Oh, So Popular!!!

The locomotive on the front of this post card is working for the Northern Pacific Railroad in the 1950s. It is a "Consolidation" model of locomotive. I have taken excerpts from this website https://www.american-rails.com/consolidation.html and from this article on the website:

2-8-0 "Consolidation" Locomotives

The article was written (and last revised September 20, 2023) by Adam Burns The first 2-8-0 is said to have appeared on the Pennsylvania Railroad around the end of the Civil War. The history of the Consolidation's origins is interesting; the first prototype actually constructed is said to have been built by the Lehigh & Mahanoy Railroad around 1865, which modified a standard 0-8-0 switcher by adding a front axle to the locomotive. The original designs were not very successful as they were mounted with a rigid front truck assembly instead of one that could freely move to more easily negotiate curves. However, a year later it was perfected by Matthias Baldwin's Baldwin Locomotive Works, which improved the 2-8-0 by making the lead truck/axle self-centering via its mount from the driving wheels. This not only greatly improved stability but also since the lead axle freely swiveled it vastly enhanced the locomotive's ability to negotiate curves. The first Consolidation purchased from a manufacturer was built by Baldwin and delivered to the Lehigh Valley in 1866 for use on the road's stiff grades of its Mount Carmel Branch in Pennsylvania. The 2-8-0 design was a significant technological leap from the 4-4-0 as its heavier frame and larger boiler greatly increased tractive effort and horsepower. In particular, mountain railroads found the design very useful for both of these reasons. The Consolidation, with its two extra driving axles and front pilot truck could not only pull trains that were twice as heavy but also run at speeds fast enough to be used in any type of passenger service. By the 1880s Consolidations had become universally accepted as main line power. The post card was published by the mysterious Railcards.com

To Russia with Love

This locomotive was intended to go to Russia in the early 1900s. The locomotive on the front of this post card was one of hundreds of “Decapods” built by ALCO and Baldwin, destined for but undelivered to Russia because of World War I. Many were auctioned off to US railroads and worked there

for many, many years. This locomotive is shown in use in the United States on the Gainesville Midland Railroad. Our good friends at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-10-0 tell us the following: The first Decapods were built for the Lehigh Valley Railroad in the late-1860s. They proved too rough on the track because of their long coupled wheelbase. No more followed for 19 years, until the Northern Pacific Railway bought two for use on the switchbacks over Stampede Pass, while the 2-mile (3.2 km) tunnel was being built. In low-speed service where high tractive effort was critical, these Decapods were successful. Small numbers of other Decapods were built over the next twenty years, mostly for service in steeply graded mountainous areas where power at low speeds was the requirement. The type did not prove as popular as the successful Consolidation (2-8-0) type. Among Decapod users was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The engines were tandem compounds but their ongoing reversing limitations became the genesis of the 2-10-2 wheel arrangement. The first boost in the number of Decapods occurred when Imperial Russia ordered approximately 1,200 Decapods from American builders during World War I. When the Bolshevik revolution occurred in 1917, 857 had already been delivered, but more than 200 were either awaiting shipment or were in the process of construction. These stranded locomotives were adopted by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), the body created by the Government to oversee and control the railroads during the War, converted to American standards, and put to use on American railroads. Small and light-footed, these Russian decapods proved popular with smaller railroads, and many of them remained in service long after the USRA's control of the railroads ceased. Many indeed lasted until the end of steam on those railroads.

The post card was published by Railcards.com. Someday I hope to find out information about the company - at least more than what is written on the back of their postcards.

Never Went Bankrupt...

...it only got absorbed into the, eventually, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. The locomotive on the front of this post card used to work on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. Here it is working for a Soo Line

special in 1962. It is a Pacific type of locomotive with the wheel classification of 4-6-2. I looked up the history of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad on my favourite website: https://www.american-rails.com/cbq.html The article by Adam Burns is absolutely amazing, partly because he did so much research and partly because the history of this railroad is actually amazing. This railroad company existed for well over 100 years and in all that time, it never had to file for bankruptcy – a rare condition of railroads. Here is the title and author of the article that I strongly recommend that you read, along with the opening two paragraphs. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy: "Everywhere West" Last revised: June 10, 2023 By: Adam Burns Some railroads were seemingly destined to become strong, profitable operations. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy was one such example. Its history traces back to the pre-Civil War period when trains near or west of the Mississippi River remained a relative novelty. During the mid-19th century, the "Q's" earliest predecessor had established through service to Chicago and then spent the next several decades rapidly expanding. Its slogan, "Everywhere West," was quite befitting for this classic Midwestern granger. Again, I strongly recommend reading this article. https://www.american-rails.com/cbq.html

The post card was published by the mysterious Railcards.com.

Would You Like Fries with That?

The locomotive on the front of this post card is sitting in the yard at Palmer, Massachusetts. The city was a crossroads of three railroads; this train is on the Boston & Albany Railroad tracks. The information below about the railroad is taken from this website: https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/capobject/?gusn=171267 The Boston & Albany Railroad Company was formed in 1868 by the consolidation of the Western Rail-Road Corporation and the Boston and Worcester Railroad Corporation. In 1883, the Boston & Albany acquired track then owned by the New York and New England Railroad as far as Newton Highlands, and in 1884, began the construction of a line northwest to its mainline creating a commuter loop. "The Circuit," as this route was called, officially opened in May 1886 providing double-track operation from downtown Boston through Brookline to Newton Highlands, then north into Riverside and four tracks on the mainline from Riverside back to downtown so that commuter and mainline operations did not conflict. By 1889 as many as 35 trains traveled the Circuit daily, providing superior commuter service. The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad leased the Boston & Albany for 99 years from July 1, 1900. This lease passed to the New York Central Railroad in 1914. Throughout this era, the Boston & Albany kept its own branding in the public eye. Local service was operated until April 24, 1960, after which only Palmer, Springfield, Pittsfield, and Albany remained stops west of Worcester. The New York Central merged into the Pennsylvania Central on February 1, 1968. A single round trip continued to serve Palmer under the NYC and Penn Central until April 30, 1971; Amtrak declined to continue the route when it took over operations the next day.[6] Amtrak's Bay State, Montrealer, Vermonter, and Lake Shore Limited service that have passed the station since then but have not stopped in Palmer. However, the train station in Palmer is still operating. This website gives us some insight into what it is like today. https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-things-to-do-in-palmer-ma/ If there’s one thing that brings people to Palmer from across the region, it’s this family restaurant housed in the beautiful Palmer Railroad Station (Union Station). At a major junction, this iconic building was designed by H. H. Richardson in his signature Romanesque Revival style, consolidating two stations. The station opened in 1884 and was originally set in grounds that were laid out by Richardson’s great collaborator, Frederick Law Olmsted, famous for New York’s Central Park. Everything about Steaming Tender is steeped in railroad heritage, from the trains clattering past along the active lines, to the rolling stock on display at the restaurant’s outdoor museum, and an interior harking back to the golden days of rail travel. The menu here is hearty New England fare, like a braised pot roast, Maine lobster roll, fried haddock, lobster mac & cheese, jumbo scallops, New York sirloin strip, and a comforting half-pound cheeseburger.

The post card seems to have been part of someone's collection of train post cards. I have several in my collection, now, that used to be part of this collection. The picture is copyrighted and published by Railway Photograph out of Liverpool, England.