The Winning Loser – Pennsylvania Railroad Class S-2

Pennsylvania Railroad Class S-2 It was positioned to forecast modern railroad motive power and to remind the world that the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) had not lost its way. It also gave steam locomotive builders and coal mining interests promise that their respective markets would not be decimated by the new Diesel-Electric locomotives that showed early …

The Importance of Electric Power

Industry experts acclaim that the mammoth electrification of the Pennsylvania Railroad was one of the last great adventures of traditional railroading with good reason. Immediately after this project was completed in 1938 (but hopes lingered about future expansion until 1960), the railroad industry struggled under the pressure of World War II traffic (noted by accountants …

A Tribute to Rail Transport in Great Britain

This month we pay a special tribute to the railroads of Great Britain. Just as Britain influenced colonial America, they too influenced the development of railroad transportation in the US. England holds claim to the earliest experiments with railroads and practical application of steam locomotives. In 1802, Richard Trevithick designed and built the first (unnamed) steam locomotive to run …

Honoring The Green – St Patrick’s Day

Green has been extensively employed by our railroads almost since their inception. The exact color and shades that railroads frequently utilized underscored open spaces and tranquility. Early steam locomotives often displayed a riot of color accented with polished brass and copper fittings. Frequently green was used as a base color for the boiler, cab and …