A Rock Island Train Heads to the Port of Houston

Rock Island connected the Midwest and the Gulf Coast. This Rock Island train carries grain from Des Moines, Iowa to the Port of Houston. Sections of the Rock Island have become parts of various Class 1, Regional and short line railroads, such as ASLRRA member Iowa Interstate.

To see my Rock Island 11"x17" signed posters and/or magnets, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A Santa Fe Freight Train Heads to Stockton, California From Chicago

A Santa Fe freight train heads to Stockton, California from Chicago with carloads interchanged from New York Central and Grand Trunk Western.  Today's train carries machine parts headed to California's Central Valley.  Santa Fe is part of today's +BNSF Railway 

To see my Santa Fe 11"x17" posters and/or magnets, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

America From Amtrak: World Poetry Day 3/21/18

Sunrise, sunset across our nation A Friendly wave as we pass a station From roof tops to store fronts a century old The beauty from Amtrak you will always hold Mountains tall, spires carved in in time Hear America calling with the whistle's chime #AmtrakAmerica #WorldPoetryDay

To see my Amtrak 11"x17" signed posters and/or magnets, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

My New Bicentennial Locomotives Poster Featuring Missouri-Kansas-Texas GP40 #200

To celebrate our Bicentennial in 1976, many of our railroads painted Red, White and Blue locomotives to honor our nation's 200th birthday.  My new Bicentennial Locomotives poster features 24 of my Bicentennial locomotive drawings including yesterday's new drawing of Missouri-Kansas-Texas GP40 #200 "Old Glory."

To see my Bicentennial Locomotives poster, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

Missouri-Kansas-Texas Poster by Andy Fletcher Featuring M-K-T Bicentennial GP40 #200

My new Missouri-Kansas-Texas poster features my new drawing of Missouri-Kansas-Texas Bicentennial GP40 #200 "Old Glory." The M-K-T remains a fan favorite to this day.

To see my Missouri-Kansas Texas 11"x17" posters and/or magnets visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A Gulf Mobile & Ohio Train Carries Pulpwood at Mobile, Alabama

This Gulf, Mobile and Ohio train carries pulpwood to Mobile, Alabama.  Pulpwood is key in the making of paper.  Gulf Mobile and Ohio served people and places throughout the Midwest and the Gulf Coast, connecting industries and customers.  Gulf Mobile and Ohio is part of today's Canadian National.

To see my Gulf, Mobile and Ohio 11"x17" signed posters or magnets, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

Happy St. Paddy's Day From the St. Patrick's Day Train.

Happy St. Paddy's Day from the St. Patrick's Day Train. Erin Go Bragh!

A Milwaukee Road Train Heads From Chicago to Aberdeen, South Dakota

A Milwaukee Road general merchandise freight train heads from Chicago to Aberdeen, South Dakota.  Today's train carries tractors headed for farms across the Great Plains.  Milwaukee Road helped build communities and develop agriculture along its right of way.

To see my Milwaukee Road 11"x17" posters or my train magnets, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

Illinois Central Gulf Locomotives at Memphis

These Illinois Central Gulf locomotives prepare to move their trains at Memphis, Tennessee.  Today, we see among the locomotives in the yard, ICG's Bicentennial GP38AC #1776.  Illinois Central Gulf was created by joining of IC and GM and O and is part of today's Canadian National.

To see my Illinois Central Gulf 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

Happy 198th Birthday to the State of Maine-Thank You to Maine's Railroads

Happy 198th Birthday to the State of Maine!!! Railroads helped build Maine and keep her economy growing and strong today. Thank you Amtrak, Pan Am Railways, ASLRRA and to all of Maine's railroads throughout its history on 3/15/18.

A Chicago Burlington & Quincy Train Heads From The Twin Cities to Chicago

A Chicago Burlington and Quincy SD9 and GP30 lead a manifest freight from the Twin Cities to Chicago.  Today's train carries Chicago-bound carloads interchanged to the Burlington Route from the Great Northern and Northern Pacific.

To see my Chicago Burlington and Quincy 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

Take Metra Throughout Chicagoland For Work or For Play

Metra efficiently connects Chicago and its surrounding communities. When you have somewhere to go for work or play Chicagoland, remember to take the train, take Metra. Metra is great for the environment and relieves congestion on our highways.

The Phoebe Snow: One of Our Most Beloved Passenger Trains

Today we see the Lackawanna Phoebe Snow as it heads through the Lackawanna-Cut Off on its way to Buffalo.  The Phoebe Snow lives in legend as one of America's most beloved passenger trains.

To see my Lackawanna 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my ebay store

The Baltimore & Ohio Capitol Limited at Cumberland, Maryland

The Baltimore and Ohio Capitol Limited makes a station stop at Cumberland, Maryland as it heads west towards Chicago.  This Baltimore and Ohio train is the ancestor to today's Amtrak Washington, DC to Chicago Capitol Limited service.


To see my Baltimore and Ohio 11"x17" signed posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A Brief Look at Amtrak in the 1970s

In the early 1970s, Amtrak was just beginning to take root.  Here we see E-Units of many of the freight railroads that had contributed motive power to Amtrak as a concession of its formation.
Amtrak has come a long way from its inception in 1971.  Today, we all enjoy seeing America aboard Amtrak's Superliners and Viewliner II cars.  The next time you see America, remember to take the train and take Amtrak.

