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 …
Father’s Day 2024
For many, Father’s Day has powerful meaning for all the right reasons. To those in the hobby, it is a special day reserved to honor our fathers, men who acted as father-figures in our lives, or those who sponsored us in various ways to help us understand and appreciate the dynamics of railroading and model …
Overland Limited – East
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 …
May is Amtrak Month
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, …
Remember the Engineer!
That message was part of the 10-minute introduction to a Chesapeake and Ohio Lines promotional film released in 1935. The film was a travel log of a journey over the historic and scenic C&O route that began with views of their premier train, The George Washington, headed by a spotless class F-19 Pacific, preparing to …
Memorial Day 2024
This weekend, we respectfully take time to honor those who have given their lives for our nation and the greater mission of freedom. The value of freedom is often obscured in a world full of disconnects, let alone the full understanding of the human sacrifice that has frequently been necessary in our history to preserve …
Nation’s Longest Rip-Track!
Referring to a class-one railroad as a rip-track – a remote, unmaintained siding in a rail yard where obsolete equipment is broken up and parts are salvaged – is anything but complimentary. But that is how one Great Northern official described a historic Midwestern line in its final days. Another rail authority described the line …
No-Such Turned Fantasy
The great divide between tin-plate “toy trains” and scale model railroading commenced in the early 1930s and had firmly galvanized by 1950, with true scale being the champion winner. The lone wolf that effectively spoke to each sector was Frank Ellison, writer for Model Builder Magazine, who spearheaded efforts to add scale realism to tinplate …
The Last Spike
To those faithful to the rails, May 10th, 1869, will always be remembered for the Driving of the Golden Spike. Countless articles, books, and an epic motion picture have been produced, all celebrating that milestone in U.S. and transportation history. Contemporary trends have altered the concept of popular history, and national focus has shifted to …
A Special Day in May
Mother’s Day is the perfect time to pause and contemplate the positive impact women have had on model railroading. Chronologically, our journey in trains often begins when the family purchases our first train set at Christmas. From that point forward, however, it was usually mom who would sacrifice her own needs and space within a …