FULL SCREEN Jack Ferry collection For a decade, the cover of the Illinois Central system timetable carried illustrations of the Chicago lakefront. All purported to show the view from the top of Great Central Station, which burned in the Great Fire of 1871. The depot’s arched train shed, however, was never rebuilt. FULL SCREEN Detroit […]
Tag: Railroads
Chesapeake & Ohio – Image Gallery
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Distributed power in the Midwest
A Norfolk Southern SD70ACe pushes on an empty crude oil train in Toledo, Ohio, in March 2013. Michael D. Harding Q Watching passing freight trains, I’ve seen a locomotive located in the middle or at the end of the train. Are these pusher locomotives being run by remote control by the engineer in the lead […]
Trains Presents: Little Heisler on the prairie
Heislers are rare geared steam locomotives. One in steam is even more rare. Join us in Freeport, Ill., to see Silver Creek & Stephenson No. 2 in action. […]
The Race to Promontory
Go behind the scenes and listen to the chief curator at Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum discuss this exhibit of Hart and Russell photos from the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. You’ll also see the original golden spike and learn about the other ceremonial spikes used on May 10, 1869, that are now on display […]
President George H.W. Bush funeral train video
Watch the Union Pacific funeral train for George H.W. Bush as it crosses Texas. You’ll see SD70ACe No. 4141, painted and lettered for our 41st president, do the honors while thousands of people line the tracks to pay their respects. […]
2018 Canadian Pacific Holiday Train video
Check out the 2018 Canadian Pacific Holiday Train at Milwaukee with Trains‘ Editor Jim Wrinn! You’ll see the spectacle of the train arriving under the recently rebuilt train shed and the fabulous musical performers that travel with the train thanks to special access granted to Trains by Canadian Pacific. The train has gathered 4.3 million […]
Behind the scenes with Journey to Promontory
Videographer Rich Luckin and Trains Magazine Editor Jim Wrinn discuss the new PBS documentary, Journey to Promontory. It’s the saga of the first transcontinental railroad. On the 150th anniversary of this accomplishment, hear about the new video available from Kalmbach Media that tells the story of the Golden Spike. Be sure to pick up the […]
Presidents that travel by train
U.S. Presidents have traveled by train almost as long as there have been rails on the continent. Learn more with these two downloadable PDFs looking back at the relationship between Richard Nixon and the railroads and George H.W. Bush’s 1992 campaign train. […]
3 Railroading Stories
Download this free 21-page PDF download to read the stories of a field engineer, a young brakeman, and a locomotive fireman. Their stories uncover the adventures of riding and working on the Alco RS3, the C&NW freight, and the Union Pacific 4-8-4. […]
Spacing of steam ‘chuffs’
A conventional two-cylinder locomotive like this one exhausts four times per wheel revolution. This is thanks to the position of the valves. Library of Congress Q At low speed, the four “chuffs” a steam engine makes per wheel rotation all sound the same to me, but at higher speed I think I hear a four-beat […]
Road to Oblivion
Financial hardships, highway competition, and inadequate maintenance and investment led to the abandonment of a wide array of railroads. Take a look at our free 45-page PDF download to uncover the history behind the following railroads: The formation of the Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad and the different rail lines it operated, restored, and acquired. How the Vicksburg Route changed […]
