Portal:Trains/Selected article/2005 archive

This is an archive of articles that have appeared in the Featured article section of Portal:Trains in 2005. The portal went live on May 17, 2005, so Week 20, 2005, is the first entry.

Week 20: May 15 - May 21

The Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway, now defunct, was an American railroad of southwestern Ohio built in the late Nineteenth Century that became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system in the early Twentieth. Built to give Warren County better transportation facilities, the rural areas it operated in never provided much traffic for the road despite its linking two major cities: Cincinnati and Dayton. Always in perilous financial condition, the road went through multiple bankruptcies and scheduled service ended in the 1930s after which much of the route was abandoned and the rails lifted.

Week 21: May 22 - May 28

The John Bull is a 19th century, English-built railroad steam locomotive, operated for the first time in 1831; it became the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world (150 years) when the Smithsonian Institution operated it in 1981. Built by Robert Stephenson and Company, the John Bull was initially purchased by and operated for the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the first railroad built in New Jersey. The railroad rostered it as locomotive number 1 and used it heavily from soon after the railroad's construction in 1833 until 1866 when it was removed from active service and placed in storage. After the C&A's assets were acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1871, the PRR refurbished and operated the locomotive a few times for public displays. In 1884 the locomotive was purchased by the Smithsonian Institution as the museum's first major industrial exhibit. The locomotive became the world's oldest surviving operable steam locomotive when it ran again under its own power in 1981. Today, the original John Bull is on static display in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, and a replica John Bull operates regularly at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

Recently selected: Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway

Week 22: May 29 - June 4

Franklin Benjamin Gowen (February 9, 1836 – December 13, 1889) was born in Philadelphia, the fifth son of Irish Protestant immigrant and successful grocer, James Gowen. Franklin Gowen studied law and was elected District Attorney for Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in 1862. He served as president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad (the Reading Railroad) in the 1870s. During his tenure, he became the wealthiest anthracite coal mine owner in the world and he was the special prosecutor in the trial to break up the Molly Maguires, a secret organization of Irish Catholic mine workers known for their acts of violence against the mine owners; the controversial trial resulted in the executions of nearly 20 members of the organization and the organization's official dissolution. Throughout his time with the railroad and afterward, he continued practicing law and trying cases. Gowen died of a gunshot wound on December 13, 1889, at Wormly's Hotel in Washington, DC, but there is still a question as to whether his death was suicide or the result of a revenge killing by former members of the Molly Maguires.

Recently selected: John Bull - Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway

Week 23: June 5 - June 11

EMD E-units were a line of passenger train diesel locomotives built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and its predecessor the Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC). Final assembly for all E-units was in La Grange, Illinois. Production ran from May, 1937, to December, 1963. The name E-units refers to the model numbers given to each successive type, which all began with E. The E originally stood for eighteen hundred horsepower (1300 kW), the power output of the earliest model, but the letter was kept for later models of far higher power ratings. Like many early passenger locomotives, E-units used two engines to achieve the rated power. Even so, while E-units were used singly for shorter trains, longer trains needed multiple locomotive units; many railroads used triple units. E-units could be purchased either with or without driving cabs; units with a cab are called A units or lead units, while cabless units are called B units or booster units. B units did contain simple controls for moving them in railroad yards, but they could not be so controlled on the main line. Railroads tended to buy either ABA sets (two driving cab-equipped units facing in opposite directions with a booster in between) or ABB sets (a single driving cab with a pair of boosters).

Recently selected: Franklin B. Gowen - John Bull - Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway

Week 24: June 12 - June 18

Wigwag is the nickname given to a type of early 20th century railroad grade crossing signal, so named due to the pendulum-like motion it used to signal the approach of a train. It is generally credited to Albert Hunt, a mechanical engineer at Southern California's Pacific Electric interurban streetcar railroad who invented it in 1909 out of the necessity for a safer railroad grade crossing.

