Lynchburg, Va., marks the crossing for Norfolk Southern’s Southern Railway main line from Washington to Atlanta with the former Norfolk & Western main from Roanoke to Norfolk, and CSX’s former Chesapeake & Ohio James River line from Clifton Forge to Richmond and Newport News. The former Southern main sees 15-20 trains per day, including passenger, […]
About 20 miles east of Tucson, Ariz., is a vastly underrated train-watching location: Cienega Bridge. The bridge carries Union Pacific’s former Southern Pacific Sunset Route over itself and Cienega Creek. The main line is split through this section of the desert, and each main track has its own dedicated right-of-way. In 1880, SP built what […]
The name Clearwater summarizes what this Florida city, a popular vacation destination, is all about. Imagine the Gulf of Mexico’s clear blue water alongside beautiful white sand beaches. Now imagine the sound of two GP40-2s rumbling down the middle of a busy street beneath palm trees, just blocks from one of those beaches. Then, just […]
Bobby Troup called out Flagstaff, Ariz., in “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” and railfans will too. The city of 65,000 is surrounded by ponderosa pines and flanked by the San Francisco Peaks. At 7,000 feet, Flagstaff offers comfortable summers, snowy winters, and fall colors. The city is home to BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision, part of […]
Fostoria is a city of 14,000 in northwest Ohio, about 35 miles south of Toledo. Like its larger neighbor to the north, Fostoria is known for its one-time glass production. The Fostoria Glass Co., founded in the city in 1887, even supplied glassware to railroads for their dining cars! The city is also known for […]
Gibson City, Ill., located in the heart of Central Illinois’ grain-growing region, is the headquarters for the Bloomer Shippers Connecting Railroad, otherwise known as the Bloomer Line. Gibson City also serves as a junction and interchange point for two Class I railroads, Canadian National and Norfolk Southern. CN runs up to two locals a day […]
A location to safely watch trains has opened near Washington, D.C. Arlington County recently opened Long Bridge Park adjacent to control point RO on CSX’s RF&P Subdivision. Arlington is at the south end of CSX’s Long Bridge across the Potomac River. This double track bridge was opened in 1904. The name “RO” comes from the […]
Nestled among hillside dairy farms, corn fields, and rock quarries, Byron Hill, Wis., sees more than 20 trains per day on Canadian National’s busy Waukesha Subdivision. Positioned halfway between Fond du Lac and Lomira, Wis., the main line is paralleled by two vital roadways, Highways 175 and 41. Branching off of those main arteries are […]
Chicago is still the railroad capital of the country in most people’s opinion. What puts it on top over other cities like Kansas City is the strong passenger-train presence. It’s Amtrak’s midwestern hub (8 routes), and hundreds of Metra commuter trains (11 routes) hustle in and out of the city daily. Much of the railroad […]
“Tales of the Rails” is a podcast from Classic Trains magazine. Each installment features a firsthand account of a rail experience, written by a railroader or a railfan and read by Editor Rob McGonigal. […]
Featured in Model Railroader in 1978, the N scale Clinchfield remains one of the magazine’s all-time great project railroads. Jim Hediger shares some of the insight behind the planning and construction of the unique model railroad. […]
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page In this episode, Senior Editor Jim Hediger recalls more of his early days at Model Railroader magazine. Jim describes “Lurch” the infamous elevator at the old Kalmbach building in downtown Milwaukee. See vintage photos of the Model Railroader offices and staff. […]
