Welcome to Richard Leonard’s Rail Archive, a collection of rail-related web sites I have been developing since 1998 beginning with the Steam Locomotive Archive. Here you will find not only images of steam and diesel locomotives and other items of historic North American railroad interest, but also plenty of detail and commentary about the items presented. Click on the image or the page title to visit the sites that interest you. For a list of recent additions and updates to this Rail Archive, click here.
My photos, with commentary, of steam locomotives operating in the 1950s. Railroads include the CB&Q, CPR, GTW, IC, NKP, NYC, UP, and a page for miscellaneous railroads. Also included are a few nonsteam rarities.
A collection of New York Central System locomotive photos. Many of the steam photos come from the 1930s, and others I took in the 1950s. The Diesel collection consists of my photos from the 1950s. In the Fantasy Steam collection are pictures of imaginary New York Central steam.
A gallery of miscellaneous steam locomotive photos, most of which were not taken by me. Some came from my father’s small collection of railroad photographs, and others I acquired later. In many cases the photographers and locations are unknown. There is a good representation of CNR, CPR and PRR steam power.
Union Pacific Big Boys and Challengers
A gallery of photos of the famous Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boys and 4-6-6-4 Challengers, most of them taken in 1957 in Wyoming and Nebraska. Ten of the Big Boys are shown, and six Challengers including the surviving 3985 in actual service. A few of the 800-series Northerns appear, as well.
GM&O Gallery, Central Illinois in the 1950s
A 1950s-1960s look at the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio’s former Alton Route, featuring main line passenger trains, the Bloomington yard and shops, a motor train ride to Jacksonville, and a cab ride to Chicago in the Abraham Lincoln. There's even a page on Alton Route steam.
Locomotives you never heard of, or saw, because they never existed: the Southern Railway streamlined 4-4-4-4 duplex, the Pennsylvania Railroad’s class P-6 4-6-4, the Monon 4-10-4, the Santa Fe 4-6-4 in “War Bonnet” paint, the famous Erie 2-6-6-6-6-2 Quadruplex, and more!
A collection of diesel photos from the 1940s-1970s featuring unusual models like the Baldwin "baby face," the Alco C415, the GE U50, and rare EMD units like the BL2 and SDL39, plus the "usual suspects" — EMD cab units and Geeps, Alco RS units and a scattering from other builders.
Images, both black-and-white photos and color transparencies, of the Union Pacific's first- and second-generation gas turbine-electric locomotives operating at Laramie, Wyoming in August 1957, plus a view of the third-generation locomotive now at the Illinois Railway Museum.
Locomotive and industrial images scanned from two booklets distributed by The Pilliod Company of Swanton, Ohio, a sales booklet (around 1915) and a spare parts catalog (around 1926). Motive power ranges from switchers through 4-8-2’s and a 2-6-6-2 Mallet, plus the famous Erie Triplex.
Unit Course in Locomotive Firing, 1944
A course in locomotive firing published by the Education Department of the State of New York in 1944. This 152-page manual contains illustrations of steam locomotive appliances, with instructions for operating them.
Modern Power for Today's Trains (1949)
A 24-page booklet produced by the Pennsylvania Railroad around 1949. It features the railroad’s new diesel locomotives, the GG1 and P5a electrics, and its most modern or representative steam types — the T1 and Q2 duplexes, the S2 direct-drive turbine, the J1 2-10-4 and the K4s 4-6-2.
American Locomotive Company Pacifics, 1913
A 20-page bulletin issued in November 1913 by the American Locomotive Company to promote the 4-6-2 or Pacific type. Illustrations and specifications appear for 42 orders of Pacifics from North American railroads.
Chicago & North Western Historical Booklet
A Brief History of the Chicago and North Western Line, a 20-page booklet published by the railroad in 1942. It includes pictures and specifications for the North Western’s steam locomotive fleet at the time, with a few early diesels including the “Overland Route” Streamliners.
Historic Chicago & Illinois Midland Booklet
Images scanned from The Midland Story, a 48-page publicity booklet issued by the Chicago & Illinois Midland Railway around 1950. The booklet features pictures of railroad right of way, stations, facilities, rolling stock and locomotives, and a map.
Century of Progress (1933-34) Railroad Exhibits
Images of historic and modern locomotives from the Chicago World’s Fair “A Century of Progress” Exposition of 1933-1934, most of them photographed by members of the family of Cecil A. Wickham of Michigan City, Indiana.
Chicago Railroad Fair Guide Book and Photos
Guide Book for the 1949 season of the Chicago Railroad Fair, plus photos from the 1948 fair by Emma June Bangert and the 1949 fair by Paul F. Thompson and Harry G. Preece. The Guide Book includes the program for the “Wheels-a-Rolling” pageant and a map of the fair grounds.
My Images in the NERAIL Photo Archive
More than 500 of my railroad images (including some by my brother) are presented in the NERAIL North American Railroad Photo Archive. Some are alternate views of subjects in this Rail Archive, but many are subjects that don’t fit here. This link takes you directly to my photos.
Some spare railroad paper items and a few other things I have for sale. Items include employees’ timetables, railroad maps (tubed and folded), magazines, miscellaneous booklets, pamphlets and other items.
Richard C. Leonard, Ph.D., Author
Our author site describes books and other items we have published or written, and includes our blog “Considered Opinion.” It also has links to our ministry and creative web sites.
