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No railroad is more closely associated with the Golden State than the Southern Pacific. That dynamic association was founded in 1865 when the Southern Pacific was formed as a land holding company. That early broad focus gave SP a natural advantage to maximize diversification years later. In 1885 they acquired the Central Pacific Railroad and …
Continue reading “The Golden Empire of the Southern Pacific”
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 “
Just like prototype railroads, model railroading has a rich and colorful past that has manifested in the depth and quality of products that are 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 …
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 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 …
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 train track should you choose, and how do you power it? Contrary to what you might think, there are actually multiple ways to go about …