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Most of us think nothing of going to the grocery store and selecting choice meats, lush vegetables, and fresh fruits whenever we want irrespective of supply limitations or the short duration of specific growing seasons. Advances in refrigeration make that possible and the railroads jump-started that process prior to the American Civil War. The first …
Continue reading “Cool It! – The Heritage of Refrigerator Cars “
Just like prototype railroads, model railroading has a rich and colorful past that has manifested in the depth and quality of products that available to us today. One place to fully appreciate the fullest dimension of that journey is the National Toy Train Museum at Strasburg, PA. If you have not already done so we …
Continue reading “Spotlight on the National Toy Train Museum”
Speed, despite the varying differences that defines, the word is used constantly in our culture. We are bombarded with the word to the point we subconsciously believe anything less is substandard or totally inferior. But the ability to move faster took root well before 1900 on the rails. During the Early Years of railroading (1827-1860) …
May 10th, 2021 marks the 152nd Anniversary of the Driving of the Golden Spike – a celebration of the union between the Central Pacific and Union Pacific. Anniversaries of all types frequently fall by the wayside in our contemporary faced-paced culture that is influenced by the imbalance between social and national history. Indeed, celebrating anniversaries …
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue could accurately describe May 1, 1971, Amtrak Day One. On that date the entire US long-distance passenger network became nationalized. The only really “new” element on that date was the partially-completed organizational structure to manage that new unwieldy public entity. The “old” and “borrowed” distinctions were the …
The arrival of spring signals the start of a new beginning each year. The magnificent vista of flowers and fresh greenery basking in longer daylight hours are a daily, visual reminder of renewal. That process was especially important several generations ago before more advanced methods of climate control and exocytic destinations were out of reach …
So you’re getting started in model railroading. You have a basic idea of what you want, and you might have even started buying some rolling stock. But what type of track should you choose, and how do you power it? Contrary to what you might think, there are actually multiple ways to go about this. …
There’s little doubt that steam locomotives have a certain romanticism to them. More than half a century beyond their final days in revenue service, they still remain integral to railroad imagery in popular culture today. If you’ve experienced them in action, whether at a museum or in service, you’ll understand why. From the sound of …
Continue reading “Five Essential Elements for Modeling the Age of Steam”
“For God’s sake! Real trains run on two-rail track!” was a common reaction among astute children and adults when they gazed at the popular three-rail O gauge and standard gauge trains that dominated the toy train industry in the pre-World War II era. That sentiment was not lost on the legendary A. C. Gilbert when …
Continue reading “Celebrating 75 Years of American Flyer S Gauge Trains”
This weekend we celebrate freight transportation by rail. Sure, for at least 150 years railroad passenger service received much attention. That network was truly impressive and was an integral part of the American culture before 1950. But, it was true then, truer now, Freight Pays the Bills. Historically, hauling freight was the principal objective of …