RAILROAD REFERENCE & LEARNING
Everything you want to know about railroading.
Real railroad photography • See Photo Credits for source and licensing details.
SEE IT • IDENTIFY IT • UNDERSTAND IT
Start with the equipment or system you can see, then move into the detailed reference guides.
Follow one freight train through 12 connected railroad systems: power, train makeup, couplers, air brakes, grades, distributed power, signals, dispatching, yards, switching, maintenance and delivery.
Steam, diesel, electric, horsepower, major builders, terminology, and identification.
Explore Locomotives →Boxcars, hoppers, tank cars, gondolas, flats, well cars, autoracks, centerbeams, and specialized cars.
Explore Freight Cars →Coaches, sleepers, diners, baggage, observation, dome, commuter, and modern equipment.
Explore Passenger Cars →Braking, couplers, distributed power, yards, dispatching, signals, grades, curves, and train makeup.
Explore How Trains Work →Ballast trains, rail and tie trains, track machines, wreck cranes, snow-fighting equipment, hi-rail vehicles, and maintenance-of-way.
Explore Work Trains →Fuel, hauling power, train length, braking, distributed power, and surprising railroad facts.
Explore Railroad Facts →EXPANDED INFORMATION CENTRAL
These guides fill in the everyday railroad knowledge that helps visitors understand what they are seeing and how the system fits together.
Common railroad terms explained in plain English.
Open the glossary →Engineers, conductors, dispatchers, track crews, signal workers and more.
Explore railroad jobs →Builder clues, trucks, cabs, radiator sections and road numbers.
Learn locomotive ID →How to recognize the major freight-car families.
Learn freight-car ID →Classification, switching, hump yards, arrival tracks and departure tracks.
Explore railroad yards →Rails, ties, ballast, switches, gauge, grades and curves.
Learn track basics →DEEP REFERENCE
Detailed guides covering locomotive performance, freight-train makeup, yards, signals, couplers and freight handling.