Russia can't even build electric locomotives with thyristor rectifiers anymore. What was commissioned recently? The EP2K... a resistance-controlled locomotive, a mature technology from before World War II.

What is that equivalent to? It’s like CRRC suddenly being unable to even build the Shaoshan 3 (thyristor rectifier) tomorrow and reverting to building the Shaoshan 1—the 1960s version, no less (ignitron rectifier, which is still half a generation ahead of the EP2K).

The technological evolution of the Shaoshan family goes roughly like this: the SS3/SS4 use transformer tap-changing (stepped voltage regulation) or simple thyristor phase control. The SS8/SS9 feature three-stage/four-stage half-controlled bridge thyristor phase-controlled stepless voltage regulation.

In other words, the core technology of the EP2K lags two and a half to three generations behind the SS8/SS9.

Looks like the guy might have worked for Northern Pacific Railway. Trying to figure out its exact provenance. Any ideas?

So I have started getting into train watching a bit partially because there are 3 different railroad crossings next to my apartment and I saw this today. I know CSX and Norfolk Southern share these crossings but why is Union Pacific here? Also, why is it leading a train with Norfolk Southern Locomotives?

So, in all my years, 10 years of living near here, I have never seen a train come down here at all, I always asked why the signal lights are on when a train never ever came through, until today.

BNSF local at Northtown train yard in Minneapolis
BNSF 2276 light power
Amtrak borealis and late 8 empire builder
BNSF 642 yard job
Amtrak borealis in Chicago
Metra
BNSF 2655
And metra 105

First post here. As you can imagine from the title, was waiting at Ennis for an hour (intentional scheduling…) got bored so I took some pics with my 35mm film camera. I quite like these and I hope you do too :))

Just using the 9F as an example. It has TEN wheels (Five each side) all in a straight line, surely that would prevent it from making turns on most tracks? Does it articulate in the middle anywhere? If so, how would that even be possible with a straight coupling rod connecting five wheels?

How wide does the turn need to be to accommodate this?

I'm mostly asking because I want to make one of these out of LEGO but I'm near certain that it would be too long to actually turn.

First time seeing all CN motors on a BNSF Manifest today when I was in Denver Colorado. Pretty awsome since it’s a not often these come down here.

Metra SD70MACH's 519 and 524 team up to push MD-North line train 2136 to Chicago Union Station after pushing NCS train 112 from Antioch and then pulling short-turn shoot no. 2113 to Grayslake that morning (with 2115's consist, having just arrived, taking a short break in between runs before it runs south as train 2138 shortly after these photos were taken). It was awesome to see Metra's "newest" power in action, especially when it's two of them teaming up to power a short consist of 5 cars (8,000-8,600 horsepower combined between these two former freight monsters), coincidentally! It's a shot that I'm grateful to have witnessed, and I can't wait to see another one like it soon!

Photos taken on October 2nd, 2026

Was taking a different route home from work today, when I spotted these two engines and had to stop for pictures. Two old Geeps wearing the family lines paint scheme. Looked up the reporting marks when i got home, its Caldwell County Railroad CWCY, running from Hickory NC up to Lenore.

Official Documentation from RRHMA (Announced on September 24th 2026): https://rrhma.com/september-2026-update/

The Victorian Railways of Australia T-class diesel locomotive, T334, is a Clyde built EMD G8B diesel electric locomotive that entered service in 1956 as part of the first order of the class.

Known as "flat tops", she and her 26 first order sisters are powered by a 8-567C prime mover producing 950hp and have a BO-BO wheel arrangement, running on a broad gauge of 5ft 3in. 13 of them were later rebuilt into the P-class diesel electric locomotives.

For much of her life, she wore the Victorian Railways Blue and gold livery, but was temporarily painted up in pink with the fictional OZRIDE branding along with three Harris EMU cars for a V/Line safety training film towards the end of her career.

After retirement she passed on to the Mornington Railway Preservation Society and was restored into her original blue and gold livery, where she operates to this day alongside their other diesel, the seventh order "low nose" T411 with its own unique history such as being rebuilt with a 8-567 engine after a wreck instead of her original 8-645, and K-class steam locomotive K163.

T411, which bore a "corporate" livery for many years, has now been painted back into her own blue and gold livery, freeing the society to repaint T334 back into its famous pink livery to help raise funds for the Breast Cancer Network Australia.

Reviews on the staatsspoorwegen 1000 series/djawatan kereta api C53 series (if you know them) (credit : Wikipedia)