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Railroad Milestones Since 1945 - A Tool for Modelers. 
We've all had timeline questions. "I model 1975, is it accurate to have Chessie cars in my fleet?";  "Were ice reefers still used in 1968?"; "I model Wabash in the steam era, is this PRR boxcar with the 'shadow keystone' logo in my era?" We have assembled this chronological list of important events in railroading to address questions such as these. The list is split into three groups, Locomotives, Rolling Stock, and Flags. Locomotives includes dieselization and major changes to paint schemes, locomotive introductions, and when electric operations ended on major lines. Rolling Stock includes changes in standards, operations and designs, and major changes in painting styles. Flags addresses railroad company mergers, spinoffs, abandonments, and major changes to company image that affect locomotives AND rolling stock. While certainly not comprehensive, we have tried to include the most important events that would affect modeling an accurate time frame. If you have an idea for something that you think should be included on this list, drop Craig a line at Craig@bluford-shops.com with the event and the year that it occurred.
LOCOMOTIVES
ROLLING STOCK 
FLAGS
YEAR
1945
EMD resumes Switcher production.
F3, E7, Centipedes, Erie Builts introduced.
Steam outnumbers diesels 10 to 1.
About half the freight car fleet is wood sheathed.
Wood running boards are outlawed on new cars.
1946
F2, PA's, FA's, RS-2, RSC-2, DS-4-4-10, GE 70-ton switcher introduced.
Temiskaming & Northern Ontario becomes Ontario Northland.
1947
H-15-44 (first high-hood road switcher) and H-20-44 introduced.
PS-1 boxcar introduced.
Pere Marquette merges into C&O.
Denver & Salt Lake merges into D&RGW.
Chicago & Alton RR merges into GM&O.
Sumpter Valley, 3' gauge line in Oregon shuts down.
1948
BL-2, DRS-6-6-15 introduced.
1949
GP7, F7, E8, SW7, FP7 introduced.
Narrow gauge New Foundland Railway is acquired by CN.
Nickel Plate Road acquires Wheeling & Lake Erie.
GM&O ends steam operations (first Class One railroad to do so.)
1950
RS-3, FA-2, Sharks, C-Liners, SW8, S-3, S-4, RSC-3, AS-16, AS-616, H-12-44, H-16-44 introduced.
Average train length: 59 cars.
ET&WNC "Tweetsie" narrow gauge line abandoned.
Steam outnumbers diesels 2 to 1.
1951
SW9, H-16-66, S-12, RS-12 introduced.
Rio Grande Southern shuts down.
Pacific Great Eastern reaches CN in Prince George, BC - 1st rail connection.
1952
SD7, RSD-5 introduced.
Steel freight cars arrive in huge quantities.
UP introduces 4-truck turbines.
M-K-T, New Haven, Frisco, Texas & Pacific end steam operations.
1953
H-24-66 "Train Master" introduced.
Pacific Fruit Express receives their first mechanical reefers.
Pacific Electric sells remaining passenger business.
Rock Island, Cotton Belt, Wabash, Western Pacific, Seaboard Air Line end steam operations.
"The Milwaukee Road" appears in rectangle logo instead of "Chicago Milwaukee St.Paul & Pacific."
1954
SW900, SW1200, GP9, F9, E9, FP9, SD9 introduced.
McGinnis image hits the New Haven.
Erie, Southern, Western Maryland, Atlantic Coast Line end steam operations.
Quebec North Shore & Labrador completed.
1955
S-6 introduced.
PRR introduces Truc-Train (solid piggyback train.)
McGinnis image hits the Boston & Maine.
Milwaukee Road, Soo Line, Missouri Pacific end steam operations.
Trailer-Train established.
Diesels outnumber steam 4 to 1.
Airslide hoppers, 75' TOFC flats introduced.
ACL cars with large "COAST LINE" in logo first appear.
Allied Full Cushion trucks are banned.
Average train length: 66 cars.
1956
RS-11, RSD-12,  RSD-15, FL9 introduced.
New 50' box cars outpace new 40' boxcars.
Chicago Indianapolis & Louisville makes Monon their official name. Reporting marks change from CIL to MON.
Daytime headlights now mandatory.
Last coal trains run on the East Broad Top.
Chesapeake & Ohio, Chicago & North Western, Reading, Spokane Portland & Seattle, Rio Grande (standard gauge), Illinois Central (mainline),  Southern Pacific (regular freight) end steam operations.
Nickel Plate STILL runs TOFC behind steam.
Gothic lettering appears on Southern Pacific freight fleet.
EMD Aerotrains introduced.
UP adopts 20" UNION PACIFIC lettering.
GN switches from boxcar red to vermilion.
Rock Island adopts block style lettering with shield logo.
Click Here for 1957 and beyond...
Timeline Resource Page
Pere Marquette takes delivery of first post war streamliner.
Roller Bearing trucks begin to appear on freight cars but use spreads very slowly.
Gothic letting replaces Roman on Atlantic Coast Line.
Atlantic Coast Line adds Prismo reflector stripes to freight cars.
Pennsylvania replaces circle-keystone with shadow-keystone logo.
Northern Pacific adopts 48" logo for boxcars.
1945-1956
1957-1965
1966-1975
1976-1982
1983-1989
1990-1997
1998-2010
B&O adds "Linking 13 Great States With The Nation" to their Capital Dome logo.
Large "B&O" appears on many hoppers & gons.
Big B, little &, and big O appears on B&O.
Wellsville Addison & Galeton appears.
Santa Fe begins replacing The Map with "Ship and Travel Santa Fe all the way" on one side of steel boxcars.
Southern switches from black to green on freight service diesels.
Cars with truss rods banned from interchange.
Bangor & Aroostook introduces "State of Maine" paint scheme.
Erie introduces 6' diamond on boxcars.
C&O pushes "For Progress" below the "O" and smoothes out the smoke trail.
MStP&SSteM adopts billboard SOO LINE.
CP launches TOFC service in Canada.
White Pass & Yukon switches to containerized freight.