1950s EMD customer relations: At the height of dieselization circa 1950, the volume of orders pouring into Electro-Motive Division was sufficient to require three production locations: La Grange, by far the largest; Plant 2, a former Pullman Co. facility in South Chicago; and Plant 3, the ex-Cleveland Engine Corp. facility in Cleveland, Ohio. However, by […]
Frank Vodvarka’s layout, the 23′ x 27′ Eclectic Empire, is featured in the May-June 2022 Classic Toy Trains. It’s colorful and entertaining, with pre- and postwar Lionel and other O- and Standard gauge trains from the U.S. and abroad. Plus it has accessories, figures, and structures from multiple eras and manufacturers like Bayko, Britains, Bassett-Lowke, […]
Bound for Grand Central Terminal, a New York Central M.U. train passes under the Henry Hudson Parkway bridge at Spuyten Duyvil, N.Y., in the late 1940s or early ’50s. In the background, NYC’s line down the West Side of Manhattan bridges the Harlem River where the Harlem meets the Hudson. Herbert H. Harwood Jr. photo […]
Santa Fe New Mexico branchline service epitomizes a long-gone era of U.S. railroading — the kind where locals and shuttles move rural freight (and passengers) in unhurried ways. True, this photo gallery from the David P. Morgan Library collection offers dedicated copper-mine running. But there are no “hot-shots”, high-priority merchandise freights, or even an intermodal […]
Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad all through March 2022. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Lackawanna freight trains selected from the archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western’s main line extended from Hoboken, N. J., northwest through Scranton, Pa., […]
The Alco Black Marias, a trio of prototype cab units, were the builder’s initial attempt to enter the mainline diesel locomotive market after World War II. The U.S.’s World War II War Production Board closely monitored the railroad locomotive builders and what they could and could not produce. Loosely, EMD was manufacturing mostly road locomotives […]
7 great Lionel locomotives and 4 duds – this list recognizes what we consider to be the Lionel Corporation’s crowning achievements in locomotive manufacturing 1900-1969. Admittedly, it’s subjective, based on experience owning, operating, and repairing Lionel locomotives. We both value solid construction and reliable operation, so those were key factors in awarding our trophies. Our […]
Tunnel under a town prototype: Yes, there is at least one U.S. example of railroads going underneath small towns. And here it is: Boston & Maine’s single track line through Bellows Falls, Vermont. Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library has three photos in the Boston & Maine tunnels folder that show off this specimen in […]
Lionel’s no. 397 coal loader In 1948, Lionel introduced a new coal loader that needed just one track and a dump car to run. Senior Editor Roger Carp explains the history of this coal loader, what was included in the box with your purchase, and how it changed over the years. He explains what makes […]
Lionel’s no. 397 coal loader In 1948, Lionel introduced a new coal loader that needed just one track and a dump car to run. Senior Editor Roger Carp explains the history of this coal loader, what was included in the box with your purchase, and how it changed over the years. He explains what makes […]
The Lionel no. 3429 helicopter car was the company’s answer to get more kids to buy its products in the late 1950s. It was an attempt to get away from a product line the public regarded as old-fashioned. The company’s creative minds decided to make items Lionel could link the trains to popular military and […]
In a 1953 view from Canadian Pacific’s S.S. Princess Helene docked at Digby, Nova Scotia, after a trip over the Bay of Fundy from Saint John, New Brunswick, a CP 4-6-2 backs the head-end cars of train 98 out onto the pier to receive baggage and mail from the ship. Another engine will bring 98’s […]
