Pennsylvania Railroad I1 class 2-10-0 No. 1753 pushes on the rear of a freight near Canoe Creek, Pa., near the famed Horseshoe Curve. The railroad had almost 600 such locomotives built in its own shops and by Baldwin Locomotive Works beginning in 1916. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Brill-built motor car M-2 of the Tennessee Railroad stands at Oneida, Tenn., where the little coal-hauler met the Southern’s CNO&TP line, in May 1952. Edward Theisinger photo […]
In late July 2019, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. moved its leased former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 steam locomotive No. 2716 from its home at the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven to its new home at Kentucky Steam’s headquarters in Ravenna. The goal is to restore the locomotive to operation there. Doing the honors […]
Rail profiles through time from file: TRN-TC0513 Illustration: Rick Johnson Q: Why and when did rails get their profile? — Rozier Smith A: The basic shape, or profile, of rails that we see today: chucky head, thin web, and wide base, has its roots railroading as early as 1789, according to an illustration Trains printed […]
Cincinnati Southern Railway website Q: The city of Cincinnati owns the CNO&TP line running from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, Tenn., which Norfolk Southern leases from the city. Does the city of Cincinnati also own and lease yards along the line to NS, or does NS own these yards outright? — Doug Lathrem, Bowling Green, Ky. A: […]
Conrail C36-7 No. 6628 works an eastbound train in New York’s Southern Tier east of Lanesboro, Pa., near the Pennsylvania-New York border in 1985. This section of track has a grade, what percentage that shows up on a track chart is determined by how precise the charts are. TEH-11062-18 Michael S. Murray Q: Some […]
Various Santa Fe SF30C units are seen in storage at Argentine Yard, in Argentine, Kan., in 1983. Several of these locomotives have rotary or flashing beacons on their cab roofs for safety. TEH-14212-34 Ivan Abrams Q: Why did some railroads use flashing or rotary beacons atop their diesels? And do any railroads use them anymore? […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Trains readers aren’t the only ones to wonder about happenings in the railroad world. Trains editors and friends recently shared an email discussion about why two Class I railroads near Trains’ headquarters removed a connection at a diamond crossover. Here’s a condensed, edited version of the best explanation we’ve seen: A: I would […]
EOTs — end-of-train device Q: In track side watching and in videos, I note that end-of-train devices only flash at night. Why is this? — William Carpenter West Chester Township, Ohio The Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee (NORAC) rulebook used by most northeastern railroads states that each train occupying a main track or controlled siding […]
Follow along for one last chase of the Keokuk Junction F units in western Illinois before their removal from service in early August 2019. Trains‘ videographer Kevin Gilliam follows the train through the agricultural landscape of the region to document another era lost in U.S. railroading. […]
Download this free 29-page PDF to enjoy five stories about a variety of railroad yards and engine terminals. Inside you’ll read first-hand stories about a day at the Kansas City, Brookfield, Illinois, Bolton, Vermont, North Philadelphia, and Marion, Ohio railroad yard. […]
A Camelback switcher like Lehigh Valley 3421, pictured at Jersey City in 1939, was a powerful magnet for a couple of young boys. Stanley D. Crews My buddy Mike and I were sitting on our bikes at a Lehigh Valley yard in northern New Jersey one day in 1950. We had our eyes on a […]
