Editors note: For more on the Rhätishe Bahn and its heritage fleet, including Switzerland’s one-of-a-kind snowplow, see the July 2025 issue of Trains Magazine. PONTRESINA, Switzerland — Markus Zaugg, head of rolling stock for the Rhätische Bahn, is leading an informal tour of the railroad’s shop building in the mountain village of Pontresina. The town […]
There’s a certain satisfaction waking up in a comfortable bed trackside. I’ve always liked being near the railroad overnight. Growing up atop a hill in Monson, Mass, a mile and half from the Central Vermont Railway’s Palmer Subdivision, I’d listen to its freights ascending State Line Hill on the run south of Palmer, Mass., and […]
When the long-anticipated “Hill Lines” merger finally created the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it was time not to mourn the loss of a favorite, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, but to embrace and record the details of the changeover. I had been through this six years before, when the Norfolk & Western […]
The trend toward professional archival preservation of the work of major railroad photographers continues, lately with the news that the huge collection of negatives, slides, and films of the late Mike Eagleson has gone to the Industrial Archives & Library based in Bethlehem, Pa. This is a big “get” for the IAL, buttressing its mission […]
At the turn of the 20th century, stunning, cathedral-like structures were commonly served by passenger-rail carriers. These stations were hubs of activity in major cities, from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles and in between. The hustle and bustle within the walls reflected the height of passenger-rail service in the United States at the […]
Today, it’s easier than ever to railfan without leaving the comfort of your home. Kalmbach Media is one of several companies that offers DVDs on various prototype subjects. If you prefer seeing trains in real time, you can watch any number of railfan webcams, such as the one Trains magazine has at Rochelle, Ill. This […]
Trains LIVE – Mid-Continent Railway Museum (Part 2) Montana Western No. 31 Trains LIVE — 11-9-2022 — It is the fulfillment of an idea that revolutionized railroad motive power — using an internal combustion engine to drive a generator, feeding electricity to a traction motor. In the 1920s, this was heady stuff. This was unknown […]
Trains LIVE – Mid-Continent Railway Museum (Part 1) Duluth Trains LIVE — 10-26-2022 — The name Pullman became synonymous with railroad sleeping cars to the point that we often forget that other companies made such cars as well. The folks at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wis., have not forgotten this fact. In […]
Trains LIVE — 10-12-2022 — Imagine a place that sees the passing of dozens of trains each day. This place is a safe, welcoming location for railfans to watch the trains. Its elevated location provides great photo opportunities. There place offers amenities such as a shelter with picnic tables, plenty of benches, and restrooms. Such […]
Sure thing, Angela. Since the Baltimore & Ohio began hauling flour from Ellicott’s Mills to Baltimore in 1830 — grain, flour, and seeds have been an important part of railroading. Grain moved in boxcars for decades, but in the early 1960s, Southern Railway’s new, 100-ton — Big John — covered hopper revolutionized grain […]
Trains LIVE — Joseph Lister Trains LIVE — 09-28-2022 — The Mayo Clinic ranks among the world’s preeminent medical facilities. As Doctors Will and Charlie Mayo expanded the care-giving clinic started by their parents in 1864, little did they realize that their reputation would draw people in need of help from all corners of the […]
Come out to Iowa for a mainline steam run in June 2022 as the Central States Steam Preservation Association moves QJ-class 2-10-2 No. 6988 from Newton, IA to Silvis, IL over the rails of the Iowa Interstate Railroad. The engine is heading east with 2000 tons of freight to the former Rock Island steam shops, […]
