If anyone could demolish the aphorism that talent skips a generation, it was Jack Barriger. A third-generation railroader, he built a distinguished career as a Santa Fe Railway executive, only to make as big a mark in retirement as a leader in preserving the industry’s heritage. He also embraced his status as the son of […]
Train Topic: History
Charles L. Amos, railroader and noted artist, dies at 90
Charles L. Amos, who had notable careers as both a railroader and artist, and whose exceptional paintings were featured in Trains Magazine, has died at age 90. Amos began his railroading career as a Western Maryland Railway clerk in 1952, but made his way to train service, first as a brakeman and then as a […]
Digest: Report says New Jersey congressman to seek chair of railroad subcommittee
Still more Friday morning rail news: Report: New Jersey congressman to seek chair of railroad subcommittee A report says a New Jersey congressman has indicated his desire to become chair of the House Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. The website New Jersey Globe reports that Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-Newark), elected in 2012 […]
Three ballot measures to fund rail projects pass (updated and corrected)
Three local measures to fund rail agencies or construction have passed in Tuesday’s election, with voters saying yes in Austin, Texas; the San Francisco Bay Area; and Fairfax County, Va. A measure in the Portland, Ore., area was turned down while one in Gwinnett County, Ga., has yet to be decided. Voters in Austin approved […]
Key House transportation figures win reelection
Notable federal results with transportation significance from Tuesday’s election: — The three leadership figures on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure all won reelection. In Oregon, Democrat Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, defeated challenger Alek Skarlatos to win the state’s 4th Congressional District with 58% of the vote, according […]
Remembering the New York, Ontario & Western Railway
History of the New York, Ontario & Western The New York, Ontario & Western Railway struggled to find its place among the many transportation systems serving New York City, but in the end it was able only to secure a place in history as the first Class I railroad to be abandoned in entirety. Despite […]
The ‘Century’ at Syracuse
In 1928 I was a freshman at Syracuse University. I needed a part-time job, and got one with American Railway Express, Inc., which became Railway Express Agency the following year. I worked at the New York Central’s Syracuse depot on the night shift Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings from 5 p.m. until 1 a.m., whenever […]
Remembering Pacific Electric Railway locomotives
All this month, October 2020, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the legacy and heritage of the Pacific Electric Railway. This week, we’re featuring the motley mix of electric, diesel-electric, diesel-mechanical, and steam locomotives that all operated on the Pacific Electric in Southern California. If you like this photo gallery, you might also like a […]
Photo of the Day
Rock Island TA diesel Electro-Motive Corp.’s model TA passenger diesel of 1937 was a lighter, less powerful counterpart to the builder’s EA of the same year. Although they shared the same styling, the single-engine, 1,200 h.p., B-B TA was a derivative of EMC’s power cars for streamlined trains, while the twin-engine, 1,800 h.p., A1A-A1A EA […]
Grand Central
Trains magazine celebrates Grand Central Terminal’s 100th anniversary in our February 2013 issue with a comprehensive look at America’s most famous railroad station, from its planning and construction a century ago, and the thwarted attempts to place a skyscraper above it in the 1960s, to the incredible restoration work completed in recent decades that has […]
Maine Narrow Gauge
A century ago, a quirky group of railroads built with their rails just 2 feet apart sprawled across the wilderness of Maine. The narrow gauge railroads were cheaper to build and could go places standard gauge roads could not. By the 1920s, there were five narrow gauge railroads in the state, from the 112-mile Sandy […]
Locust Grove, Georgia
Locust Grove is a city of 5,600 about 35 miles south of Atlanta, located just off Interstate 75 for easy access. It is situated along the Norfolk Southern Atlanta South District, which runs from Atlanta to Macon. The line was completed in 1882 as part of the East Tennessee, Virginia, & Georgia Railroad to connect […]