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Real Railroads

Before you can model anything you need to know something about it. Whether they're still in operation or have become "fallen flags", real-life railroads have their own histories, paint color schemes, and heralds, Many have their own museums and rail-fan groups.
Monopoly Railroads
Everybody knows the railroads in the game Monopoly are the Pennsylvania, B&O, Reading, and Short Line. But how many people realize that three of the four were real railroads?
Steam Locomotive Classes
Steam locomotives are classed by their wheel configurations, but most wheel configurations have been given names. This is a list of steam locomotive class names.
AAR Wheel Arrangement
For describing the wheel arrangement of diesel and electric locomotives in North America, the American Association of Railroads has established a notation system. Commonly referred to as AAR wheel arrangement, it is quite different from the Whyte notation used for describing the wheel arrangements of steam locomotives. The AAR notation is a subset, or simplification, of the European UIC …
Wikipedia on Railroading
Wikipedia is an essential resource for railroad historians, railfans, and model railroaders.
National Railway Historical Society (NHRS)
The NHRS has 174 active chapters located throughout the United States and Canada. The plan and coordinate various types of railroad interest activities.
Railroad Facts and Figures
Outstanding tutorial site on railroad technology and the physics basic physics of railroading.
Trains Magazine
A magazine covering real-life railroads, their histories, and current events.
America's Freedom Train
Twice in the history of the United States valuable artifacts of American History have toured the country in the Freedom Trains.
Steam Powered Video (S.P.V.)
SPV offers videos and atlases of North American railroads. Excellent resources.
Western Pacific Virtual Museum
An online "museum" of Western Pacific literature and images.

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