The Diesel Shop
Milwaukee Road Bi-polar #E3, spotted at Butte, Montana, wears a stunning paint scheme designed to harmonize wth the railroad's Olympia Hiawatha equipment. (M.L. Powell photo on 27 April 1958 / Krambles-Peterson Archives).

Name Passenger Trains A new five-part series by Art Peterson begins this month highlighting many of the premier trains that served the traveling public during the glory days of the modern streamliner. Art's series starts in the Pacific Northwest and works it way towards the eastern coast during the coming months. All aboard! Wow!! -- Days 2 & 3: The 72-hour, 2157 mile trek of railfans Denny Custer, Ray Sabo and John Stubblefield from Detroit to Northern Maine Jct and back continues this month. Excerpted from Extra 2200 South (Issue #6, 1968), actual trip photographs from the collections of Greg Custer and R. Craig have been added in support of Denny's fast-paced narrative. The journey continues here! Tractive Power Corp.: Tractive Power Corporation is a relatively newcomer to the locomotive market. Its three-axle industrial-strength switchers have garnered considerable interest in the railfan community. A brief look at the builder's catalog offering and production roster are profiled this month. U.S.A. 250th Anniversary Locomotives: The current number of locomotives painted to celebrate the country's Semiquincentennial now stands at 15 with additional units planned. We'll document each new participating locomotive as they are introduced. The 2026 American Freedom Train schedule has not been posted as yet. Please use the following AFT link to learn more about the train and to get answers to your questions.

In the Queue: February -- A Few Hours At The Crossing of Allegheny Mountain's Summit in 1976 February -- Name Passenger Trains - Midwest (1940-1960) March -- Iowa Traction Profile March -- Name Passenger Trains - Eastern Coast (1940-1960) April -- Fawell's Four-Axle EMDs April -- Saudi Railway