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.
December 16, 2020
Remembering the Rio Grande Ski Train
A Denver tradition since the 1940s, the Rio Grande Ski Train carried on into the 21st century, and was reborn by Amtrak in 2015.
December 16, 2020
Remembering Algoma F-Units
Beloved by railfans, well known for the rugged Canadian Shield country it traverses, extremely photogenic, and renowned for friendliness, Algoma Central Railway got even better in 1995 when new owner Wisconsin Central added a fleet of classic F-units to haul their popular seasonal passenger trains.
November 18, 2020
BNSF Railway Seligman Subdivision
Stretching across desert floors, negotiating through rugged canyons, and navigating dense forests, the nearly 283-mile BNSF Seligman Sub continues to offer exceptional vantage points of contemporary railroad operations.
November 17, 2020
Seattle Railfan Guide
Anchoring the great Pacific Northwest alongside the deep and frigid waters of Puget Sound, the city of Seattle has a lot to offer for local and visiting rail photographers alike.
October 20, 2020
Reading & Northern Coal Country
Andy Muller founded Blue Mountain, Reading & Northern in 1983 with a single branch line that has since grown into a busy freight rail network in eastern Pennsylvania.
October 20, 2020
Sugar Rush in South Florida
U.S. Sugar hauls sugar cane on a network of nearly 300 miles of track south of Lake Okeechobee and between Palm Beach and Fort Myers, Florida.
September 17, 2020
The Enlisted Alco: MRS-1
In response to growing Cold War tensions in the early 1950s, the U.S. Army solicited bids for the MRS-1 from General Electric, EMD, and Alco, in the hopes of developing a new diesel locomotive that could be deployed domestically as well as in foreign territory captured in battle.
September 17, 2020
Ozark Survivors: Arkansas & Missouri Alcos
While the days of five- and six-unit C-420 consists are most likely over, the visiting railfan can still find up to 10 different Alcos working on the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad.
August 24, 2020
A Tear in My Eye: BC Rail Budd Cars
It was the sad end of an era when BC Rail passenger service using Budd Rail Diesel Cars to reach remote parts of British Columbia came to an end in 2002.
August 24, 2020
Budd RDC Update
The self-propelled Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC) made its debut in 1949 as a way to help reduce operating costs, and continues to see limited use to this day.
