EMD Joule Battery Electric Locomotive arrives in Southern California

blue, green, and white electric battery locomotive

EMD Joule locomotive Progress Rail’s long promised EMD Joule Battery Electric Locomotive has arrived at its destination at Pacific Harbor Line’s Wilmington, Calif., facility for long-term testing and demonstration purposes. The builder said it will be at home in switching service, regional service, and part of a consist with traditional diesel-electric locomotives. According to the […]

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What happened to EMD’s Triclops locomotives?

four yellow EMDs

EMD’s Triclops locomotives At the beginning of the comfort cab revolution in the United States, EMD constructed its first “North American cab” SD60M for customer Union Pacific. Numbered 6085, it was a similar design to what Canadian National had been using for years, with one visual difference. The new cab featured three front windows instead […]

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Railroads that live ‘forever’ … on paper

Steam locomotive with train on bridge approaching tunnel

Like trilobites and brachiopods, the paper carcasses of 19th-century railroads seem forever locked away in the sediments of corporate archives and government files. They fill the pages of old Official Guides and Poor’s Manual of the Railroads by the hundreds. Nearly all of them are dormant — but some are not.   Consider the case […]

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Five mind-blowing beer and train facts

seam locomotive and passenger train on high bridge with Pabst banner on supports

Mind-blowing beer and train facts Beer arrived first, but the railroads helped this favorite beverage grow to national prominence. The beer in your glass, however, is not the whole story. Throughout history there are many twists and turns in the relationship between beer and trains. Here are five mind-blowing beer and train facts. No. 1: […]

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Nevada Northern locomotive 93 is a desert survivor

black locomotive No. 93 with gray smoke

Name: Nevada Northern locomotive 93 Builder: American Locomotive Company (Alco) Wheel arrangement: 2-8-0 Consolidation Build date: 1909 Significance: Built in 1909, Nevada Northern 2-8-0 steam locomotive No. 93 is a survivor. One of four 2-8-0s purchased that year by American Smelters Securities Company for its copper mining operation based in Ely, Nev., the steam locomotive was […]

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