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I was hired as a yard clerk for the Southern Pacific in San Jose, Calif., in April 1960. On my first day, I was ushered into the general yardmaster’s office and given a short talk on safety. The general yardmaster, an old head named Ralph Fanning, stood behind his desk and regarded me suspiciously. […]
History of the Central Railroad of New Jersey At its peak, the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the self-proclaimed “Big Little Railroad,” operated only about 700 route-miles, but in keeping with its densely populated region, totaled over 1,900 miles of track, two-thirds in New Jersey. CNJ’s Central Division extended from Jersey City to Phillipsburg, on […]
New York Central’s 275 4-6-4 Hudson-type engines are among the most celebrated of all steam locomotive classes. As the top passenger power of one of the most passenger-oriented railroads from the late 1920s to the early 1950s, the J-1, J-2, and J-3 classes were in the public eye like few other groups of engines. That […]
CP calls CN plan to sell KCS line ‘token divestment,’ remains critical of merger’s competitive impact Canadian Pacific says Canadian National’s plans to divest a Kansas City Southern line in Louisiana is “clear recognition” of the competitive issues created by the proposed CN-KCS merger. In a Thursday statement, CP also said the “token divestment” would […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — By railfan standards this two-axle, metal-framed, wooden rail freight wagon is an interesting, vintage piece of rolling stock, but otherwise unremarkable. For the world at large, it has a larger, darker place in history, which is why it is on display at Kansas City’s Union Station. The car was one of […]
All through May 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the style, glamour and grit of the Northern Pacific Railway. Please enjoy this NP locomotive photo gallery sourced from the archives of the David P. Morgan Library at Kalmbach Media. Only from Classic Trains! […]
CSX Transportation has repainted one of its executive fleet F40PH locomotives in a paint scheme inspired by predecessor Baltimore & Ohio. The city of Baltimore chartered the railroad on Feb. 28, 1827, to build west to a suitable point on the Ohio River. Ground was broken on July 4, 1828, at Carrollton, Md. By 1929 […]
The Northern Pacific Railway is Classic Trains‘ Railroad of the Month for May 2021. Please enjoy this freight train photo gallery sourced from the archives of the David P. Morgan Library at Kalmbach Media. Only from Classic Trains! […]
TREGO, Wis. — The Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad will open its doors on Memorial Day weekend to give visitors a look at its ongoing renovation process for the Mark Twain Zephyr, the articulated Burlington Lines streamliner being brought back to life after more than 60 years of storage, inactivity, and deterioration. The open house will […]
Niagara Junction Although it was built by the Niagara Falls Power Co. in the 1890’s, 11-mile switching road Niagara Junction used steam locomotives at first. Electrification, with 660-volt D.C. catenary and steeplecabs, came in 1913. New General Electric motors arrived in 1952 (that’s one at right, in October ’67), by which time the road was […]
Lucius Beebe-David Morgan correspondence project Between 1961 and 1966, prolific railroad book author Lucius Beebe and Trains editor David P. Morgan exchanged a flurry of letters, telegrams, and postcards, up to the week before Beebe’s death on February 4, 1966. The contents of this volume of correspondence regarded many things, including the art of book […]
SOUTH ELGIN, Ill. — Jeff Bennett is sprawled across a new wood floor working with a voltage meter trying to trace an electrical short in a Chicago Transit Authority 4000-series “Plushie” steel rapid transit car. He wants the 1925 Chicago L car ready for Mother’s Day — the Fox River Trolley Museum’s opening day this […]
