Three great paint schemes on Class Ones today

orange and gray painted locomotive

Three great paint schemes A paint scheme on a locomotive is the visual face of a railroad. It’s what the public sees, and field employees work on and around daily. Some schemes may appeal to some but not others. I’ll run down what I find appealing trackside within the Class I rosters today and explain […]

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Residents speak out against CP-KCS merger at Iowa meeting

Freight train with red locomotives on tracks near river

DAVENPORT, Iowa — The second in a series of comment sessions on the draft environmental report for the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger was held Tuesday evening in Davenport, with Iowa residents questioning whether the report from the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Assessment accurately reflected the impact on their communities. The Quad […]

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Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs

Black-and-white photo of end-cab switcher at diesel servicing track

Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs. Burlington Northern (BN) had more than 2,000 diesel locomotives on its roster. With a fleet of that size, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there were more than a few Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs. Paint scheme variations, wreck rebuilds, and test subjects were among the examples I found when searching […]

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More Amtrak services set to be suspended

Passenger train runs on single track with Chicago skyline in the background

Amtrak will suspend seven more long-distance trains as of today (Wednesday, Sept. 14) as it prepares for a possible interruption of national freight rail service. Also, the three regional operations in California — the San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor, and Pacific Surfliner — are preparing for service disruptions to begin Thursday and take full effect on […]

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Metra says some lines will be halted by freight rail strike

Commuter trains meet on curve

CHICAGO —Metra expects it will be unable to operate on at least some of its 11 Chicago-area commuter rail lines in the event of a work stoppage on Class I freight rail lines, the agency said in a statement today (Tuesday, Sept. 13). Commuter operators elsewhere are also beginning to assess their situations in light […]

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What my garden railroad taught me

two children watching a model train on a garden railway

What my garden railroad taught me: Our first garden line, The Johnsville & Cripple Creek, was complete – as these things go. We moved. I looked forward to starting over. Construction on the Hitchcock Railway began a few months after moving in – and continued for more than 10 years. When NMRA National Convention visitors […]

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Why I love the Electro-Motive Division SD40-2

Black train engine leads train past fences and a reservoir

Why I love the Electro-Motive Division SD40-2 Many modelers have a locomotive that they are fond of, probably one of their first models that they received as a kid. My first engine was an O gauge F7, a far cry from the locomotive that I love, the Electro-Motive Division SD40-2. In fact, nine years later […]

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Genesee & Wyoming donates rare RS1325 to Illinois Railway Museum

Two orange and black locomotives hauling tank cars

UNION, Ill. — The Electro-Motive Division of General Motors built just two RS1325 locomotives. Both have now been saved. Genesee & Wyoming Inc., the worldwide shortline and rail services company, is donating former Chicago & Illinois Midland RS1325 No. 30 to the Illinois Railway Museum. The IRM board approved the donation Saturday night and  transportation […]

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Toledo, Peoria and Western strike ends

Two women stand in front of a steam locomotive with large ice block

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appeared in the June 1947 issue of Trains magazine following the resumption of service on the strike-crippled Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway.     Things are peaceful again after the Toledo, Peoria and Western strike ends. The bitter 19-month strike which was climaxed by the murder of President George McNear is […]

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