Classic Trains Summer 2018

Road-Switcher for the Little GuysBy Russell TedderGeneral Electric's nimble 70-ton diesel was a popular choice for short lines seeking to modernize in the post-World War II eraMagma Arizona: The Almost Last Day of SteamBy David BellA rumor-based trek from Colorado to Arizona in July 1968 pays offWhat's in a Photograph? East Jordan & Southern Mixed SpecialBy Jerry A. PinkepankOn March 25, 1961, this northern Michigan line put its Mogul and combine on the regular freight for railfansEmpire State VarietyBy J. David InglesOn a five-day auto trip from Detroit in August 1962, the nine little railroads we photographed differed widelyPhoto Special16 photos (13 in color) show us 14 short lines (5 in steam) in 12 states from Vermont to Mississippi to CaliforniaThe Obscure Ohio & MorenciBy Doug LefflerAfter succeeding the abandoned Toledo & Western interurban, this interstate freight-hauling short line lasted two decadesSouthern HospitalityBy Frank TatnallLittle Birmingham & Southeastern was short on business but long on courtesyLast Steam StandingBy Karl ZimmermannIn 1970, a little railroad in Alabama was the last practitioner of an unbroken tradition that spanned nearly 150 yearsTrain Times at PasadenaBy Stan KistlerFor a budding teenage railfan in 1946, Santa Fe's depot was the classroom and its locomotive engineers the teachersA Saturday Morning at CroxtonBy William E. BotkinHungry for more than commuter trains and single-unit local freights, two friends seek out Erie Lackawanna big diesels and mainline actionCinders: a Forgotten CommodityBy Borgon TannerOne railroad found some creative ways to dispose of tons of steam-locomotive wasteThe Best of Everything: Good Years in ProvidenceBy Chris BurgerCollege in Rhode Island cemented my ties to the New Haven and laid a foundation for the future