Classic Trains Fall 2018

Rambling on the ReadingBy Karl ZimmermannBetween 1959 and '64, surplus 4-8-4s and idle commuter coaches criss-crossed southeastern Pennsylvania on a series of remarkable excursionsRolling LaboratoryBy James E. DierksThe American Steel Foundries' test train helped advance the science of running-gear designAmtrak's Early Years from the InsideBy Denny HamiltonAfter hiring on in 1974, I witnessed many changes, highlighted by the company's first new cars and locomotivesWhat's in a Photograph? Western Pacific Freight on Altamont PassBy Jerry A. PinkepankA USRA heavy Mikado labors toward a famous California summit, circa late 1940sEMD's Mighty MiteBy J. David InglesUnique in profile and sound, this switcher model found many buyers during its 15 years of productionThe Great Ancona StandoffBy Robert NicholsonHow mismanagement froze up Santa Fe's main line during a 1978 Illinois blizzardGetting My Kicks in 1966By Ken HojnackiA transcontinental train trip was the perfect graduation presentLast Hurrah for the Great Steel FleetBy Geoffrey H. DoughtyIn the late 1950s, New York Central looked to high-capacity sleeping cars in a final effort to bolster its fast-fading long-haul passenger tradeThe Best of Everything: At Last, Working on the RailroadBy Chris BurgerA move to New York Central territory widened my horizons and led to employment on the "Road to the Future"