Introducing the all-new Trains.com Forum! Become a part of our Community! >>VISIT NOW
Feature Articles Rambling on the Reading By Karl Zimmermann Between 1959 and ’64, surplus 4-8-4s and idle commuter coaches criss-crossed southeastern Pennsylvania on a series of remarkable excursions See more photos of Nos. 2100, 2102, and 2124 on the Reading’s Iron Horse Rambles. Rolling Laboratory By James E. Dierks The American Steel Foundries’ test train […]
Mountain Railroads, from Classic Trains, explores railroading’s battle with gravity and geography — getting heavy trains up steep grades and safely descending them. The 124-page special edition features new and rare photos, detailed maps, and classic articles from Trains magazine. Order your copy today » […]
Feature Articles America’s Last Real Steam Show By J. David Ingles Often overlooked, Grand Trunk Western was the last railroad in the U.S. to employ steam daily in four types of regular service Listen to GTW steam audio recordings from Art Weber’s album, Detroit Division, accompanied by a GTW photo gallery. Last Days of the Southern […]
If you’re looking for a memorable railfan experience, Hot Spots is your go-to guide for train-watching throughout the U.S. and Canada. This special issue from Trains magazine tells you everything you need to know to be a great train-watcher — railfan basics, travel tips, and dozens of must-see locations from coast to coast. Order your […]
Feature Articles Steam’s Last, Highest Outpost By Gordon Glattenberg Ride the locomotive on Colorado & Southern’s Climax Branch to the top of America’s standard-gauge trackage What’s in a Photograph? C&NW at Sioux City Stockyards, 1947 By Jerry A. Pinkepank Extensive rail facilities were required to support the Iowa town’s meatpacking plants “Booming” in Modern Times […]
Steam’s Lost Empire takes you back to the classic era of railroading when steam locomotives ruled the rails. The 124-page special issue features classic articles from the archives of Trains magazine including riveting inside accounts from railfans and railroaders who worked the trains as well as dramatic black-and-white and color photographs. Order your copy today […]
Feature Articles Santa Fe’s Super C Speed Tests By Steve Patterson Before launching the world’s fastest freight, the Santa Fe ran three experimental trains Prescription for Prosperity By Kevin P. Keefe The Rexall Train’s nationwide tour in 1936 was good medicine for a nation struggling to shed the Great Depression Surprises on the Siskiyou By […]
Feature Articles Wyoming Steam Parade By R. Clifford Black IV In 1953, a boy and his dad thrilled to the constant mainline action of Union Pacific’s Big Boys, Challengers, and Northerns What’s in a Photograph? Double RS2s on the Laurentian By Jerry A. Pinkepank Delaware & Hudson’s Montreal—New York City day train pulls into Plattsburgh, […]
Feature Articles The Great Northeast Railroad Debacle By Don Phillips One of history’s great scams — Penn Central — caused a crisis whose solution led to the rebirth of American railroading See photos from Conrail’s early years, as well as from “Big Blue” predecessors Penn Central, EL, CNJ, Reading, L&HR, and PRSL. Diversity and Adversity: […]
Feature Articles “Mr. L&N” By Ron Flanary and Charles Buccola Charlie Castner — railfan, photographer, author, preservationist, and railroad professional — has studied and promoted the Louisville & Nashville Railroad for more than 80 years The Prosperity Special: Symbol of the 1920s By Don L. Hofsommer A mass movement of new Southern Pacific locomotives across […]
Big Steam is Back features 11 well-known locomotives from across the United States and their individual journeys to restoration. This special 100-page edition includes the restored Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611, widely considered to be the best and most powerful locomotive ever built, the colorful Southern Pacific 4449, and an update on the […]
Feature Articles Chicago in the 1930s By Photos by William Ranke; Text by Mike Raia At a time when most rail photographers were taking static “engine pictures,” one man was capturing the dynamic scene in the Railroad Capital Train Time at Los Angeles, 1960 By R. David Read My stint as “wire chief” at LAUPT […]
