Railfanning Chicago at Lisle, Illinois

Commuter train at platform framed by leaves of tree.

Railfanning Chicago at Lisle, Illinois, is good for those hard winter days. You know, the ones that sometimes feel like it requires all the preparation, gear, and endurance of the Amundsen South Pole expedition. This is what makes Lisle, on BNSF Railway’s triple-track main line between Chicago and Aurora, Ill., is a good place to […]

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Six grade crossings you can model

Asphalt-and-timber crossing on west edge of Wisconsin & Southern yard in Horicon, Wis.

Grade crossings you can model are scene enhancers that you should consider adding to your list of projects. “Why a grade crossing?” you may ask. “I’d rather work on a locomotive, freight car, structure, or [fill in the blank with your favorite aspect of the hobby.]” I get it. Grade crossings you can model introduction […]

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World’s smallest pacific locomotive celebrates 110 years

Small black steam locomotive on tracks overgrown with grass.

The world’s smallest pacific locomotive — among standard-gauge equipment — is Little River Railroad 4-6-2 No. 110. COLDWATER, Mich. — The world’s smallest standard gauge Pacific, No. 110, is alive and well at age 110. The Little River Railroad 4-6-2 is running in south Michigan, fresh from a 15-year inspection and a rebuild that included […]

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Reading Company freight trains photo gallery

Black-and-white photo of steam locomotive with freight train

Reading Company freight trains are Classic Trains editors’ focus in this photo gallery.   All through October, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the gritty, coal-hauling, Pennsylvania-based Reading Company railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Reading freight trains selected from the image archives of Kalmbach Media‘s David P. Morgan Library. Reading Company, as a railroad, […]

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Reading Company passenger trains

Jersey City–Philadelphia Crusader, westbound at Roselle, N.J., on Jersey Central tracks, 1940s.

  All through October 2021, the Reading Company is Classic Trains‘ Railroad of the Month! In this photo gallery, please enjoy images of Reading passenger trains selected from the archives of the David P. Morgan Library at Kalmbach Media! This photo gallery had previously been published in June 2020. Only from Trains.com! […]

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Reading Company: A railroad history

Color photo of side-by-side noses of two road-switcher diesel locomotives

Reading Company, as a railroad, disappeared into Conrail more than 40 years ago. But it is still possible to “take a ride on the Reading.” This can be done when playing the board game Monopoly, or (more literally) by boarding a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority commuter train in the Philadelphia area. Today, the Reading (pronounced […]

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Lima-Hamilton Locomotives: Diesels that didn’t

Black-and-white three-quarter-angle photo of road-switcher diesel locomotive .

Lima-Hamilton locomotives history Lima-Hamilton locomotives were built out of Lima, the youngest and smallest of the Big Three steam builders. The Ohio manufacturer was synonymous with steam at its best, and it upheld the steam standard to the bitter end. Even as legions of diesels were rolling off the erecting floors of competitors, Lima Locomotive […]

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Sherman Hill: the first Rocky Mountain railroad pass

A yellow Union Pacific locomotive leads a freight trains over grasslands.

Sherman Hill is one of the landmarks on the transcontinental railroad. It was the first major obstacle for the railroad as it headed west. It’s the highest point on the first transcontinental railroad with the original summit topping out at 8,247 feet above sea level. A 1901 line change shaved over 200 feet off the […]

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New Haven Railroad locomotives

Black-and-white photo of the noses of two streamlined diesel locomotives.

  All through September 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. This week, editors have selected images from Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library to highlight the locomotives of the New Haven. Included in these are electric, diesel AND steam locomotives. Enjoy! […]

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New Haven Railroad freight trains

Black-and-white photo of steam locomotive with short freight train.

  Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, heritage, and style of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad all through September 2021. Please enjoy this photo gallery selected from the archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Only from Trains.com!   […]

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NYC train map: Subways, NJ Transit, LIRR and more!

Detail portion of a NYC transit map.

The image above is a NYC train map. For the 2020 special issue, Railroad Maps 2, Trains Senior Editor David Lassen embarked on an ambitious project: Map New York City railroads. The map above shows New York City subway lines, and routes and major several passenger railroads. These include Metro-North, Long Island Rail Road, PATH, […]

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Crash at Crush killed 3 in 1896 Texas publicity stunt

A cloud of smoke and debris with railroad cars visible to one side.

Crash at Crush history “Crash at Crush” turns up thousands of Google search results. Many of these point to the fateful publicity stunt that killed three people and injured more in 1896. What was William Crush thinking the day he thought up a staged train wreck in Texas? Here was a quiet man who went […]

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