Recently selected: EMD E-unit - Franklin B. Gowen - John Bull

Week 25: June 19 - June 25

The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) is a Class II railroad operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the northern plains of the United States. Portions of the railroad also extend into Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa. The DM&E began operations on September 5, 1986 over tracks that were spun off from the Chicago and North Western Railway in South Dakota and Minnesota. Much of the negotiations were handled by the office of Senator Larry Pressler and his legal counsel Kevin V. Schieffer. After a successful decade of growth for the DM&E, Schieffer succeeded J. C. McIntyre as president of the railroad on November 7, 1996. In 1997 the DM&E announced plans to build into Wyoming's Powder River Basin to become the third railroad (after Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific Railroad) to tap into the region's rich coal deposits. The construction is planned to be completed in 2007 and the addition of the revenues gained from hauling coal along the new line has the potential of elevating the combined DM&E/IC&E system from AAR's Class II to Class I. The DM&E purchased the I&M Rail Link railroad in 2002, renaming it Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad and combining its management and dispatching duties with those of the DM&E under the holding company Cedar American Rail Holdings. Schieffer serves as president and CEO of Cedar as well as serving as president of the DM&E. The combined system directly connects Chicago through Iowa to Kansas City, Minneapolis–St. Paul and continues as far west as Rapid City, South Dakota. Smaller branches extend into portions of Wisconsin, Wyoming and Nebraska.

Recently selected: Wigwag - EMD E-unit - Franklin B. Gowen

Week 26: June 26 - July 2

The London Underground is an electric railway public transport network (a metro or subway system) that runs both above and under ground throughout the greater London, England, area. It is the oldest such transit system in the world. Operations began on January 10, 1863, on the Metropolitan Line. The London Underground is usually referred to as either simply "the Underground" by Londoners, or (more familiarly) as "the Tube", due to the shape of its deep-bore tunnels. There are currently 274 stations open and over 253 miles (408 km) of active lines, with more than three million passenger journeys made each day (948 million journeys made 2003–2004). Since 2003, the Tube has been part of Transport for London (TfL), which also schedules and lets contracts for London's buses, including the famous red double-decker buses. Previously the London Transport Executive was the holding company for London Underground.

Recently selected: Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad - Wigwag - EMD E-unit

Week 27: July 3 - July 9

A passenger car is a piece of railroad rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. Most often, the term passenger car is associated with equipment that resembles a coach or sleeping car, but it can also encompass several other specialized types of equipment, including baggage, dining and railway post office cars. Early passenger cars were small, simple affairs, approaching 10 feet (3 m) long. By the end of the 19th century, car lengths had grown to nearly 80 feet (24 m), and cars were able to carry 60 to 80 passengers, depending on the seating configuration. In the 20th century, technological improvements increased car sizes and capacities while they decreased the cars' tare (unloaded) weights. Stainless steel was first used for passenger car bodies in the 1930s, and by the end of the century, the tilting train was developed, allowing passenger cars to lean into the curves, further increasing train speeds.

Recently selected: London Underground - Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad - Wigwag

Week 28: July 10 - July 16

MTR or Mass Transit Railway (地鐵; originally, 地下鐵路 or 地下鐵) is the main rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Since the MTR service first opened in 1979, the network has expanded to encompass seven lines and 53 stations. Running by MTR Corporation Limited, the MTR system is a very popular mode of public transport in Hong Kong, with an average of 2.45 million journeys recorded each day. Much of this popularity is due to the efficiency and affordability of the MTR. For example, a taxi ride from Tsing Yi in the New Territories to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island costs around HK$200, while the same trip on the MTR costs HK$11.8, and HK$5.7 on concessionary fare. The integration of the Octopus contactless smart card system into the MTR system in September 1997 has particularly enhanced the ease of use of the MTR.

Recently selected: Passenger car - London Underground - Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad

Week 29: July 17 - July 23

The Virginian Railway (reporting mark VGN) was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. Completed in 1909, the Virginian Railway was a modern well-engineered railroad with all new infrastructure and could operate more efficiently than its larger competitors. Throughout a profitable 50-year history, the VGN continued the Page-Rogers philosophy of "paying up front for the best". It achieved best efficiencies in the mountains, rolling piedmont, and flat tidewater terrain. Known for operating the largest and best steam, electric, and diesel motive power, it became nicknamed "Richest Little Railroad in the World." Merged into Norfolk & Western Railway in 1959, a large portion of the former VGN remains in service in the 21st century for Norfolk Southern Corp, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Norfolk a few blocks from the former Virginian Railway offices in Norfolk Terminal Station.

Recently selected: MTR - Passenger car - London Underground

Week 30: July 24 - July 30

For rail transport in Ireland, services are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland, and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland. Ireland once had one of the most extensive railway systems outside Great Britain but it now has a greatly reduced network (see History of rail transport in Ireland). Most routes in the Republic are radial from Dublin, while the North has suburban routes from Belfast and just two "main lines", to Londonderry (Derry) and to the border. The effects of the partition of the country are readily visible, with only one cross-border line now remaining.

