Deepen your passion for model railroading. Learn about the history of trains and locomotives in the United States dating back over 100 years ago.
Steam locomotives had a great thrust for water. In the early days of the railroading when schedules were more casual and division points were smaller, frequent stops for water posed no great problem. But when speed became paramount and runs became longer, frequent stops for water became problematic, especially when intense competition existed between two …
Travel has long been associated with the summer months. In the age before air-conditioning, individuals of all ages and all walks of life went to great lengths to cool off. Whether it was for one day, a weekend or an extended vacation, people took to the rails to find relief from the brutal heat of …
The name Union Pacific has dominated railroad transportation since its founding on July 1, 1862 and with good reason. The original Union Pacific Rail Road was incorporated on July 1, 1862, under an act of Congress entitled Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. The act was approved by President Abraham Lincoln, and it provided for the construction of …
Continue reading “Celebrating The Founding Of The Union Pacific”
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 “
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 railroads. 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 …
“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”
With less than 1000 route miles to its name, the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railroad was very much an underdog of mainline railroads. It was however a critical link for rail operations in the Pacific Northwest. Never intended for a prolonged existence, the railroad was jointly operated by the Great Northern and Northern Pacific for …
Continue reading “The History of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway”