CEOs from BNSF, CN, NS set to appear at MARS meeting

Mars logo

LOMBARD, Ill. — CEOs of three Class I railroads are among the impressive list of speakers for this year’s winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, set for Jan. 17-19 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill. Katie Farmer of BNSF Railway, Tracy Robinson of Canadian National, and Alan Shaw of […]

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Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee remembered

Streamlined electric passenger train crossing railroad tracks at grade during Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee history

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee history is tied to the transit needs of Chicago and Milwaukee. In 1891 the Waukegan & North Shore Rapid Transit Co. was incorporated — a trolley line for the city of Waukegan, Ill., on the shore of Lake Michigan, 36 miles north of Chicago. In 1897, by which time it […]

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20th Century Limited: ‘The Greatest Train Ever Made’

Streamlined diesel locomotives on 20th Century Limited passenger train along river

New York Central’s 20th Century Limited was dubbed “The Greatest Train Ever Made.” In the first half of the 20th century, New York and Chicago were the two largest, most dynamic cities in the U.S. and titans of commerce. Big business demanded in-person company meetings, thus the need for fast travel between New York and […]

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Biggest 4-6-2 Pacific: Omaha Road’s E-3 class

Three-quarter rear view of biggest 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive

The biggest 4-6-2 Pacific came from a surprisingly small railroad.     Any history of the American steam locomotive must save some superlatives for the 4-6-2 Pacific. The wheel arrangement allowed a wide variety of design and performance, such that approximately 6,000 were manufactured in the first half of the 20th century, all in the […]

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Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee equipment remembered

Streamlined Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee equipment under catenary

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee equipment set it apart from other electric interurban lines. Please enjoy this photo gallery selected from files in Kalmbach Media‘s David P. Morgan Library.     Each month since October 2019, Classic Trains editors have selected one Fallen Flag to honor. A Fallen Flag is a railroad whose name and heritage have succumbed […]

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“Annie” FAs at Durand

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Ann Arbor Railroad freight TF-1, led by Alco FA diesels in the blue-white-gray of AA parent Wabash, crosses one of the Grand Trunk Western diamonds at Durand, Mich., in the late 1940s or early ’50s. Rail Photo Service photo […]

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Hot Spot: Neenah, Wis.

red and gray locomotive

Neenah Neenah, Wis., is one of those towns you have probably never heard of. There is, however, a good chance that something from Neenah impacts your life every day. Take a good look at the next manhole cover you cross. If it’s cast with the words “Neenah Foundry Co., Neenah, WI,” you now know the […]

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Amtrak cancellations, long departure delays continue

Diesel with front caked with snow crosses diamond

CHICAGO — While sub-zero cold and blizzard conditions had begun to moderate somewhat across much of the Midwest toward the end of the holiday weekend, Amtrak has continued to cancel trains on less than 24 hours’ notice for “mechanical” and “manpower” issues, as well as the weather. A running list of trains not operating continues […]

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Rail union seeks Iowa bill to limit train length

Logo of SMART-TD union

DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa representative of the SMART-TD union says the union will try again next year to advance a bill that would limit freight train lengths in the state. House File 2339, introduced last February, was sponsored by outgoing Rep. David Maxwell (R-District 76). It would not allow any train “that exceeds […]

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