Louisville & Nashville Alco C420s Nos. 1377 and 1361 lead a freight at East Bernstadt, Ky., on June 29, 1978. L&N’s four-axle Alco fleet was one of the last big bastions of Alcos. Tom Murray photo […]
Southern Alco paradise
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Miniaturizing trees using bonsai techniques
Bonsai is an ancient horticultural practice that has been developed into an art form. Years can be spent studying and perfecting it. I doubt there are many garden railroaders with the time or inclination to get into true bonsai culture. Fortunately, there are some shortcut (and likely unorthodox) methods to make miniature trees with less […]
News & Products for February 10, 2011
HO scale locomotives Alco RS-3 diesel locomotive. Boston & Maine, Denver & Rio Grande Western, New York Central, Pennsylvania RR, Southern Ry., and Western Maryland. Dual-mode Digital Command Control motor decoder, all-wheel drive, and die-cast metal chassis. $99. Ready-to-run. Bachmann, 215-533-1600, www.bachmanntrains.comHO scale freight cars 34-foot two-bay hopper with exterior posts. New paint schemes and road […]
Riding high in the Bay Area
A trio of BNSF power has doublestacks and autoracks in tow at Martinez, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2004. Tom Murray photo […]
Texas draw
An eastbound Union Pacific freight smokes it up leaving Taylor, Texas, on a December 1995 day. On the point is a leased unit, Motive Power Industries, SD40M-2 No. 9037. The unit started out as Louisville & Nashville, SD40-2 No. 1237. J. Parker Lamb photo […]
Who was Miss Hazen?
Looking not unlike Miss Hazen’s train 719, an unidentified Bay Head local rockets out of South Amboy behind Pennsy K4 5428 circa 1940. Frank Quin Life can be funny sometimes. The first railroad tracks I ever saw were those of the New York & Long Branch at Manasquan, N.J., in the mid-1930’s. But I don’t […]
David Balogh’s Christmas Layout
I don’t have a full layout yet (rental houses), so I have to get my kicks at Christmas. This year was the biggest so far. All the buildings are Lego. I films using an iPhone stuck between the milk containers on the milk car, and a Canon G11 flying overhead and edited in iMovie. Hopefully […]
CN’s Freeport Subdivision
Q How have traffic patterns changed on the former Illinois Central line just west of Hawthorne Yard in Cicero, Ill., since Canadian National took over? Also, what is the latest on its future east of the ex-Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (now CN)? How much freight will be diverted off the Iowa line onto that route? […]
Eastern railroad hats
Richard Benton (left) with a railroader in a traditional Eastern hat at Potomac Yard in the 1950s. Richardson D. Benton Ben Curtis’ father’s Eastern railroad hat (left) and the new version Kromer Cap will begin offering. Ben Curtis (left) Q My father wore this style train cap in the 1960s, purchased in the Boston area. […]
Gantlet vs. gauntlet
Q Is it gantlet or gauntlet? My dictionary describes the former as a type of railroad track and the latter as an armored glove. But now my railroad guru tells me that all railroads use “gauntlet” to describe the track. Which is it? – D.G. Townsend, Falls Village, Conn. A Always trust your dictionary. Gantlet […]
Railroad air brake systems
Q I just saw the preview for “Unstoppable.” How can a train with no air in the reserve tank and brake cylinders roll away? I thought once all the air is drained the brakes will automatically apply?— Andrew Marino, Lincoln Park, N.J. A Railroad air brake systems need air pressure to function, and it’s held […]
The light at the end of the tunnel
Union Pacific “Heritage” SD70ACe No. 1989 emerges from the tunnel at Newcastle, Calif., on July 31, 2010. The engine is leading UP’s high-priority Chicago-Lathrop, Calif., intermodal train, and it’s on the home stretch to the Roseville, Calif., yard. Jake Millie photo […]
