Welcome aboard, kid. Don’t mess with our magazine
Welcome to the family, and the best train magazine around! Please don’t challenge us too much about what is classic since there are so many steam fans out there that have no other source in such a great format. Leave the changes to the digital editions if you want, but keep steam No. 1 in paper! Old steam photos are tops too. Some freight stories and pictures would be great too-so much passenger info and pictures abound. Don’t forget the tail end either, as cabooses are one of any railroad enthusiast’s favorites, and very little time is spent on photos or stories of them and the men in them.
I do not have much interest in recent railroading (‘80s and beyond), because there are so many interesting years and eras to cover otherwise, especially in pictures, and also in stories. Some of the best were from the guys who worked on the railroads. I hope that continues on forever, as long as there is material to be found. Welcome. I wish you success.
Barry Hartzell, Lansdale, Pa.
I’ll introduce myself by saying I grew up in Milwaukee but spent most of my adult life in Seattle and glad of it.
Let me tell you, I do not want my notion of classic trains challenged. Having worked at Union Pacific’s Argo Yard during the ‘80s and ‘90s, I have seen enough SD40s to last a lifetime. I quit Trains magazine after subscribing for many years when railroads became just a few mega-operations and locomotives all started looking alike. Yawn. The past, the classic past, is about steam and first generation diesels.
So welcome aboard. Just keep one foot on the bottom rung and both hands on the grab rails. If you’re dying for change, you might include some European and other stuff from around the world.
Walter Marquardt, Seattle, Wash.
I wish you the best for success in your new position.
While I’ve had a Trains subscription since 1967, my late father picked up on the fact that Classic Trains was coming out with its first issue about the time I had three kids in college. I wasn’t able to get on board for quite a few years.
When Dad passed in 2015, my mother made sure I received his collection, because he read them and kept them. So I have them all. Thanks, Dad.
You asked for some thoughts; here are mine. I think an overlooked aspect of rail photography is the time exposure with natural or available light, not posed pictures with fill-in flash that are made at the Saturday night photo shoot. I took a few time exposures in the early 1970s and I was pleased with the results though my equipment was primitive.
Bob Wise, Coulters, Pa.
Hopefully you won’t focus too much on Conrail even though its roots are 50 years old.
One correction: On page 19, a 2-8-2 is designated a Mohawk whereas these locomotives were actually 4-8-2s.
Gerry Karg, Riverdale, N.J.
Have been a longtime admirer of your publication (and Trains, too). Your re
cent coverage of historic rail activity in The West, and especially in the California Sierra, is much appreciated.
Keep up the good work!
Bill Reinheimer, Modesto Calif.
Mainline tank engines
I read with delight of the commuter tank engines. I was likely 10 when we visited Montreal. My father just loved watching trains, and, on this occasion, we were down at Westmount, when the commuter train rolled in. It was quite impressive indeed. No snorting, no slipping, nothing, just wham and it was gone — and gone like I had not seen!
Gord Young, Peterborough, Ontario
Who ran those GG1s?
Nice job, Brian! Features by Hand, Zimmermann, Swanberg, Pinkepank, Stanley, Johnston, and Burger. Tough to go wrong. I expect that Mr. McGonigal has given you his stamp of approval.
But I also expect that your Pennsy-preoccupied predecessor chatted with you about the “Amtrak GG1” picture. That GG1 actually is New Jersey Department of Transportation No. 4872. The state acquired 13 GG1s, No. 4872-4884, soon after the formation of Conrail in 1976. The 13 NJDOT Gs — with minimal lettering — were used on Conrail-operated commuter trains until the formation of NJ Transit on Jan. 1, 1983, when they became NJT engines. Among the group was 4876, famous for its role in the 1953 runaway at Washington Union Station. Sister 4877 lost its basic black in 1980 when it received a fresh coat of Pennsylvania tuscan and pinstripes. It was one of three still remaining when all were retired in October 1983.
Scott A. Hartley, East Windsor, Conn.
Fast Mail mishap
Regarding Tim Garner’s letter in the Spring 2022 issue, the gentleman on the left in the photo at the bottom of page 9 was Ralph Dinsmore, the regular firstshift block operator at Perryville Tower for many years.
On the day of Tim’s visit in 1978 I was assisting Mr. Dinsmore. It was not uncommon for an available operator from the extra list to be assigned to assist the regular first-shift operator at Perryville, if heavy maintenance work was occurring on the portion of the Northeast Corridor under Perryville’s control. I worked many
first shifts (and other shifts) at Perryville, but always off of the Wilmington extra list (including filling-in for regular operators on vacation). I was never the regular first-shift operator at that tower.
Al Walton
Fool me once...
Are you sure the photo, “Steam returns to Western Maryland,” doesn’t belong in Model Railroader? It’s a beautiful layout with excellent buildings and scenery, a superb painted backdrop just beyond the big yellow trees and buildings, a bright red caboose, a really detailed steam locomotive, and a roadbed on a gray board. The whole layout is built on a wooden table — one edge shows in the foreground. Oh, wait! That’s real steam there, isn’t it?
Bill Eccles, Columbia, S.C.
C415 = One 1000
I saw on page 7 the article on the Alco C415. I found this interesting as one of Australia’s best writers, Chris Walters, has also written on the locomotive’s history both in the U.S. and Australia. Stephen McLachlan, Editor, “Australian Railway History”