Deepen your passion for model railroading. Learn about the history of trains and locomotives in the United States dating back over 100 years ago.
Railroad technology underscores the fact that change is unrelenting. The velocity of change made a quantum leap forward in the 1930s with the perfection of the diesel-electric locomotive for road service. Despite the readily apparent efficiency, early diesel locomotives were modest in size and were housed in retrogressive-looking, boxy car bodies that were not inspiring …
No doubt about it – the economics of transportation sets the pace for what we see on the rails in terms of technology and frequency, more so in the case of Amtrak. Amtrak was a child born out of necessity 54 years ago. To some it marked the end of the grand era of luxury …
The current fast-paced world frequently obscures how impressive our great Nation really is! Despite the urban clutter that we move through daily, cities, suburbs, country side and beyond offer awe-inspiring vistas that we frequently take for granted. The fact that we have so much to admire beyond the magnificence of Nature is due in part …
To winter weary wealthy from the north, it was once a speedy and fashionable escape from the bitter cold. In the late 1930s it proved to be a savior for a railroad trying to enhance its reputation as a leader in first-class transportation. To bluegrass musicians, it represented a classic folk tune that set the …
New passenger train inaugurals have historically commanded attention of the public. Any new travel option and adventure of discovery touches the heart of our desire to be in motion accompanied by the hope for a memorable journey. All of that came to life on June 2, 1929 when the Erie Railroad introduced its primary, namesake …
The importance of that message and reverence for that date was not lost on the AmericanRailroads, especially after prolonged World War II. That conflict, among other valuable lessons,revealed the dangers of imbalance in society and unchecked governance. Railroads and theFederal Government used those lessons learned to underscore the importance of freedom anddemocracy and took that …
No matter what term applied, emblems, heralds, insignias or logos, the importance of selecting an eye-catching if not dynamic corporate image surfaced in early within railroading. That was especially critical in the expansionistic period of the industry from 1870 to 1900 when clearly several sectors of the Nation had too many individual railroad companies. …
To many, the last public legacy of the once mighty Pennsylvania Railroad disappeared on March 20th, 1972. True, the successor Penn Central had taken over four years before. But that date in March was the start of a three-day auction of the storied library and corporate museum of the former “Standard Railroad of the …
Countless authors, railroad enthusiasts, and model railroaders have been captivated by the legendary Overland Heritage of that joint Southern Pacific-Union Pacific-Chicago North Western route. For decades, that was a primary transcontinental route that was direct, normally featured the most modern equipment the railroads could offer, and to the historically-minded, was a tangible reminder of the …
Amtrak is here to stay! That might seem like a no-brainer now, but that would most certainly shock the men who created it back in 1970-71. The minds that manufactured Amtrak had a two-fold mission: publicly, they wanted to assure travelers that some form of the railroad passenger network in the US would endure; privately, …