Question: What is the smallest point-to-point layout that doesn’t look like just a section of test track? How long does a shelf layout have to be to look like a working operation could be taking place? – Richard Helton, Meridian, Idaho Answer: That’s a matter of taste and perception, not something that can be quantified […]
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David and Goliath on the Overland
A 2-8-0 helper assists the cab-forward 4-8-8-2 road engine on the eastbound San Francisco Overland, climbing Southern Pacific’s Donner Pass line in the late 1940s. Photo by Jim Morley […]
Helper for 13 cars
Tacked on behind a boxcar-turned-caboose, one of short line Western Allegheny’s ex-Pennsy H10 2-8-0s helps a sister move coal and limestone out of Kaylor, Pa., in September 1955. WA’s 2-percent grades necessitated two Consolidations for a 13-car train. Photo by Philip R. Hastings […]
L&N’s ‘Georgian’ arrives St. Louis
Louisville & Nashville’s Georgian from Atlanta pulls past St. Louis Union Station before backing into the big trainshed. The train is heavy with head-end business on this December 19, 1965. Photo by J. David Ingles […]
Remembering the New York Central System — Part 2
To read Part I of George Drury’s New York Central History, click here History of the New York Central System The New York Central was a large railroad, and it had several subsidiaries whose identity remained strong, not so much in cars and locomotives carrying the old name but in local loyalties: If you lived […]
Remembering the New York Central System — Part 1
To read Part 2 of George Drury’s New York Central history, click here History of the New York Central System The New York Central was a large railroad, and it had several subsidiaries whose identity remained strong, not so much in cars and locomotives carrying the old name but in local loyalties: If you lived […]
Ann Arbor Railroad locomotives remembered
Ann Arbor Railroad locomotives moved freight to and from docks and lake boats. See a sampling of those locomotives with this photo gallery of Ann Arbor Railroad locomotives, only from Classic Trains! If you like this gallery, you may also enjoy an article on AA’s history or an Ann Arbor passenger train photo gallery. […]
Ann Arbor Railroad freight trains remembered
Ann Arbor Railroad freight trains and car ferries were the life blood of this Michigan-based shortline railroad, which is Classic Trains’ Railroad of the Month for December 2020. We hope you enjoy each of these freight train images from the David P. Morgan Library at Kalmbach Media. If you enjoy this gallery, you may […]
Under the hood of a hood unit
The open hood doors on the left side of a Southern Pacific GP9 reveal the locomotive’s 567C diesel engine, main generator, and auxiliaries. Photo by EMD […]
The ‘Crescent’ takes a curve
A green-and-white E6 A-B duo leads the Southern Railway’s northbound Crescent through reverse curves on the north side of Atlanta in March 1947. Photo by R. D. Sharpless […]
Ask MR: What do different TTX marks signify?
Question: I have six freshly painted brass O scale auto racks that I need decals for. I’ve found some TTX flatcar sets that might be close. Do auto racks have special letters before or after the reporting mark different from those on a regular TTX flatcar? – Tom Champley, Oregon, Ill. Answer: Yes. Each type […]
Lackawanna ferry boats
On a frigid February 10, 1951, four Hudson River ferries are in the slips of the Lackawanna Railroad’s Hoboken terminal. The photo was made from a fifth DL&W boat heading out into the icy river for a trip to Manhattan. Photo by Edward Theisinger […]