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Welcome to Edition 8 of Railroading In America Magazine! Note from the President

Our crew members never cease to amaze me! I am very proud of the Railroading In America Magazine crew for reaching our eighth edition! We have three announcements to make this edition! Our first announcement is that Riley Ginger, a 19-year-old college student, will be joining our crew at RIAM! We are super excited to have Riley on board with us as she will bring a lot to the table at our magazine. You can read her autobiography on page 21 in this edition. Her first articles will be available in Edition 9, so be sure to be on the lookout! Our second announcement is that we will be featured on the Notch 6 podcast… “The Podcast and Website Dedicated to O Gauge Trains and More!” Derek Thomas, the host at Notch 6 interviewed me on how we got started and what the future looks like for the hobby, matching Max Harris’s article on “Is the Hobby Dying?” featured in this edition. Our third and final announcement this edition is that we will have a booth at the York train show this fall! Come stop by booth CC 03 this October 18, 19, or 20th to say hello to an RIAM representative! While you’re there, view the latest magazines and pre-order Edition 9! We will be seated right next to OGR, and if you haven’t already, you should subscribe to them at ogaugerr.com or join their forum at ogrforum.ogaugerr.com. Thank you for your support and I’ll see you trackside!

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Evan Cihlar RIAM President and CEO

Railroading in America is a newly founded magazine run by the next generation of railroaders. We pride ourselves on taking a di ferent and more lighthearted perspective than our competitors, and take extra steps to ensure we are reporting on quality and factual news.

Table of Contents Page 1.........................................The End of Third Generation Diesels on Class 1 Railroads Page 3..........................................................................................Di ferent Styles of Cabooses Page 4.............................................A Pilgrimage to Railfan Heaven: Altoona, Pennsylvania Page 9.......................................................................................The NKP 765 Takes to Chicago Page 10.................................................A Brief History of the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad Page 12...........................................................................................................MTH P40 Review Page 14....................................................................................MTH Railking SW1200 Review Page 16...............................................................Building a Cheap Retaining Wall in O Scale Page 18.......................................................................Custom Building an HO Scale SD45Xi Page 19.........................................................Editorial: Is The Model Railroad Hobby Dying? Page 21...............................................................Welcoming Riley Ginger to the RIAM Sta f! Page 22................................................................................Rich Melvin's "Highball" Column Page 23......................................................................................................The Laughing Stock Page 25.................................................................................................................Photo Corner

The End of Third Generation Diesels on Class 1 Railroads

Walker Wood

Throughout the 1980s, General Electric (GE) and General Motors’ Electro Motive Division were locked in a tight battle over the construction of a better locomotive. EMD unveiled the SD50 series of engines (“SD” stands for “special duty", and the 50 denotes that the engine is part of the 50 series) before GE unveiled their newest engine, but EMD had rushed testing and the production of the SD50s, which resulted in many teething troubles for the railroads who ordered them. Meanwhile, GE was still seeing success from their “Dash 7” line of products, which included the C30-7 and B30-7. The “B” denotes a B-B truck arrangement, and the “C” denotes a C-C axle arrangement, the two digits following indicate the horsepower rating (x100), and the hyphen and following number indicate the engine model series (in this case, the “Dash 7” series). In 1986, EMD introduced the “60 Series,” featuring the SD60 and GP60 and their respective variants. The LaGrange, Illinois based EMD saw moderate success among the SD60 and SD60M/I, with less among the GP60, as new 4-axle

road switchers were quickly going out of style. EMD subsidiary, GMD of London, Ontario, built a custom SD60F for Canadian National. These engines, similar to EMD’s F40PH, featured a full cowl body (the SD60Fs became known as “draper tapers”). Many railroads, including CSX and Union Paciﬁc, have retired, sold, or stored their SD60s. On the contrary, CN bought 90 from BNSF in the 2000s, and Norfolk Southern has purchased several SD60s secondhand for their SD60E rebuild program. NS is also leasing many SD60s from many di ferent leasing companies. While EMD’s sales su fered, GE’s quickly went up a ter the SD50. The “Dash 8” line of products was introduced in 1983, with the ﬁrst B32-8s and B39-8s rolling out of Erie, Pennsylvania in 1984. GE saw good numbers from the start, thanks in part to the good reliability of the Dash 8 line. The

