As Northern Pacific’s pool Train 408 departs Vancouver, Washington and is about to cross the Columbia River into Oregon and Portland, SP&S Alco RS-3 81 uses the lead to switch cars.

NP’s westbound flagship “North Coast Limited” No. 25 leaves Butte and zips along at speed at Rocker, Montana the evening of April 10, 1970. In this photo it is really a BN train as the mer... (more)

Two CB&Q E units lead the California Zephyr out of Chicago on Oct. 8, 1968. Stainless steel adorns the sides of 9969 and partner. The Zephyr would not last until Amtrak’s birth.

With mostly heavyweight cars behind 3 Es, CB&Q’s Trn. 12 Nebraska Zephyr pulls out of Council Bluffs, Iowa on May 8, 1965.

Obviously we’re at Reubens, Ida. as Camas Prairie UP 246 West approaches on Aug. 17, 1977.

Camas Prairie’s daily train has arrived Reubens, Idaho on its run to Grangeville. Aug. 15, 1977.

Great Northern’s 4-car Train No. 323 leaves CN and GN’s depot at Vancouver, B.C., headed for Seattle on April 10, 1969. Even though one of GN’s boiler-equipped SDP-40’s leads the train, a... (more)

No HEP (head-end power 480-v.) here in GN’s Seattle coach yard where the cars are hooked to ground steam on rainy April 9, 1970 The Big Sky Blue didn’t last long as the merger creating Burlin... (more)

During Great Northern’s “Big Sky Blue" era, eastbound Train 28 Western Star makes its station stop at Whitefish, Montana on April 9, 1969. Boiler-equipped SDP-40 322 and its two F unit m... (more)

At least the derailment at Red Eagle, Montana wasn’t bad enough to block the Empire Builder’s passage on April 8, 1969. The two derrick work trains, the western one with GP-20 2020, are at e... (more)

An F and a Geep on an eastbound Missouri Pacific freight are about the cross the AT&SF at Milano, Texas. Aug. 30, 1972.

While it rode on traded-in Alco FA trucks, MoPac GP18 491 had a mixture of power with it on a westbound freight near Valley Jct., Texas on Jan. 15, 1972. A roadmaster’s dream — a manicured ri... (more)

Kansas City Southern’s Train No. 1, Southern Belle, is headed east out of Kansas City and has just taken its signal at Sheffield to turn south (behind the camera) on Dec. 18, 1966. It’s 870 ... (more)

Santa Fe’s eastbound Mail Train No. 8 was leaving Emporia, Kansas on April 11, 1965.

Four Alco PA’s off inbound mail train No. 4 to Kansas City Union Depot are returning to Santa Fe’s Argentine Yard diesel facility for servicing. The cab units are Nos. 69 and 74. Oct. 30, 1... (more)