TRAINS August 2003

Cover story: Mike’s big railroad
Remember little Kansas City Southern? It crossed Texas, bought Mexico’s most important railroad, and became a transcontinental player. Find out how in this look at Mike and his railroad.


Life on the Line: A division engineer’s story
Railway engineering—the art and science of locating, building, and maintaining bridges, track and signals rarely gets any attention. R.M. Bailey explains why it should in his tale of life as a division engineer with CN.


Dead Ringers
Could anyone mistake a Russion locomotive running today in the Ukraine for an American locomotive in Wisconsin? You might be surprised. Learn more about what sights J.W. Swanberg beheld in his spring 2001 enthusiasts’ trip to the Ukraine.


Railroad blueprint: SP’s Beaumont Hill
Everything changed on Southern Pacific’s big climb east of Los Angeles in the 1950s—except, of course, the challenge of that big hill. Read how that SP met that challenge through the era of dieselization.


Map of the Month: NS transformed
A railroad’s influence goes far beyond tracks it owns. Examine the evolution of Norfolk Southern’s sphere as TRAINS tracks 20 years of growth and change


Railroad reading: Railroad scents
“What do you mean when you say the boys smell like the railroad?”

Plus expert analysis covering every aspect of railroading.


Don Phillips: Don’t worry, your sleeping-car room awaits.


Larry Kaufman: Railroads don’t earn the cost of capital: So what?


Locomotives: Alstom’s PL42AC headed for NJT; Metra not worried about software and weight problems with its MP36PH-3Ss.


Passenger rail: Hudson River Turboliners finally rolling.


City rail: NY MTA fare-box fiasco raises question: Must agencies educate public or convince board; FTA announces funding grants for Oregon, Washington, Illinois, DC.


Preservation: Museums spotlight industrial designers.