“It is done!” These three words shot out across the Western telegraph to the world on May 10, 1869, at the moment Centra…
Tag: Train
Railroad Water Tanks Those steam-driven trains depended on water and lots of it.
While watching westerns on television and movies you see trains pull up and stop at a water tower and fill up the steam …
Robbing Trains Ain’t Rocket Science Not everyone was cut out to be a train robber as it did require a certain amount of talent.
Not everyone was cut out to be a train robber as it did require a certain amount of talent. A couple of Cochise County c…
The Train Robbers By the 1890's train robberies were big business in the West.
By the 1890’s train robberies were big business in the West. At one point trains were being robbed on an average o…
Ride That Train! Since the railroads helped build the West, railroad towns have been beacons of hospitality, welcoming travelers from far and near to rest and relax, and make themselves at home.
In 1868, America was anticipating the completion of the first transcontinental railroad within the next year. The Centra…
Del Potter’s Mule-Powered Railroad The C & N RR had only one engine and it was pulled by a mule, but Del considered himself a full-fledged president of a railroad with rights to all privileges and courtesies.
Over in eastern Arizona near the border with New Mexico, Del Potter ran a little railroad he proudly named the Clifton a…
An Angel and the Train Man Jana Bommersbach shares her favorite Old West Saviors from her 10-year journey.
Along with True West’s 65th birthday, this column celebrates a landmark too—my 10th anniversary of exploring the people …
The Day the Train Rolled into Phoenix The Maricopa & Phoenix Railroad was chartered and the task of establishing grades and laying down track began in earnest on November 1st, 1886.
By the mid 1880’s two transcontinental railroads crossed Arizona. The Santa Fe rolled across the northern part of the te…
Alberta’s Ghost Train
Some list this story under “Canadian folklore.” Others think it’s scary but fake. Author Barbara Smith, include it…
Iron Ladies of the American Railroad Travel the West on historic railroads and discover how women helped build a nation.
The first trip I took by train was an hour-long journey from my hometown in Norborne, Missouri, to Walt Disney’s hometow…