C40-8 featured even better reliability than their 4-axle counterparts, helping to improve GE’s reputation as a reliable builder. Unfortunately, they haven’t been as lucky as their EMD competitors, with CSX and Norfolk Southern having both sold o f their entire leet of C40-8s. Union Paciﬁc has sold o f all but 3, with many still seeing service on Canadian National, along with former Santa Fe, later BNSF, C40-8Ws. CN still retains their original and former British Columbia Rail (called BCRail) C40-8Ms. Along with all of their C40-8s, CSX has sold o f nearly half of their C40-8Ws, and all of their B40-8s. It isn’t all bad, though, as former UP 1848 (B40-8) has been donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. It is currently in operating condition, however, it is not used very much. As of August 2018, railfans can still ﬁnd plenty of former CSX and even a couple of UP C40-8/Ws on

CSX 8626, an SD50-2, is seen leading manifest Q329 in May of 2017. 1

Photo by Walker Wood

Norfolk Southern or CN in lease service, primarily from General Electric (GECX) and Larryâ€™s Truck and Electric (LTEX), as both railroads are currently facing a power shortage. These diesel locomotive all have their fair share of miles under their wheels, and many continue to haul freight to this day. Their reliablity is testament to how well these engines were built, and though they have been running for many years, there are still many more to come.

New Orleans Public Belt has acquired some former NS C40-8 locomotives. This is engine 4003, seen in the industrial area of New Orleans. Photo by Walker Wood

Rebuilt from NS SD60 6531, originally a Chicago & Northwestern Railway engine, NS 6963 (in a special "GoRail" paint scheme) leads NS train 859 in Berea, Ohio. Photo by Walker Wood

Edition 8 was made possible by...

Executive Board

-Evan Cihlar, President and CEO -Garrett Monnin, Vice President and COO -Max Harris, Publisher and Adman -Jonah Collins, Editor-in-chief

Sta f Members

-Walker Wood, Author -Clayton Cook, Author -Adam Zappacosta, Author -Carlos Llamas, Author -Riley Ginger, Author and Graphic Designer

Check out our Sponsors!

Stockyard Express www.stockyardexpressllc.com (440)-774-2131 49293 Plate Road, Oberlin OH 44074

Maxrailroad www.youtube.com/maxrailroad www.facebook.com/maxrailroad www.instagram.com/maxrailroad Special Thanks To:

Henning's Trains www.henningstrains.com - (215)-362-2442 128 South Line Street, Lansdale PA 19446

Nicholas Smith Trains www.nicholassmithtrains.com - (610)-353-8585 2343 West Chester Pike, Broomall PA 19008

MTH Trains for sending us a train to review! Nicholas Smith Trains for sending us a train to review! John Brahaney for drawing us a comic! Brendan Albert, Tyler Nolan, and Matthew Bolyard for submitting photos! Our Readers for their continued support! Check out our business partners over at

O Gauge Railroading Magazine www.ogaugerr.com

Edition 9 of Railroad in America Magazine Releases November 30th!

Note from the Publisher Max Harris While writing my article titled "Is the Model Railroad Hobby Dying", I was given an opportunity to re lect on entrance into trains. As noted in the article, all of my cousins and my brother even were into trains at one point or another, with me being the only one of the bunch to carry forth the legacy our grandfather bestowed upon us. I remember trips to the Strasburg Railroad, where I would hear the narrator make the same jokes over and over. Even now, as a 16 year old, these zingers that have been said for ages still make me crack up. Trips to Altoona, PA were always my favorite, as we would see tons of trains in a just a few minutes. Back then, it was common to see patched Conrail units, and the blue paint made me the happiest. This is why Conrail will always be my favorite railroad. Going back to Altoona as a 16 year old still brings wide smiles to my face, as Garrett Monnin talked about in his article. I remember staring at small model trains, mesmerized by the motion and watching for hours when I was only a toddler. Even as a 16 year old, I still participate in this practice. I have learned in these pursuits that some things just never change. Trains will always make me happy, it's who I am. No matter the day, time, or place, if I see a train, I can guarantee you I will stop for a moment and just watch.

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Your ad here! Start advertising with Railroading in America Magazine today! Email maxharris@railroadinginamerica.net or call (888)-204-0087 to get started!