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.
January 24, 2025
Not Just Business: BNSF Railway’s Passenger Car Fleet
BNSF Railway owns one of the largest fleets of Class I business cars for office car specials, engineering inspections, and more.
January 24, 2025
Readville: Crossroads on the Corridor
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter trains mix with Amtrak and CSX at this busy Northeast Corridor crossing.
December 20, 2024
Caltrain’s Electrifying Transformation
Four decades of Caltrain F40 diesels pulling Peninsula “commute” trains gives way to a new era of electric railroading.
December 17, 2024
CPKC Galt Sub
The Galt Subdivision is an important gateway for freight in southern Ontario for CPKC connecting Montreal and Detroit.
November 20, 2024
UP 844 and the 4-8-4s
Eighty years after it was built and six decades after entering excursion service, Union Pacific 844 rolls on with no end in sight.
November 20, 2024
Big Boy Reconquers the West
The world’s largest operating steam locomotive continues to draw massive crowds of support as it tours the American West.
October 20, 2024
A Magazine for Railfans
How an avid reader from California was inspired to relocate to New Jersey and join the staff of Railfan & Railroad Magazine.
October 20, 2024
50 Years of Railfan
Tony Koester’s chance meeting with Hal Carstens in 1968 set forth the events that would lead to the launch of Railfan Magazine in 1974.
September 18, 2024
Arcade & Attica: Passing the Torch
New York’s Arcade & Attica has long been known for its fleet of General Electric switchers, but in 2023 it became an Alco road.
September 18, 2024
Alcos Mexicano
We head south for a look at the many Alco and MLW diesels that ran south of the border between 1944 and 1981.