The Bridge That Changed Railroad Engineering
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 23rd 2026
On a bitter December night in 1876, a passenger train approached the Ashtabula River in northeastern Ohio. Snow was falling heavily as the train began crossing an iron railroad bridge nearly 160 fe…
Before Asphalt: The Timber Crossings That Connected America
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 23rd 2026
Long before flashing lights, crossing gates and paved highways, there was a problem wherever a road met a railroad.
How do you get a wagon safely across two steel rails?
The answer was remarkably s…
The Pullman Strike of 1894: When America’s Railroads Nearly Stopped
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 23rd 2026
In 1894, a dispute between one company and its workers grew into a nationwide confrontation that crippled rail traffic, brought federal troops into Chicago and became a defining moment in American…
The Monorail Beneath the U.S. Capitol—and the 1917 Rail That Lives On
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 21st 2026
In 1917, Monorails Were Already Moving Washington
When we think of monorails, we tend to think of the future.
But in 1917, while a section of steel rail was being rolled in Tennessee—the rail…
From Germany to the L&N: The Story Beneath the Glass
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 19th 2026
Look closely at the rail beneath the glass of our Sleepers Coffee Table No. 62, and you’ll find a few marks pressed into the steel:
KRUPP 1902 VIII — L–N R R
They aren’t dec…
The Great Train Wreck of 1918: Nashville Railroad History Reimagined
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 15th 2026
On the morning of July 9, 1918, two passenger trains were traveling toward each other just west of downtown Nashville.
On the same track.
At approximately 7:20 a.m., Nashville, Chattanooga & St…
The Piece Everyone Asks About
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Sep 9th 2026
We hear this a lot from our clients:
“People are always asking me about my desk.”
That’s one of our favorite things about what we make. Because when someone asks, you don’t…
The Votes Are In: Meet the Short Line Bench
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Aug 28th 2026
You voted. We counted. And this one has officially earned its name.
Meet the Short Line Bench.
After asking our social media followers and email subscribers to choose between Siding Bench, Spur…
What We Really Do at Rail Yard Studios
Posted by Sally Hendrick on May 13th 2026
What we really do, or at least what we began doing, was good ole blue-collar labor. In fact, we still do that.
Our railroad construction/maintenance business feeds the artisan craftsman side. It's a s…
A Brief History of Foosball — and Why It Still Brings People Together
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Jan 14th 2026
Few games spark instant camaraderie quite like foosball. The sound of spinning rods, the quick flick of a wrist, the laughter (and occasional trash talk) echoing across the room—it’s been…
From Trackside Graffiti to Gallery Walls
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Nov 19th 2025
Where rail heritage meets street art — ethically and authentically.
Freight yards have always carried a pulse of movement and expression — steel wheels, rhythmic motion, and bursts of colo…
Clickety-Clack: From Rails to Tables, the Rhythm Rolls On
Posted by Sally Hendrick on Nov 3rd 2025
It’s more than a sound. It’s a rhythm.
Image: Graff Museum, 638 Benton Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee.
The joint between two rails creates that quintessential clickety-clack. The rails are…