To see my Amtrak 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A Brief Look at Decatur: A Community Served by Norfolk Southern

Wabash connected the people and places of the Great Lakes Region and the Midwest.  Railroads from throughout the Midwest converged at Decatur, Illinois, served by Wabash, making Decatur a key center for industry and agriculture.  Wabash is part of today's Norfolk Southern.

A Big Thank You to Hapag Lloyd For Your Teamwork With Railroads in Global Trade

A Big Thank You to Hapag Lloyd for your teamwork with all of our railroads and ports in efficiently moving intermodal across the globe.

Thank You to My Grandma and Mom on International Women's Day

Thank You to my grandma and mom, Mary & Lynda on International Women's Day. My grandma worked as a nurse to help support our family. She encouraged me to be an artist and bought my first pens. My mom is my manager, a gifted designer and helps bring my trains to the world. Thank you both so much.

A Brief History of Florida East Coast Railway

Florida East Coast Railway has a rich history of serving the state of Florida.  Florida East Coast, known as "The Speedway to Sunshine" takes its roots in its founder, Henry M. Flagler, who helped develop much of Florida.  Florida East Coast was known for its role in operating the Champion passenger service in teamwork with Atlantic Coast Line.  Today's Florida East Coast is known for its quality service connecting the communities and ports of Florida.  Florida East Coast serves Port of Miami and Port Everglades and is a member of ASLRRA.

Railroads of Illinois: A History of the State's Great Railroads and Their Names

Illinois is a crossroads of America's railroads. Railroads connect throughout the state of Illinois as they make their journey across our nation.  Many railroads throughout Illinois took their name from not only America's busiest rail city, Chicago, but from Illinois's geography and its communities.  No conversation is complete without mentioning the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific; the Illinois Central; the Illinois Terminal; the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific and many other legendary railroads that served Illinois.

Arkansas & Missouri: Regional Railroad Spotlight

Arkansas and Missouri Railroad provides first mile/ last mile rail service throughout Arkansas and Missouri and is a member of ASLRRA. Arkansas and Missouri connects with +BNSF Railway, +Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern.

Thank You CSX for Supporting City Year

This +CSX  train carries paper products from Georgia Pacific in Brunswick, Georgia. CSX carries paper, pencils, books and supports +City Year  through #BeyondOurRails. Thank you, CSX for keeping education moving forward. #HowTomorrowMoves

A Green Bay & Western Freight Train Heads From Green Bay to Winona

A Green Bay and Western freight train heads from Green Bay to Winona.  Green Bay and Western was known as the Green Bay Route and was an Alco stronghold. Green Bay & Western became part of Wisconsin Central and is part of today's Canadian National.

A Grand Trunk Western Freight Train Heads to Detroit From Chicago

A Grand Trunk Western freight train behind a pair of SD40s heads from Chicago to Detroit.  Today's train has carloads from Santa Fe connecting from Los Angeles and carloads from Chicago Burlington and Quincy connecting from Denver.  Grand Trunk Western served the manufacturing and industry of the Midwest and Great Lakes Region and is a part of today's Canadian National.

To see my Grand Trunk Western 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A Canadian Pacific Lumber Train Heads From Calgary to Minneapolis

A Canadian Pacific ES44AC and SD60 move a train carrying Canfor Lumber from Calgary to Minneapolis.  The free trade of lumber is vital to Canada's economy.  Lumber builds our schools, homes, and places where we work.  Canadian Pacific moves the building products that build North America and the world. #NAFTA

To see my Canadian Pacific 11"x17" poster, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A Union Pacific Lumber Train Heads From Eugene, Oregon to Roseville, California

A Union Pacific lumber train heads from Eugene, Oregon to Roseville, California. From Roseville, the lumber on this train will head to Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska to continue its journey across America. Lumber shipped on Union Pacific trains helps builds our houses, schools and offices.

To see my Union Pacific 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A Norfolk Southern General Merchandise Train Heads From Mobile to St. Louis

A Norfolk Southern general merchandise train heads from Mobile, Alabama to St Louis. Today's train carries empty grain hoppers returning to the Heartland from the Port of Mobile grain port.

To see my Norfolk Southern 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store

A BNSF Railway Intermodal Train Heads For Kansas City From The Port of Long Beach

A BNSF Railway intermodal train heads towards Kansas City across the Transcon with Ocean Network Express (ONE) containers from the Port of Long Beach.  Ocean Network Express is a new partnership between NYK Line, K Line and Mitsui OSK Lines.  BNSF intermodal efficiently delivers the freight we need everyday.

To see my BNSF 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org or visit my eBay store

World Book Day-"Neither Snow Nor Rain- A History of the United States Postal Service" by Devin Leonard

I am reading "Neither Snow Nor Rain- A History of the United States Postal Service" by Devin Leonard on #WorldBookDay. Mail delivery helped build our nation. The #RailwayPostOffice on our railroads efficiently delivered information as America's railroads connected our communities.

A Monon NW2 Switch Engine Builds A Train in the Indianapolis Yard

This Monon NW2 switch engine builds a train bound for Louisville in the Indianapolis yard. Today's train has carloads from Elgin, Joliet & Eastern and Chicago Burlington & Quincy from Chicago, as well as cars for the Louisville and Nashville.

To see my Monon 11"x17" posters, visit my website customtrains.org and/or my eBay store