Crew Car – “Conneaut” Previous Next The crew car (sometimes referred to as a “tool car”) is a critical component for operating steam locomotives in the 21st century. When steam ruled the rails, the specialized equipment necessary to make a quick, minor repair could be found at every division point on the railroad. Today, these …
Pullman – “White Castle” Previous Next Our Pullman heavyweight sleeping car – named “White Castle” – boasts an impressive resume. Read on for more information on the many jobs this car has held over the years. The Pullman Company manufactured and operated railroad sleeping cars during the first half of the 20th Century. Pullman developed …
Other than a steam loco, nothing says “Old-Time Railroading” more than a wooden water tank—Part 2 By John B. Corns Having completed a satisfactory design and size for a wooden water tank tub to hold the water destined for filling steam locomotive tenders and, eventually, steam locomotive boilers, the next aspect was to design an …
Steel Caboose – W&LE 0222 Previous Next One of a handful of pieces in the Age of Steam with local ties, caboose 0222 was built in 1949 by the Wheeling and Lake Erie’s own Ironville (Toledo) Ohio car shop. The original Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway included a line that stretch from Zanesville northward all …
Bobber Caboose – CO&E 0100 Previous Next Getting their nickname from the way that a floating bobber danced in the water on the end of a fishing line, “bobber” cabooses tended to ride rough and jostle riders. This was primarily due to their short length and use of only two, “fixed” (i.e., non-swiveling) axles with …
Idler Cars – P&LE X300504 and NS 960088 Previous Next A railroad wreck crane’s constant companion was the idler car, sometimes known as a “boom car.” The idler car was typically a re-purposed flatcar or gondola which would be coupled directly ahead of the crane and below the crane’s long boom, allowing the crane to …
Other than a steam loco, nothing says “Old-Time Railroading” more than a wooden water tank—Part 1 By John B. Corns During the days of steam locomotion every railroad faced the same problem—supplying water to locomotive tenders while the generation of steam by the locomotive constantly emptied the tenders. At one extreme, several first class lines …
Alabama, Tennessee & Northern 2-10-0 #401 — A Locomotive Blessed with the Luck of Lindy By John B. Corns The basis for the word Decapod comes from the Greek for “10 footed.” Having 10 driving wheels (or “feet”), the 2-10-0 Decapod-type was a larger outgrowth of the very successful 2-8-0 Consolidation-type that had only 8 …
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Boxcar – PRR 51121 Previous Next Since the US railroads frequently handed off freight cars between each other (the railroad term is “interchange”), it was advantageous to standardize design of cars between the numerous different railroads and companies who owned them. Standardization avoided compatibility issues such as one railroad’s cars not fitting through another one’s …
Morehead & North Fork 0-6-0 #12 – Age of Steam Roundhouse’s First Complete Rebuild By John B. Corns American Locomotive Company’s plant in Pittsburg (no “h”, thank you!), constructed saturated A-7 class 0-6-0 #1643 for the Southern Railway in September 1905 (serial #37672). After more than 40 years of service this yard goat was retired …
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