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The image remains brilliant – the streamliner with the visual impact of a bright orange and red projectile, with accents of silver and black, that still rockets through the minds of those familiar with the Southern Pacific Daylight trains. Inaugurated on March 21, 1937, that memorable image of the streamliner at speed was the product …
Continue reading “Great Steam! The Southern Pacific GS Daylight Locomotives”
“Heads Up!” – Be Alert – was a constant warning to trackmen that labored along the mainline in the unrelenting battle to maintain the right of way. The need to be fully vigilant about the total condition of the mainline prompted regular track inspections by the army of senior operating personnel and civil engineers that …
The 1970s were pivotal time for the railroads and motive power they employed. The eastern railroads had merger and financial challenges to overcome but the western railroads were basking in the economic glow of westward migration in demographics The exploitation of Powder River Basin Coal reserves driven by Clean Air Act, drove the demand for …
Several years ago, Broadway Limited Imports released what is regarded to be the most accurate and fully detailed model of the famous Pennsylvania Railroad class P-70 passenger coach. That basic car was produced in several paint schemes to reflect different eras of PRR painting practice with details adjusted to match accordingly. BLI choose well since …
Continue reading “Setting the Standards for Steel Passenger Cars”
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 …
Some called them “Hot Water Bottles” and others called them “Fireless Cookers” but no matter, both nicknames referred to Fireless Locomotives. The process was simple: construct a locomotive that was propelled by superheated water – from a stationary steam plant and piped to the locomotive that had a reservoir – as opposed to a traditional …
Although “snail mail” gets no respect – its journey over time by rail does. Despite contemporary critics, amplified by attitudes in the information age, the United States Postal Service was one of the many stellar achievements of our pioneer Nation. The ability to effectively and efficiently exchange correspondence was the foundation of interstate commerce and …
To the chagrin of EMD and its followers, that title was bestowed on the ALCO PA passenger diesel by admiring railfans back in 1968. That popularity was largely attributed to the handsome but brutish front-end styling that set those locomotives apart from all other “covered wagon” units that emerged from diesel-builders in the late 1940s. …
Seldom does a locomotive have a powerful impact on the railroad industry and popular culture. But the Hudson locomotive of the New York Central did just that! It was wildly successful in road service and instantly became the symbol of modern steam design and a cultural icon in the decade it was released – and …
To the Pennsylvania Railroad, it was a long overdue, much needed electric freight locomotive, to its builder General Electric, it was the best designers could field in the way of a bold, new electric locomotive that they hoped would inspire additional orders but end the end, the locomotives closed the curtain on the largest electrification …
Continue reading “Electric Locomotive of the Future that Closed the Curtain on a Legend”