You got it.
Railroads covered most of the country with branches, and sidings and house tracks, where one and two car loads of freight could be loaded or unloaded.
The local brought coal for the school boilers, fuel for the local distributor, and carried away raw materials that fed industry, and hauled off finished goods.
Today’s railroads may be focused on those long heavy hauls and unit trains, but local traffic remains and it will likely stay that way.
Remember, there are more than 550 short line railroads across North America that add local color to the railroad landscape. Here are a few of our favorites.
The Massachusetts Central that occasionally uses this rare N-W-5 to pull freight.
Another is the Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania.
It is best known for carrying tourists, but stays busy with local freight too.
And then there’s the Keokuk Junction Railroad in Illinois.
It looks magnificent hauling freight with vintage F-units.
