Unusual rolling stock: There is no doubt that today’s trains are just not as colorful as those of a few decades ago. But just when you’re cradled into thinking variety is a thing of the past, a piece of rolling stock pops up to make you take a second look. Here’s a few samples of […]
Amid lot of talk, just what is Precision Scheduled Railroading? It began with a simple lesson. In the late 1960s E. Hunter Harrison was working in the tower in Frisco’s Tennessee Yard in Memphis when Bill Thompson, the railroad’s operations chief, dropped by. Thompson pointed to the yard tracks, chocked full of freight cars, and […]
Where to buy a locomotive air horn? Cody Grivno explains what where to look to find these more unique and perhaps rare items in this video of Ask Trains. Caution: These things are meant to be loud for airlines to pass a certification, and have to be between 96 and 110 decibels at 100 feet. […]
What’s that locomotive? Cody Grivno explains what kind of locomotive is behind the BNSF Ry. road number 4592 in this video of Ask Trains. So there’s a little something for everybody if you want to model these locomotives. The 60 B’s were somewhat noteworthy because they were the first Jeep B units produced by EMD […]
Moynihan Train Hall in New York City is the main hall and gathering space for travelers riding trains to and from the underground Penn Station nearby. From its hall and corridors, passengers can wait for Amtrak trains on the Northeast Corridor, long-distance trains terminating in New York, as well as Long Island Rail Road and […]
The Powder River Basin was North America’s last, great railroading frontier. By the time of Fred W. Frailey’s article in 1989, PRB was served by Class I railroads where before railroads scarcely traveled — all in the later half of the 20th century. Enter your email address below to read this classic 24-page article that […]
Cody Grivno answers the question about which railroad the lantern with CMx comes from. The markings are actual of the globe manufacturer and not of a particular railroad. If you want to know more about markings on lanterns or structures that you find along the right away. Send us an email to AskTrains@trains.com. And if […]
Cody Grivno answers the question: I’m curious to know what the railroad side marker seated in the ballast before a grade-level crossing is all about. It appears to look like an upside down metal hockey stick. Please inform me what this marker stood for, and during what years it would have been utilized. […]
Cody Grivno answers the question about Pennsy’s roster (noting the importance of diesel rosters to both model railroaders and railfans alike). The RS-2 stayed on the Pennsylvania roster until 1965 when they were retired. Do you have a prototype locomotive roster questions? Or, do you want to learn more about your model railroad? Send us […]
Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Send us your questions Got a question about modeling, operation, or prototype railroading? E-mail it to us at AskTrains@Trains.com. […]
Cody Grivno answers these two questions regarding transporting materials on a train. What determines if lumber is shipped wrapped or unwrapped? Also, what determines if a load goes in a boxcar or a centerbeam flatcar? […]
How to rerail a freight car: When things go bang that shouldn’t on the railroad, it usually means trouble and most likely a derailment. Derailments are a fact of life, and when one occurs on a main line of a Class I railroad, it usually results in many cars on the ground with extensive media […]
