Altamont Pass(enger) During its 924 miles on the Western Pacific, the westbound California Zephyr passes through the barren hills of Altamont Pass, Calif., on March 15, 1953. W. E. Malloy Jr. photo […]
Altamont Pass(enger)
Section: Photo of the Day
Steel-side classic
Steel-side classic Pacific Fruit Express’s largest class of steel reefers was the 5,000 cars of R-40-23 starting in 1947. They had improved Dreadnaught ends, fans, and steel running boards. Mainline Photos photo […]
Detroit diesels
Detroit diesels In March 1965 near Detroit, New York Central GP40 3039 leads two sisters south on the Dearborn Branch as they approach the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton crossing at Schaefer Tower. Henry G. Goerke photo […]
Vest pocket streamliner
Vest pocket streamliner Union Pacific’s original streamliner, the little M-10000 of February 1934, is at Chatsworth, Calif., on the Southern Pacific during its national tour. Gerald M. Best photo […]
Collection elevator
Collection elevator This small collection elevator near Bayneville, Kans., typical of the thousands of wooden country elevators that were once common across the Midwest and West, is loading a boxcar, while two trucks wait with incoming wheat at the start of the grain rush in June 1952. The small elevator isn’t as wide as the […]
Steam queen
Steam queen For a few years in the late 1930s, the steam queens of New Haven’s Shore Line were 10 class I-5 4-6-4s. The handsome Hudsons’ wheel-balance woes prompted NH to begin acquiring a fleet of 60 DL109 diesels in 1941. Here, an I-5 roars west with the Merchants Limited at Sharon, Mass. Wayne Brumbaugh […]
Postwar ‘El Cap’
Postwar ‘El Cap’ A Santa Fe publicity photo shows the inside the postwar El Capitan. In 1956, the all-coach train was re-equipped with innovative new “Hi-Level” double-deck cars. Santa Fe photo […]
Black Fork Gorge
Black Fork Gorge Seven Western Maryland 2-8-0s — two up front, three at midtrain, and two ahead of the caboose — urge a 78-car eastbound train up the twisting grade through the Black Fork Gorge toward Thomas, W.Va. Edward Theisinger photo […]
Williamsport-bound
Williamsport-bound At Fassett, Pa., just south of the New York state line, I1 4315 gets a roll on a Williamsport-bound freight. Rugged, simple, powerful, and compact, the I1’s served for four decades. Jim Shaughnessy photo […]
Oakland Pier
Oakland Pier The California Zephyr’s signature sleeper-observation-dome car, complete with neon tail sign, gleams in Southern Pacific’s Oakland Pier station 10 minutes before departure on June 15, 1958. John C. Illman photo […]
Scenic views
Scenic views Curved windows along the edge of the roof give the Santa Fe El Capitan’s Hi-Level lounges a bright, airy feeling; a smaller lounge-buffet is below. Budd Co. photo […]
Shipping container
Shipping container New York Central (and subsidiary Michigan Central) had a large fleet of steel auto cars by the early 1920s. These had 10-foot door openings with 6- and 4-foot platesteel doors. New York Central photo […]
