Photo of the Day

San Luis Obispo Army camp troop train

Troop train on the SP A doubleheaded troop train passes the Army’s Camp San Luis Obispo as it climbs Cuesta Grade on Southern Pacific’s L.A.–San Francisco Coast Line in the early 1940s. SP photo […]

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PAs on the Pony Express

Union Pacific Pony Express Alco

An Alco PA/PB/PB consist leads the Union Pacific’s Pony Express across the desert near Victorville, Calif., in the early 1950s. The railroad’s 14 PAs and PBs were assigned to passenger service in the West. Donald Sims photo […]

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Photo of the Day

General motors train of tomorrow

Aboard the Train of Tomorrow’s observation car Moon Glow, the rear car of the General Motors Train of Tomorrow, contained a variety of lounge spaces, including this sunken area underneath the dome. GM photo […]

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Photo of the Day

20161215

Train time at Chadron, Nebr. Way out on Chicago & North Western’s lonely “Cowboy Line,” 4-6-2 No. 1588 arrives Chadron, Nebr., with daily-except-Sunday train 13 from Omaha, 447 miles to the east. The train is bound for Rapid City, S.Dak., 104 miles west. Fred H. Ragsdale photo […]

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Photo of the Day

20150727

4-8-2 on the Creole’s connection Illinois Central 4-8-2 No. 2438 pulls out of Carbondale, Ill., with train 208, the St. Louis connection for the Creole, in September 1954. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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Photo of the Day

20130823

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 […]

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Echo Canyon, Utah

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Perched high on a hillside on a lonely but breathtakingly beautiful stretch of Interstate 80 just outside of Echo, Utah, must be the best rest stop in America – for railfans. With a sweeping view of the rough, red, sandstone cliffs of Echo Canyon, frequent trains on Union Pacific’s original transcontinental route, and convenient benches […]

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North East, Pennsylvania

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North East is a borough of about 4,200 people and is the northernmost incorporated community in Pennsylvania. It is little more than a mile from the shore of Lake Erie, and just 3 miles off Interstate 90. The community, located in northwestern Pennsylvania, is named North East for its location in northeastern Erie County. The […]

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Bear Mountain, New York

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Scenic Bear Mountain is located about 45 miles north of New York City along the Hudson River. It offers a host of vantage points along the CSX Transportation “River Line” and Metro-North Hudson Line. Locations between Cold Spring and Peekskill, including Bear Mountain Bridge, provide public access to watch and photograph trains. The area is […]

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Quad Cities region

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The Quad Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Ill., straddle the Mississippi River, creating an historic intersection of river and rails. In April 1856, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific’s predecessors opened the first Mississippi River crossing, known as the Government Bridge, at Davenport. Later, a riverboat struck the bridge […]

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San Jose, California

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The nation’s 10th largest city, San Jose has been flirting with the 1 million population mark for several years. Within the city and surrounding Santa Clara County are 74 passenger rail stations, 62 of them on the Valley Transportation Authority’s light rail system. The remainder serve one of three passenger carriers: Amtrak, Caltrain, and the […]

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