A westbound Z-train roars through West Chana, Ill., on the BNSF Aurora Sub. Photo by Nathan Beecher […]
Hear that lion roar
Tag: Railroads
May 2012 Trains Express PDF download
The Western Maryland, or “Wild Mary” as it was known to its many fans, was a a tenacious regional railroad, running west from Baltimore to the mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It was known for its fast freights, coal traffic, and the iconic Helmstetter’s Curve. Download this month’s Trains Express PDF package at the […]
Previewing a future that never was
Townspeople of South Charleston, W.Va., inspect C&O 500, first of the road’s trio of colossal steam-electric-turbine locomotives intended for its new Chessie train, on Dec. 4, 1947. Ogden Willis, William J. Sparkmon coll. When Robert R. Young took over control of the Chesapeake & Ohio, he started looking for ways to improve the railroad. After […]
Flying through the countryside
An Alta Velocidad Espanola train soars through Cordoba, Spain, on March 21, 2010. AVE, as it’s known, is also the Spanish word for “bird.” Photo by Brian Solomon […]
Rusting tracks at LaSalle
Today, it’s a busy Metra station, but on Sept. 27, 1979, LaSalle Street Station in downtown Chicago was a place for rust and weeds. An extended strike crippled the Rock Island Railroad, leading to the desolate scene. Photo by Ralcon Wagner […]
Thank you, Q
CB&Q Hudson 4000, a sister to the 3012 that surprised Bob Jack on a freight, works tonnage at Galesburg, Ill., in 1954. Robert Milner Steam died in various ways, depending on the railroad. I nominate the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, “The Q,” for having done it in the most agreeable fashion. On some roads, steam’s […]
Pounding the diamonds
A westbound BNSF Z-train, hauling new J.B. Hunt Intermodal containers, pounds the diamonds at Rochelle, Illinois. Photo by Nathan Beecher […]
Trains are Ready. Where are the Crews?
A pair of CSX trains, with Union Pacific; Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern; and Kansas City Southern locomotives; wait for new crews in Willard, Ohio’s train yard. Photo by Brandon Townley […]
Snow fog
Intermodal trains pass at Winton, Wash., a short ride east of the Cascade Tunnel at Stevens Pass. ES44C4 No. 6896 is leading Seattle-Chicago train Z-SSECHC6-19A, while the distributed power unit of Tacoma, Wash.-bound train S-STPTAC3-16A disappears into a fog of snow. Photo by David Honan […]
I see you
A Chicago commuter train is stopped at a signal on Metra’s Union Pacific West Line (UP’s Geneva Subdivision), as headlights from an oncoming eastbound train begin to round the curve on Feb. 11, 2004. Photo by Howard Ande […]
Death Valley Scotty’s record-breaking train ride
For three days in July 1905, the American public was transfixed by a fast train, racing from Los Angeles to Chicago with one goal: to make the trip faster than anyone had before. The train did, making 2,265-mile trip in 44 hours, 54 minutes, a new cross-country record. But after the hype died down, questions about the […]
Pennsylvania sewer?
Two eastbound movements on Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line: a stack train pushed by two SD40E helpers is overtaken by another SD40E helper set in Lilly, Pa., on Dec. 27, 2009. Barely three years earlier, Lilly and surrounding communities opened the Central Mainline Sewer Authority — named after the Pennsylvania Railroad, which preceded NS. Photo by […]
