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EMD BL2
The EMD BL2 is a model of diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD). A total of 58 units (plus a single BL1) were built between 1947 and 1949. The BL2 was not very successful, as it was unreliable and occupied a gap between carbody and hood units, which resulted in it suffering from the drawbacks of both designs. However, lessons learned from the BL2 were incorporated into EMD's next design, the GP7. History EMD's diesel program was well underway by the late 1940s thanks to the success of the company's F- and E-units. While the F-units in production were great for moving trains over the railroad, their full-width carbody made it difficult for locomotive crews to see to the rear of the locomotive while switching. This was considered an acceptable sacrifice for a mainline locomotive, which was expected to do little switch work, since the full-width carbody type was considered much more handsome and stylish. By 1948, competitors Alco, Baldwin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Switcher Locomotive
A switcher locomotive (American English), shunter locomotive (British English), station pilot (British English), or shifter locomotive (Pennsylvania Railroad terminology) is a locomotive used for maneuvering railway vehicles over short distances. Switchers do not usually move train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...s over long distances. Instead, they typically assemble trains in order for another locomotive to take over. Switchers often operate in a railyard or make short transfer runs. They may serve as the primary motive power on short branch lines or switching and terminal railroads. A hybrid type known as a road switcher can both shunt and haul trains. Switchers are optimized for their role, being relatively low-powered but with a high starting tractive eff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trains (magazine)
''Trains'' is a monthly magazine about trains and railroads aimed at railroad enthusiasts and railroad industry employees. The magazine primarily covers railroad happenings in the United States and Canada, but has some articles on railroading elsewhere. It was founded as ''Trains'' in 1940 by publisher Al C. Kalmbach and editorial director Linn Westcott. From October 1951 to March 1954, the magazine was named ''Trains and Travel''. Jim Wrinn, a former reporter and editor at the '' Charlotte Observer'', served as editor from 2004 until his death in 2022. Carl A. Swanson succeeded him. ''Trains'' was long among the 11 magazines published by Kalmbach Media, based in Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to th .... In May 2024, Kalmbach Media sold ''Train ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicago, Rock Island And Pacific Railroad
The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end of 1970, it operated 7,183 miles of road on 10,669 miles of track; that year it reported 20,557 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 118 million passenger miles. (Those totals may or may not include the former Burlington-Rock Island Railroad.) The song "Rock Island Line", a spiritual from the late 1920s first recorded in 1934, was inspired by the railway. History Incorporation Its predecessor, the Rock Island and La Salle Railroad Company, was incorporated in Illinois on February 27, 1847, and an amended charter was approved on February 7, 1851, as the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Construction began in Chicago on October 1, 1851, and the first train was operated on October 10, 1852, between Chicago and Joliet, Illinoi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chesapeake And Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond to the Ohio River by 1873, where the railroad town (and later city) of Huntington, West Virginia, was named for him. History 19th century The C&O traces its origins to the Louisa Railroad of Louisa County, Virginia, begun in 1836. By 1850, the Louisa was built east to Richmond and west to Charlottesville, and in keeping with its new and larger vision, was renamed the Virginia Central Railroad. The Commonwealth of Virginia owned a portion of Virginia Central stock and financed the Blue Ridge Railroad to accomplish the task of crossing the first mountain barrier to the west. During the American Civil War, the Virginia Central played a key role in several battles but was a target for Federal armies. By 1865, it only had five mile ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boston And Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Railroad was a United States, U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. It was chartered in 1835, and became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970, B&M operated on of track, not including Springfield Terminal Railway (ST), Springfield Terminal. That year it reported 2,744 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 92 million passenger-miles. History The Andover and Wilmington Railroad was incorporated March 15, 1833, to build a branch from the Boston and Lowell Railroad at Wilmington, Massachusetts, north to Andover, Massachusetts. The line opened to Andover on August 8, 1836. The name was changed to the Andover and Haverhill Railroad on April 18, 1837, reflecting plans to build further to Haverhill, Massachusetts (opened later that year), and yet further to Portland, Maine, Portland, Maine, with renaming to the Boston and Portland Railroad on April 3, 1839, opening to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steam Generator (railroad)