Recently selected: Virginian Railway - MTR - Passenger car

Week 31: July 31 - August 6

Căile Ferate Române (Romanian Railways, abbreviated as CFR) is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. CFR manages the fourth-largest railway network in Europe, in terms of volume of passengers and freight. The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger and freight services. CFR as an entity has been operating since 1880, even though the first railway on current Romanian territory was opened in 1854. Technically, CFR is divided into four autonomous companies: CFR Călători, which is responsible for passenger services; CFR Marfă, responsible for freight transport; CFR Infrastructură, which manages the infrastructure on the Romanian railway network; and Societatea Feroviară de Turism, or SFT, which manages scenic and tourist railways.

Recently selected: Rail transport in Ireland - Virginian Railway - MTR

Week 32: August 7 - August 13

Grand Central Terminal (often still called Grand Central Station) is a train station at 15 Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York, a borough of New York City, located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. Presently it serves commuters commuting on the Metro North Railroad to Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in New York, and Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. It is also a major station on the New York City Subway; see Grand Central-42nd Street. Built by the New York Central Railroad (for whom it was named) in an era of many long-distance passenger trains, it is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms: 44, with 67 tracks along them. They are situated on two underground levels with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower.

Recently selected: Căile Ferate Române - Rail transport in Ireland - Virginian Railway

Week 33: August 14 - August 20

The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois, between November 1963 and January 1966. 948 examples were built for railroads in the United States and Canada (2 only), including 40 cabless B units for the Union Pacific Railroad. It was the first so-called "second generation" EMD diesel locomotive, and was produced in response to increased competition by new entrant GE's U25B in 1961 and ALCO's Century Series, which were released roughly at the same time as the GP30. The GP30 is easily recognizable due to its high profile and stepped cab roof, unique among American locomotives. A number are still in service today in original or rebuilt form.

Recently selected: Grand Central Terminal - Căile Ferate Române - Rail transport in Ireland

Week 34: August 21 - August 27

BC Rail (AAR reporting marks BCOL and BCIT), was a railway that operated in the Canadian province of British Columbia between 1912 and 2004. It was a class II regional railway and the third largest in Canada, operating 1,441 miles (2,320 kilometres) of mainline track. It was owned by the provincial government from 1918 until 2004, when it was sold to Canadian National Railway. Chartered in 1912 as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), the railway was acquired by the provincial government in 1918 after running into financial difficulties. A railway that ran from "nowhere to nowhere" for over 30 years, neither passing through any major city nor interchanging with any other railway, it expanded significantly between 1949 and 1984. In 1978 the railroad reorganized as the British Columbia Railway, and then shortened its name to BC Rail in 1984. Primarily a freight railway, it also offered passenger service, as well as some excursion services, most notably the Royal Hudson excursion train. The railway's operations have not always been profitable, and its debts have made it the centre of political controversy on multiple occasions.

Recently selected: EMD GP30 - Grand Central Terminal - Căile Ferate Române

Week 35: August 28 - September 3

The Pioneer Zephyr is a diesel-powered railroad trainset (a set of railroad cars permanently coupled together) built by the Budd Company in 1934 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). The train, which featured extensive use of stainless steel, was originally named Zephyr and was meant as a promotional tool to advertise passenger rail service in the United States. On May 26, 1934, it set a speed record for travel time between Denver, Colorado, and Chicago, Illinois, when it made a non-stop "dawn-to-dusk" dash, covering the distance in 13 hours 5 minutes at an average speed of 77 mph (124 km/h). For one section of the run, the train reached a speed of 112.5 mph (181 km/h), just short of the then-world land speed record of 115 mph (185 km/h). The historic dash inspired two films and the train's nickname, "Silver Streak". The trainset entered regular revenue service on November 11, 1934, between Kansas City, Missouri, Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. It was operated on this route until its retirement in 1960 when it was donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago where it remains on public display. The train is generally regarded as the first successful streamliner on American railroads.

Recently selected: BC Rail - EMD GP30 - Grand Central Terminal

Week 36: September 4 - September 10

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. The railway was originally built between eastern Canada and British Columbia between 1881 and 1885, fulfilling a promise extended to British Columbia when it entered Confederation in 1871. It was Canada's first transcontinental railway. Now primarily a freight railway, the CPR was for many decades the only practical means of long distance passenger transport in many regions of Canada, and was instrumental in the settlement and development of western Canada. Its primary passenger services were eliminated in 1978 after being assumed by VIA Rail Canada. A beaver was chosen as the railway's logo because it is one of the national symbols of Canada and represents the hardworking character of the company. The object of both praise and damnation for over 120 years, the CPR remains an indisputable icon of Canadian nationalism.

