Penn Central and its Predecessors

Read unique stories about the railroads that eventually made up the Penn Central: Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central and New Haven. In this free 20-page download, you will receive the following: The Broadway’s Best Years: Pennsylvania Railroad’s post-World War II glory after decades of playing second fiddle to the 20th Century Limited My Summer in […]

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Ask Trains: What equipment was involved in the making of ‘3:10 to Yuma’?

Q: Can you tell me what the train in the movie, “3:10 to Yuma” consisted of? — Frank Latorre, Baltimore A: Regarding the question of the origin of the railroad equipment on both versions of “3:10 to Yuma,” from the website, Obscure Train Movies, I found this information on the original 1957 3:10 to Yuma: […]

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Ask Trains: Can train crews turn off crossing gates?

Q: Do train crews have the ability to activate or deactivate crossing lights and gates? — Richard Collingwood, Milan, Ohio A: No. Here’s why: Crossing circuits have set approaches based off of warning time required and maximum speed of the trains. The modern day crossing processors — mini computers inside a crossing gate bungalow (the metal […]

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Ask Trains: Why do you see empty container trains headed away from East Coast ports?

Q: One reader recently asked why there were so many empty container trains heading away from the East Coast on railroads? Could it be the West Coast receives more loads and container trains need to be repositioned? — A Trains reader A: That East/Eest balances is one source of empty moves, but there are other […]

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Ask Trains: What are the rules on when locomotive bells should ring?

An eastbound BNSF Railway train passes a stopped BNSF freight at “Summit” in California’s Cajon Pass in 2013 — this meet is one of several conditions which might require a locomotive bell to be sounded. Trains staff Q: What are the rules concerning when a train should ring its bell at a crossing or elsewhere? […]

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Ask Trains: What is the Chicago-area yard that rhymes with ‘Marks’?

Illinois Central locomotives lead a train at Chicago's Markham Yard.

A Canadian National train with Illinois Central-painted locomotives departs Chicago’s Markham Yard in 2017. TEH-17089-16 Jacob Metzger Q: When I was in the second grade, we took a field trip to what was then the largest freight yard in the country. That was over 50 years ago, when I lived in a Chicago suburb. I […]

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