Two Chicago & North Western C628’s show off their sleek profiles in Escanaba, Michigan. I believe that the building to the right is the shed where ore cars were unloaded.

A train of empty ore jennies is ready to return to the ore mines from Chicago & North Western’s yard in Escanaba, Michigan. Three ex-Norfolk & Western high-hood C628’s provide the power.

Western Maryland’s Shay 6, in its first weekend of operation on Cass Scenic Railroad, joins Cass veteran Shay 3 in filling the hollow adjacent to the Cass engine house with coal smoke. Shay 3 ... (more)

A Chesapeake & Ohio SD40 leads an eastbound train of West Virginia coal past the depot at Tunnelton, West Virginia on Baltimore & Ohio’s St. Louis line.

”I’ll Take It! Build My House Here!"

That’s a direct quite from one of my friends when we found this view of a westbound Santa Fe manifest at Cable, California. We were ... (more)

Santa Fe All the Way

There’s no mistaking whose train is climbing the Tehachapi grade near Cable, California. No less than five cabooses punctuate a manifest consisting of mostly... (more)

Slightly west of Marcel, Californa, a 38-car eastbound Southern Pacific train climbs toward Tehachapi on the morning of May 11, 1984.

A 25-car westbound Santa Fe TOFC train drifts downgrade at Marcel, California.

An eastbound 40-car Santa Fe TOFC train climbs the Tehachapi grade approaching Marcel, California. The rear of the train is in Tunnel 10, just above the Tehachapi Loop.

Having traversed the Tehachapi Loop, a westbound Santa Fe train continues toward Bakersfield, California at Walong. A half-dozed GP30’s and GP35’s are leading the descent of the storied grade.

After crossing the Arkansas River, Arkansas & Missouri’s Fort Smith Turn diverges from its route and enters UP’s ex-MP trackage in Van Buren, Arkansas. Once it has completed its interchange m... (more)

Arkansas & Missouri’ Fort Smith Turn enters Van Buren, Arkansas on the massive lift bridge over the Arkansas River. Tucked behind the three C420’s is a T6 being ferried to Springdale for maint... (more)

While I was in college, I made frequent trips to visit my cousins in Maryland. If I couldn’t secure the use of one of my parents’ cars, I would take the rails, and I would make a day of the jo... (more)

An Amtrak roster anomaly that is overlooked on most Amtrak rosters is its only S2. Acquired as U.S. Army 7110, the Alco switcher spent its time switching coaches in Washington, DC. Later renumbere... (more)

A northbound Amtrak train with an all-Heritage consist storms past the closed tower at Bowie, Maryland.