Recently selected: Pioneer Zephyr - BC Rail - EMD GP30

Week 37: September 11 - September 17

Indian Railways (IR) is the state-owned railway company of India having a complete monopoly over the country's rail transport. It has one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, transporting over 5 billion passengers and over 350 million tonnes of freight annually. IR is also the world's largest commercial or utility employer, having more than 1.6 million regular employees on its payroll. The railways traverse through the length and breadth of the country covering a total length of 63,140 km (39,200 miles). IR owns a total of 216,717 wagons, 39,236 coaches and 7,739 locomotives and runs a total of 14,444 trains daily, including about 8,702 passenger trains.

Recently selected: Canadian Pacific Railway - Pioneer Zephyr - BC Rail

Week 38: September 18 - September 24

In railroad terminology, a stock car is a type of rolling stock that is designed (as the name implies) for carrying livestock to market. Stock cars are designed to transport the animals while they are still alive ("on-the-hoof"), rather than after they have been slaughtered at a butcher shop or meatpacking facility. Generally, a stock car resembles a boxcar with slats missing in the car's side (and sometimes end) panels for ventilation; stock cars can be single-level for large animals such as cattle or horses, or they can have two or three levels for smaller animals such as sheep, pigs, and poultry. Specialized types of stock cars have been built to haul live fish and shellfish and circus animals such as camels and elephants. Until the 1880s, when the Mather Stock Car Company and others introduced "more humane" stock cars, loss rates could be quite high as the animals were hauled over long distances. Improved technology and faster shipping times have greatly reduced losses.

Recently selected: Indian Railways - Canadian Pacific Railway - Pioneer Zephyr

Week 39: September 25 - October 1

William Nelson Page (January 6, 1854 – March 7, 1932) was a United States civil engineer, entrepreneur, capitalist, businessman, and industrialist. Page was one of the leading developers of West Virginia's rich bituminous coal fields in the late 19th and early 20th century, as well as being deeply involved in building the infrastructure to transport the mined coal. He came to the area to help build the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and soon became involved in many coal and related enterprises in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Among his many enterprises, Page partnered with financier Henry Huttleston Rogers to plan and construct the Virginian Railway (VGN), secretly built right between two of the country's larger railroads. The well-engineered and highly efficient VGN operated very profitably and came to be known as the "Richest Little Railroad in the World."

Recently selected: Stock car - Indian Railways - Canadian Pacific Railway

Week 40: October 2 - October 8

The Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is currently operated by VIA Rail Canada (as the Canadian) with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In the aftermath of the deep budget cuts made to VIA Rail on January 15, 1990, the Super Continental service was abolished and the Canadian was moved from the CPR route to the Super Continental's CN route. This maintained transcontinental service and allowed VIA to operate its government-mandated service to small communities along the line. Today, VIA Rail continues to operate the Canadian using the CN route with rebuilt ex-CPR Budd passenger equipment. While some rail travel and heritage purists no longer consider this to be the true Canadian, VIA retains the name, train numbers, and equipment of the original, and it remains one of North America's great passenger trains.

Recently selected: William N. Page - Stock car - Indian Railways

Week 41: October 9 - October 15

Rail transport in India is the nation's most commonly used mode of transport. The entire rail operations in the country is run by the state-owned company, Indian Railways. The rail network traverses through the length and breadth of the country, covering a total length of 63,140 km (39,200 miles). It is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, transporting over 5 billion passengers and over 350 million tonnes of freight annually. Its operations covers twenty-seven states and three Union territories and also links the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Railways were first introduced to India in 1853, and by 1947, the year of India's independence, it had grown to forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, to become one of the largest networks in the world.

Recently selected: The Canadian - William N. Page - Stock car

Week 42: October 16 - October 22

A PRR K-4s Pacific locomotive in operation

The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. Commonly referred to as the Pennsy, the company was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company's symbol was a keystone (Pennsylvania's symbol) with the letters PRR overlapping inside it. When colored, it was bright red with silver-grey edges and lettering (although it also appears in metal leaf outline on a wooden background on station benches). The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the US throughout its 20th century existence and for a long while was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world. The corporation still holds the record for the longest continual dividend history, over 100 years of never missing an annual shareholder payment. Like the Reading Railroad, the PRR served Atlantic City, New Jersey; one of the four railroad squares in the board game Monopoly is called Pennsylvania Railroad.

