Extra Board
Welcome to Railfan & Railroad Extra Board, a monthly exploration of the passion for trains from many perspectives. Extra Board welcomes your submissions. We’re looking for about 1500 words accompanied by two or three photos. Each photo should be no smaller than 14 inches (or 1024 pixels) across at 72 dpi (no verticals, please). Brief caption information must accompany each photo. Please send your inquiries to the Webmaster for consideration.
July 25, 2022
Last Gasp for Chinese Steam
The coal mines of Sandaoling were home to the last holdouts for regular service steam locomotives in China, and around the world.
July 25, 2022
Tacoma’s Lakewood Sub
This BNSF secondary route was transformed into a robust main line to accommodate additional passenger trains in and around Tacoma.
July 25, 2022
Erie Lackawanna: Tower Tales
Tower operators throughout Erie Lackawanna’s busy New York Division had to be quick on their feet to keep a busy schedule of freight and passenger trains moving smoothly.
June 20, 2022
Metra: Chicago’s Towers
Metra maintains three manned interlocking towers to ensure the smooth flow of commuter traffic through the greater Chicagoland area… but for how long?
June 20, 2022
Southern Pacific: South Bay Sentinel
For 75 years, Niles Tower stood watch from its namesake community, guarding a crossing of the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific.
May 19, 2022
Send Your Photos for the 2022 Center Spread Contest!
The Center Spread Contest will provide a skilled and/or lucky photographer the opportunity to see his or her photo grace the center spread of the August 2022 issue.
May 17, 2022
Kansas City Southern: The Clock is Ticking
With Surface Transportation Board approval, the clock is now ticking to capture Kansas City Southern before it is absorbed by Canadian Pacific.
May 17, 2022
Ghosts of the Pacific Electric
You may have thought that Pacific Electric was obliterated long ago, but pieces of the mighty Big Red Car empire still exist, operated by Union Pacific, Los Angeles Metro, and others.
April 20, 2022
Iowa Northern’s Corn Belt Revival
Given up for dead by Chicago & North Western in the 1990s, Iowa Northern has transformed this Chicago Great Western branch line into a successful short line operation.
April 20, 2022
Canadian National’s Fox Valley Finale
Exploring Canadian National Fox Valley branch lines around Appleton, Wisconsin, in the final months before takeover by Watco.
