A Union Pacific ethanol train led by AC4400CW No. 7007 skirts the Carquinez Strait at sunset. The train is passing Eckley Pier with the wrecked remains of the steamship Garden City in the water. Photo by Brian Roberts […]
Coast twilight
Zone & Region: California
Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 15 – Big Boy on the move
Host Drew Halverson travels to sunny, hot, and scenic California to pace Union Pacific Big Boy no. 4014 steam locomotive in transit to Wyoming for restoration. Even though the massive 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive was towed by diesel power, Drew still managed to capture magnificent views of no. 4014 riding the mainline rails once again. […]
Santa Fe FT’s on Tehachapi
An A-B-B-A set of Santa Fe FT diesels leads a westbound freight just below famous Tehachapi Loop in 1949. This train met an eastbound Southern Pacific freight at Walong siding on the Loop itself; steam from the SP train’s cab-forward helper is visible in the distance. Linn H. Westcott photo […]
Helping the helper crews at Lamanda Park
Santa Fe’s Chief approaches the Lamanda Park siding on May 17, 1946. The fireman on the helper is ready to jump off and uncouple his 4-8-2 so it can move into the clear and let 4-8-4 No. 2921 continue east with train 20. Stan Kistler In early 1946, my family moved into a small house […]
History According to Hediger: Visiting Union Pacific’s Los Angeles subdivision
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In co-operation with the railroad, MR’s Senior Editor Jim Hediger once took a trip to research Union Pacific’s Los Angeles subdivision. Upon Jim’s arrival in California, his host made a rather embarrassing discovery about the railroad operations for the day. Hear how Jim […]
History According to Hediger: Visiting Union Pacific’s Los Angeles subdivision
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In co-operation with the railroad, MR’s Senior Editor Jim Hediger once took a trip to research Union Pacific’s Los Angeles subdivision. Upon Jim’s arrival in California, his host made a rather embarrassing discovery about the railroad operations for the day. Hear how Jim […]
West Coast passenger trains
What you’re seeing here is a transformation that’s nothing short of remarkable. Twenty years ago, a map of West Coast short-haul passenger trains would’ve been little more than a blank page. Back then, Amtrak provided minimal service between Oakland and Bakersfield, Calif., and between Portland and Seattle, though it did field 14 San Diegans a […]
Cajon Pass Extra
In October 2013, Trains sent me to Southern California to attend the first-ever Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums meeting, to see Union Pacific’s preparatory work for moving Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 AND to get material for the February 2014 article in the magazine: “Cajon Pass Unplugged.” I spent weeks before and after […]
Now arriving
An Amtrak San Joaquin train arrives at Emeryville, Calif., as the afternoon rush comes into full swing on Aug. 27, 2013. Photo by Michael S. Murray […]
Member video: Silicon Valley Free-moN layouts
Follow freight, passenger, and POV trains along Silicon Valley Free-moN’s layout at the Great Train Expo in Pleasanton, California. Modular layouts like Free-moN allow multiple members to run massive trains over many scale-miles of track (much more possible than at home!) while socializing and “suckering” newbies into the wonderful world of Model Railroading. Video shot […]
Member video: Silicon Valley Free-moN layouts
Follow freight, passenger, and POV trains along Silicon Valley Free-moN’s layout at the Great Train Expo in Pleasanton, California. Modular layouts like Free-moN allow multiple members to run massive trains over many scale-miles of track (much more possible than at home!) while socializing and “suckering” newbies into the wonderful world of Model Railroading. Video shot […]
An accidental beginning
SP 4229, the cab-forward on which author Anderson was firing as the second engine of a doubleheader when lead engine 4208 threw a rod, hauls L.A.-bound freight 766 up Casamilia Hill on the Coast Line in 1947. Jim Morley As an 18-year-old kid going firing on Southern Pacific’s Coast Division in 1953, my life was […]
