Virginia & Truckee 2-8-0 No. 29 charges past the depot in Gold Hill, Nev., in March 2010 on a portion of the rebuilt silver hauling railroad, high in the desert near Reno. Photo by Jim Wrinn […]
Charge!
Trains, September 2011
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Railroads and their environment
FULL SCREEN Photo by Kevin Scanlon CSX power for the Piney Creek Turn is parked in Quinnimont Yard in Quinnimont, W.V., on Jan. 20, 1991. To the left of the engines across the tracks is the foundation for the iron furnace. FULL SCREEN Photo by Kevin Scanlon A CSX westbound empty hopper train passes the […]
I SEE you in Barrington
Illinois Central SD40-2 No. 6015 leads Canadian National train 348 south past the tower at Barrington, Ill., on May 6, 2010. Photo by Chris Gus […]
Locomotive throttle notches
Q Why do modern locomotive throttles still use notches?— Ben Redl, Williams Lake, B.C. A The primary reason is to help the locomotive’s engineer direct a specific response from the locomotive. Engine RPM speed must be increased gradually during normal operation. As the engineer demands more power from the locomotive by moving a notch at […]
Tribute paint schemes
Union Pacific’s Desert Victory and United Way tribute locomotives were the first to receive special paint schemes, in 1991 and 1994, respectively. John C. Benson Q I understand that Union Pacific ES44AC No. 7400 is the railroad’s 15th specially painted locomotive. What are the other 14 commemorative locomotives?— Wesley Chen, Irvine, Calif.A According to Union […]
Live at Red Rocks
A trio of General Electric-built GEVO locomotives powers an intermodal rain past North Guam, N.M., on April 11, 2011. The first two diesels belong to the class ES44C4, an A1A-A1A-trucked A.C. traction model built to perform to six-motor D.C. designs. Photo by Steven M. Welch […]
Trains, August 2011
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Waterlogged and logging miles
The spring flood waters have started to subside on the Mississippi River (as evidenced by the watermarks on the trees) at Gears Ferry Landing near Galena, Ill., as an eastbound BNSF “Z” train heads east toward Chicago on a cloudy and cool April 23, 2011. Photo by Steve Bauer […]
Railroad Photography in the Blue Hour
Westbound Metra train No. 1249 stops under the rising moon at Clarendon Hills, Ill., on Metra’s BNSF Railway line. Two additional trains are visible about a mile away in the distance. Paul Hoffmann An inbound Metra express train rips past the Naperville, Ill., station leaving a “smoke tail” in its wake as a local can […]
GATX reporting marks
Q My employer receives plastic pellets in rail cars. Recently, I saw a car that was marked with GATX on the opposite end from the reporting marks, which were different. Do the chemical companies own the cars, or are they leased? — Frank L. Mejean, Crawfordsville, Ind. A GATX Corp. is a leader in leasing […]
Isolating locomotives
Q What does it mean when diesel locomotives are “isolated?”— Ray Russell, Naples, Fla. A “Isolating” a particular locomotive in a multiple-unit consist means that the prime mover is still running, but the main generator and electrical system for propulsion are disconnected. The locomotive will not respond to throttle settings and essentially is along for […]