Recently selected: Rail transport in India - The Canadian - William N. Page

Week 43: October 23 - October 29

The RER (Réseau Express Régional, IPA /εr ə εr/, "Regional Express Network") is an urban rail network in Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region of France. The network comprises pre-existing suburban lines joined together in modern tunnels under the centre of Paris. The essential central part of the network was completed by a massive civil engineering effort between 1962 and 1977, and features some unusually spacious deep stations. As of 2005^[update] the RER comprises five lines: A, B, C, D and E. Some RER lines are operated by the city transport authority (RATP) and others by the national rail company (SNCF). The only Parisian SNCF station not to be directly connected to the RER is the Gare Montparnasse.

Recently selected: Pennsylvania Railroad - Rail transport in India - The Canadian

Week 44: October 30 - November 5

The Western Railway Corridor (WRC) in the Republic of Ireland is a recent term for a mostly disused single-track railway line running through the West of Ireland. The term was devised for the purposes of campaigning for the reopening of some or all of the route. Currently only a small section from Limerick to Ennis sees regular services, with other sections either closed, or only technically open. As described by West On Track, the Western Railway Corridor encompasses railways built by various companies throughout the late 1800s forming a line from Limerick to Sligo. The route later formed part of the Great Southern and Western Railway's operations. The route crosses the Dublin–Galway line at Athenry, the Dublin–Westport/Ballina line at Claremorris, and the Dublin–Sligo line at Collooney. These three routes, still open today, were once part of the Midland Great Western Railway's operations.

Recently selected: RER - Pennsylvania Railroad - Rail transport in India

Week 45: November 6 - November 12

Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a 19th century manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, New Jersey, in the United States. They built more than six thousand steam locomotives for railroads around the world. The company's most famous product was a locomotive named The General, built in December 1855, which was one of the principals of the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civil War. The company was founded by Thomas Rogers in an 1832 partnership with Morris Ketchum and Jasper Grosvenor as Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor. Rogers avoided the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) merger in 1901 through closing and reopening as Rogers Locomotive Works. The company remained independent until 1905 when ALCO purchased it; ALCO continued building new steam locomotives at the Rogers plant until 1913. Today, the plant's erecting shop is preserved as the Thomas Rogers Building; it is the current location of the Paterson Museum whose mission is to preserve and display Paterson's industrial history.

Recently selected: Western Railway Corridor - RER - Pennsylvania Railroad

Week 46: November 13 - November 19

Nomenclature used on the New York City Subway system has been defined by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to precisely identify each part of the system, both internally and publicly. Some of these date back to the original operators of the system, while others are much more recent, having been adopted because of changing conditions. These include line names (individual sections of subway, like the BMT Brighton Line); service labels, like the B, which is a single train route along several lines; and station names, like Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue (a major terminal named for both the neighborhood and the intersecting street. The service and station labels are publicly used, despite the changing nature of the service labels; the line names are lightly used on maps and rarely in public announcements, but are now commonly shown on signage on trains and in service descriptions in stations.

Recently selected: Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works - Western Railway Corridor - RER

Week 47: November 20 - November 26

Streetcars at the US Treasury in the early 20th century

Washington streetcars operated from 1862 until 1962. The first streetcars in Washington, D.C., were drawn by horses and later cable cars were used. By the beginning of the 20th Century, the streetcar system was fully electrified; conduit cars were used downtown, and trolley cars were used in the outer areas and for the interurban streetcars. The system reached its greatest size in 1925. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, ownership of all streetcars in Washington was divided between two companies: the Washington Railway and Electric Company and the Capital Traction Company. In December 1933, the two companies merged to form the Capital Transit Company. After a strike action in 1956, the system was sold again to become DC Transit; the last streetcar ran on 27 January 1962. DC Transit's assets were purchased by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in 1973.