A steam generator is a type of boiler (steam generator), boiler used to produce steam for climate control and potable water heating in railroad Passenger car (rail), passenger cars. The output of a railroad steam generator is low-pressure, saturated steam that is passed through a system of water pipe, pipes and Water pipe, conduits throughout the length of the train. Steam generators were developed when diesel locomotives started to replace steam locomotives on passenger trains. In most cases, each passenger locomotive was fitted with a steam generator and a feedwater supply tank. The steam generator used some of the locomotive's diesel fuel supply for combustion. When a steam-generator–equipped locomotive was not available for a run, a so-called "heating car" fitted with one or two steam generators was inserted between the last locomotive in the consist and the rest of the train. Steam generators would also be fitted to individual cars to enable them to be heated independently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Multiple-unit Train Control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location—whether it is a multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives—with only a control signal transmitted to each unit. This contrasts with arrangements where electric motors in different units are connected directly to the power supply switched by a single control mechanism, thus requiring the full traction power to be transmitted through the train. A set of vehicles under multiple unit control is referred to as a consist in the United States. Origins Multiple unit train control was first used in electric multiple units in the 1890s. The Liverpool Overhead Railway The Liverpool Overhead Railway opened in 1893 with two-car electric multiple units, controllers in cabs at both ends directly controlling the traction current to motors on both cars. Frank J. Sprag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Draft Gear
Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel Selection processes * Draft (politics), groundswell of support to compel a candidate to run for office * Draft (sports), selection of players for professional sports teams * Conscription, selection for e.g. military service Entertainment * Draft (musician) (born 1986), electronic musician and DJ * ''Drafted'' (comics), a 2007 comic released by Devil's Due Publishing * ''The Draft'' (comics), a 1988 one-shot comic book from Marvel Comics * The Draft (band), an American punk rock band * ''The Draft!'' (film), a 2023 Indonesian science fiction horror film * WWE draft, a World Wrestling Entertainment program which drafts superstars to different WWE brands * Draughts, board game, a.k.a. checkers * The Draft (''The League''), the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ALCO RS-1
The ALCO RS-1 is a 4-axle diesel-electric transmission, diesel-electric locomotive built by Alco-GE between 1941 and 1953 and the American Locomotive Company from 1953 to 1960. ALCO subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works built an additional three RS-1s in 1954. This model has the distinction of having the longest production run of any diesel locomotive for the North American market. The RS-1 was in production for 19 years from the first unit Rock Island #748 in March 1941 to the last unit National of Mexico #5663 in March 1960. Design In 1940, the Rock Island Railroad approached ALCO about building a road switcher locomotive, for both road and switching service. To meet the Rock Island's request, ALCO created the RS-1. Their new design was a hood unit, in contrast to most existing locomotive designs at the time which were predominantly cab unit, carbody units. The hood unit design allowed for improved visibility, especially to the rear. Rear visibility is very important for Shunti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Road Switcher Locomotive
A road switcher locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive designed to both haul railcars in mainline service and shunt them in railroad yards. Both type and term are North American in origin, although similar types have been used elsewhere. A road switcher must be able to operate and have good visibility in both directions. As a road engine, a road switcher must be able to operate at road speeds, with suitable power and cooling capacity. It has high-speed road trucks rather than low-speed switcher only trucks. Modern road trucks are always equipped with "frictionless" roller bearings, whereas switcher trucks were almost always equipped with "friction" plain bearings, until plain bearings were outlawed in interchange service on both railcars and locomotives. Overview For the reasons given above, road switchers are generally hood units. The set-back cab of a hood unit provides more safety in the event of a collision at speed than most switcher locomotive designs, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
