Plummer photo […]
Rock Island steam and diesel suburban trains
Rock Island 4-6-2 916 on an outbound suburban train meets RS3 488 with an inbound on the bridge above 89th Street at Gresham on the South Side of Chicago on May 26, 1952. John F. Humiston photo […]
Rio Grande 2-8-8-2 at Glenwood Springs
Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-8-2 3607 is westbound at Glenwood Springs, Colo., with a 51-car freight on April 21, 1940. R. H. Kindig photo […]
Frisco locomotives remembered
Frisco locomotives: Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad all throughout May 2022. Please enjoy this photo gallery of St. Louis-San Francisco locomotives selected from the archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. The Frisco’s steam roster included several locomotives inherited from predecessors, subsidiaries, and short lines, among them St. […]