NS ‘barcode’ unit

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SD70ACe No. 1111 Randy Olson Q I recently saw a Norfolk Southern locomotive passing through Vermillion, Ohio, with only four vertical stripes on the cab where a unit number should be. Can you explain what this designation is? — Joseph McCormick, Oberlin, Ohio A The stripes are really four “1s” for NS’s SD70ACe No. 1111. […]

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Trains Presents: Western Maryland Scenic Railroad landslide repair update

landslide damage on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

Join Trains Editor Jim Wrinn for a first-hand look at the devastation and reconstruction of a portion of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s main line near Frostburg, Md. Heavy rains washed away a significant portion of the route in early 2016 preventing tourists from seeing the railroad in full splendor. […]

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Charlie’s Trackside Postcards – BNSF Balmer Yard Hump

An orange-painted BNSF Railway locomotive in a yard.

Not even another rainy day in Seattle could keep Charlie from further exploring BNSF’s Balmer Yard switching action. In this video postcard, you’ll get up-close views of flat switching, remote-control locomotives kicking cars, and rolling stock gliding down the hump! […]

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Original uses of GP60Ms

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On June 16, 1990, Santa Fe Railway GP60M No. 114 leads a westbound intermodal train near Ethel, Mo. These locomotives were originally purchased for intermodal service and have since been transitioned by the railroad to switching duties. Tom Danneman Q I’m a fan of BNSF Railway and have seen their ex-Santa Fe GP60Ms used in […]

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