BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The National Museum of Industrial History and Reading & Northern Railroad will offer a day-long rare mileage excursion on Aug. 6 using a pair of the railroad’s Budd Rail Diesel Cars. The trip from R&N’s Reading Outer Station to Ashland, Pa., will feature a visit to the railroad’s steam shop in Port […]
ELY, Nev. — Nevada Northern Railway has unveiled its repainted locomotive for America’s semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, coming on July 4, 2026. The design, unveiled on Friday (July 4, 2025), was chosen through a contest held by the museum railway earlier this year. SD9 No. 204, […]
The Colorado Railroad Museum, Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and Durango Railroad Historical Society have announced plans for locomotive loans this fall and winter that will see locomotives from the museum and D&SNGR visiting the other partner in the agreement. The Durango & Silverton announced Wednesday (July 2) that the museum’s Rio Grande Southern […]
TORONTO — The VIA Historical Association’s heritage train of VIA Rail Canada equipment made its public debut this week, appearing at a June 25 event marking the 40th anniversary of VIA’s Toronto Maintenance Centre. The train — restored FP9 No. 6539 and three former Canadian National cars — baggage car No. 9604 and Dayniter coaches […]
DERBY, England — Thomas the Tank Engine is the subject of a new documentary, An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine. The film will premiere at this summer’s The Greatest Gathering event in Derby, part of the UK’s Railway 200 celebration. Thomas began his adventures in a book published in 1945, the […]
LEBANON, Ohio — The Ohio Rail Experience, the Cincinnati Scenic Railway excursion operation featuring rail lines that do not regularly host passenger trains, has postponed its trips scheduled for this weekend (June 28-29) over concerns about the ongoing heat wave in the Midwest and East. The predicted high temperatures, “combined with extreme humidity levels, could […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Union Pacific will bring its Abraham Lincoln locomotive to Springfield, the hometown of the 16th president, on July 1, to commemorate the railroad’s 163rd birthday. The railroad was founded on July 1, 1862, when Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act authorizing construction of the first transcontinental railroad. To mark the occasion, UP, […]
BREWSTER, Ohio — The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway has unveiled a red, white, and blue locomotive to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026. In a social media post, the railroad says the design was inspired by Norfolk & Western’s bicentennial locomotive in 1976, but with “a bold Wheeling twist, including chevron […]
BOYERTOWN, Pa. — A former Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern diesel has found a new home — and a new look — on Pennsylvania’s Colebrookdale Railroad. High-nose GP38-2 No. 5128, built by EMD in 1974, has been acquired by the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust thanks to a gift from Scott and Susan Bentley, and now […]
BALTIMORE — The B&O Railroad Museum has launched a new website, AmericanRail200.org, intended as a one-stop source of information on the bicentennial of American railroading in 2027. The site will serve as the central clearinghouse for events and news, with organizations and individuals invited to upload information so users can find information on events nationwide. […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s Abraham Lincoln commemorative locomotive will be displayed at baseball’s College World Series, the railroad has announced. The locomotive, along with cars from the UP heritage fleet, will be on display at the railroad’s “Home Plate” location adjacent to Charles Schwab Field, site of the baseball tournament, from noon to 6 […]
Among the delights of railroad travel is departing and arriving at great stations. I have more than a few favorite stations, so I’ll limit today’s essay to active stations served by regularly scheduled trains. This excludes favorites that are gone but not forgotten, such as Philadelphia’s magnificent Broad Street Station; station buildings that survive but […]