Recently selected: New York City Subway nomenclature - Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works - Western Railway Corridor

Week 48: November 27 - December 3

The Rainhill Trials was an important competition in the early days of steam locomotive railways, run in October 1829 near Rainhill (just outside Liverpool). When the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was approaching completion, the directors of the railway ran a competition to decide whether stationary steam engines or locomotives would be used to pull the trains. The Rainhill Trials were arranged as an open contest that would let them see all the locomotive candidates in action, with the choice to follow. Regardless of whether or not locomotives were settled upon, a prize of £500 was offered to the winner of the trials. Three notable figures from the early days of locomotive engineering were selected as judges: John Kennedy, John Urpeth Rastrick, and Nicholas Wood. Ten locomotives were entered, but on the day the competition began, October 6, 1829, only five locomotives actually began the tests: Cycloped (built by Thomas Brandreth), Novelty (John Ericsson and John Braithwaite), Perseverance (Timothy Burstall), Rocket (George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson) and Sans Pareil (Timothy Hackworth).

Recently selected: Washington streetcars - New York City Subway nomenclature - Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works

Week 49: December 4 - December 10

A 4-4-0, most commonly known as the American type, is a type of steam locomotive. In Whyte notation, 4-4-0 signifies that it has a two-axle bogie to help guide it into curves, and two driving axles coupled by a connecting rod; the equivalent UIC classification is 2'B. Almost every major railroad that operated in North America in the first half of the 19th century owned and operated locomotives of this type. The famous locomotive named The General was a 4-4-0. The first use of the name American to describe locomotives of this wheel arrangement was made by Railroad Gazette in April 1872. Before that time, this wheel arrangement was known as a Standard or Eight-Wheeler. This locomotive type was so successful on US railroads that many earlier 4-2-0 and 2-4-0 locomotives were rebuilt as 4-4-0s by the middle of the 19th century.

Recently selected: Rainhill Trials - Washington streetcars - New York City Subway nomenclature

Week 50: December 11 - December 17

The San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) was a short line American railroad (reporting mark SDA) founded by "sugar heir," developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels, and dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved. Established in part to provide San Diego with a direct rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad (which secretly provided the funding for the endeavor) lines in El Centro, California, the 148 mile (238 km) route of the SD&A originated in San Diego, and terminated in the Imperial County town of Calexico. The company charter was executed on December 14, 1906, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held on the following September. Numerous delays (including government intervention during World War I pushed back the completion of the line to November 15, 1919. Damage to the lines from both natural disasters and sabotage exerted great financial pressure on the company, and in 1932 Spreckels' heirs sold their interests in the railroad to the Southern Pacific; the SD&A was theafter named the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE).

Recently selected: 4-4-0 - Rainhill Trials - Washington streetcars

Week 51: December 18 - December 24

The TGV is France's train à grande vitesse; literally "high-speed train". Developed by Alsthom (now Alstom) and SNCF and operated primarily by SNCF, it connects cities in France and in some other neighbouring countries, such as Belgium, Italy and Switzerland with the network centred on Paris. TGVs under other brand names connect France with Germany and the Netherlands (Thalys) and the United Kingdom (Eurostar). Trains derived from TGV design also operate in South Korea (KTX), and Spain (AVE). Development of high-speed rail transport in France began in the 1960s. After a lengthy period of testing, TGV operation began in 1981 with an initial line between Paris and Lyon. TGVs travel at up to 320 km/h (200 mph). This is made possible by the use of tracks specifically designed for the purpose without any sharp curves. Trains are built with features which make them suitable for high speed running including high-powered electric motors, articulated carriages and in-cab signalling which removes the need for drivers to see lineside signals at high speed. TGVs are manufactured primarily by Alstom, now often with the involvement of Bombardier. Except for a small series of TGVs used for postal freight between Paris and Lyon, TGV is primarily a passenger service.

Recently selected: San Diego and Arizona Railway - 4-4-0 - Rainhill Trials

Week 52: December 25 - December 31

The Trans-Siberian Railway (Транссибирская магистраль, Транссиб in Russian, or Transsibirskaya magistral', Transsib) is a network of railways connecting European Russia with Russian Far East provinces, Mongolia and China. The main route, the Trans-Siberian, runs from Moscow to Vladivostok via southern Siberia and was built between 1891 and 1916. It is often associated with the main Russian train that connects these two cities; it is the longest single continuous service in the world, and it takes about 7 days to complete its journey. Other routes along the network include the Trans-Manchurian (Moscow-Tarskaya-Beijing), Trans-Mongolian (Moscow-Ulan Ude-Ulaan-Baatar-Beijing), and the Baikal Amur Mainline (Moscow-north of Lake Baikal-Sovetskaya Gavan) which was completed in 1991.

Recently selected: TGV - San Diego and Arizona Railway - 4-4-0