American-Rails.com Blog
Here is your one-stop shop for learning about all of the newest additions or changes happening at American-Rails.com. Listed below is every page that is either new or which was updated within the last few days. Simply click on the link "Continue Reading..." under each heading to visit the page in question. With new articles added on a regular basis be sure and either check back here often or subscribe to the website's RSS feed to keep up with the latest.
Mar 09, 2014
The Sioux
The Sioux was once an important Milwaukee Road train serving Chicago and Rapid City, South Dakota via Madison, Wisconsin. Launched in 1926 a remnant survived until Amtrak in 1971.
Mar 08, 2014
An Atlas To Classic Short Lines
An Atlas To Classic Short Lines is a short digital book (E-book) from American-Rails.com that presents system maps of a handful of small, historic railroads.
Mar 07, 2014
The Copper Country Limited
The Copper Country Limited was a secondary Milwaukee Road train serving Chicago and Calumet, Michigan. It remained on the timetable until 1968.
Mar 05, 2014
The Streamliners At Spencer Event
The "Streamliners At Spencer" event is being held in May-June, 2014 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer showcasing seventeen historic, streamlined diesel locomotives.
Mar 05, 2014
The Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad dates as far back as 1853 and at its height connected Buffalo with eastern New Jersey. The Route of Black Diamond struggled after World War and became part of Conrail.
Mar 05, 2014
The Lehigh and New England Railroad
The Lehigh and New England Railroad was another Northeastern anthracite coal hauler. However, no connections to major cities left it at a major disadvantage. It shutdown in 1961.
Mar 04, 2014
The Arrow
The Arrow as a secondary Milwaukee Road train serving Chicago and Omaha/Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Launched in the 192s it survived until 1967.
Mar 03, 2014
The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway
The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway is remembered as an anthracite coal hauler. In later years it became known as a bridge route and for its all-Alco fleet. It disappeared in 1976.
Mar 03, 2014
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon was part of Santa Fe's transcontinental fleet between Chicago and Los Angeles, which honored the national park. It was discontinued in 1971
Mar 02, 2014
The Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad's earliest history dates back to the 1830s and later in the 19th century as one of the most powerful lines. It stretched from New Jersey to Chicago and merged with the DL&W in 1960.
Mar 02, 2014
The Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware Lackawanna and Western operated from Buffalo to New York City and is remembered as another of the classic anthracite lines. It dissapeared into the Erie Lackawanna in 1960.
Continue reading "The Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad"
Mar 02, 2014
The Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey was a classic fallen flag that served its home state and eastern Pennsylvania. With a heavy dependence on anthracite coal the line fwent bankrupt in the 1970s.
Mar 02, 2014
Tom Zoellner's, "Train"
"Train" is a book written by Tom Zoellner and originally released in 2014 discussing the history of rail travel and what its like to ride trains today.
Mar 02, 2014
The Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Railroad known as the Route Of The Minute Man was an important New England line for more than 170 years. Today, it remains on paper as part of Pan Am Railways.
Mar 01, 2014
The Erie Lackawanna Railway
The Erie Lackawanna Railway was formed through the Erie and Lackawanna railroads in 1960. It was hit hard by the PC collapse and soon after massive flooding. It was forced into Conrail in 1976.
Feb 28, 2014
The North Woods Hiawatha
The North Woods Hiawatha was a secondary Milwaukee Road train serving northern Wisconsin. Launched in 1937 it lost its name in 1956.
Feb 27, 2014
The Central Vermont Railway
The Central Vermont Railway was a small through main route that connected Cantic, Quebec and New London, Connecticut. Today, it is owned by the New England Central.
Feb 27, 2014
The Midwest Hiawatha
The Midwest Hiawatha was the Milwaukee Road's top service between Chicago and Omaha with a section to Sioux Falls. It was the last Hiawatha to enter service and the first to be canceled.
Feb 25, 2014
The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad served the state of Maine chartered in 1891. In 2003 it fell into bankruptcy and today is known as the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway.
Feb 25, 2014
The Chippewa-Hiawatha
The Chippewa-Hiawatha was part of the Milwaukee Road's once vast fleet of Hiawaths serving Chicago and Michigan. The train survived until 1960.
Feb 24, 2014
The Afternoon Hiawatha
The Afternoon Hiawatha was the Milwaukee Road's original Hiawatha renamed in the late 1930s when an additional train was launched on the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor.
Feb 23, 2014
The Alco C415
Learn about why the Alco C415 was an unsuccessful attempt by the builder to remain relevant in the locomotive market.
Feb 23, 2014
The Morning Hiawatha
The Morning Hiawatha was a new, ultra-fast streamliner the Milwaukee Road launched during early 1939 between Chicago and the Twin Cities.
Feb 22, 2014
The Tidewater
The Tidewater was the final named train added to the Seaboard Air Line's timetable serving Norlina, North Carolina and Portsmouth, Virginia. It survived until 1968.
Feb 22, 2014
The Havana Special
The Havana Special once carried passengers all of the way to Key West. After 1935 it remained on the FEC timetable as a truncated route until 1962.
Feb 22, 2014
The Blue Bird
The Blue Bird was a regional streamliner operated by the Wabash that served Chicago and St. Louis. After an N&W merger in 1964 the train was rerouted although survived until Amtrak.
Feb 21, 2014
The Union Pacific's Challenger Streamliner
The Union Pacific's Challenger was its secondary train serving Chicago and Los Angeles that debuted in 1935 as a heavyweight. It was once discontinued and disappeared forever in 1969.
Continue reading "The Union Pacific's Challenger Streamliner"
Feb 21, 2014
The City of Saint Louis
The City of Saint Louis originally began as a regional streamliner but later stretched to Los Angeles. It was a post-war train and survived until Amtrak.
Feb 21, 2014
The City of Denver
The City of Denver was part of the UP's City fleet running between Denver and Chicago. This particular train survived until Amtrak began service.
Check out the website's digital book (E-book), An Atlas To Classic Short Lines, which features system maps and a brief background of 46 different historic railroads. To learn more please click on the image below.
Popular Reading
Fallen Flags
Classic Streamliners
A Historical Timeline
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Steam Locomotives
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Class Is
Book Reviews
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