Trains News Wire now lives under a new site section called TrainsPRO. To learn more, click here.
ALNA, Maine — The Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum has kicked off a new fundraising campaign to send its reconstruction project to the finish line. The organization of Maine’s 2’ gauge lore has been building an all-new coach since 2017. Coach No. 9 is a replica of one of two wooden coaches originally built […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) recently announced that 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 is ready to return to excursion service, beginning May 9. The locomotive was sidelined during the 2024 season for extensive work on the pistons, cylinders, and running gear [see “Western Maryland Scenic No. 1309 nears reassembly,” News Wire, Jan. 22, 2025]. […]
ABILENE, Kan. — The operating season is ramping up for the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad. The same is true for major work on the railroad’s former Rock Island branch — between Abilene and Enterprise — and its Santa Fe steam locomotive No. 3415. Accoring to a May 7 article from KSAL radio, the railroad’s […]
[…]
WOODSTOWN, N.J. — The Woodstown Central Railroad will see another expansion to its excursion fleet, this time in the form of a favorite among tourist railroad circles: the open air car. Former Lehigh & New England Railroad composite gondola No. 10301 will debut on May 10 as part of the Woodstown Central’s Scenic Rambler between […]
STRASBURG, Pa. — The Strasburg Rail Road wasted no time unleashing its workhorse, 2-10-0 No. 90 back onto the tourist railroad’s main line through the Amish countryside. The locomotive began 45-minute excursion runs by early April, mechanically fresh from a federally mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection that began in early 2024. Cosmetically, the gold numbers, lettering, […]
Recently, I began teaching a series of classes at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania titled Railroad Photography 101. I cover the basics in this two-hour course, beginning with a short digital slide show encompassing more than 60 years of photography. I also provide a list of 10 basic tips — things like making sure batteries […]
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Reading Co. T-1 No. 2100 is nearing the finish line of its restoration at the hands of the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association (ASR). As part of the fundraising efforts to complete the project, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has partnered with the Cincinnati Scenic Railway (CSR) to offer 50 benefit […]
This full-page ad from roller bearing manufacturer Timken appeared 75 years ago in the May 1950 issue of Trains Magazine. It’s a reminder that roller bearings represented a huge advancement over the earlier friction, or plain, bearing design. Axle-mounted roller bearings are a critical component in modern railroading due to their role in enhancing efficiency, […]
Although replaced in recent years by roller bearings, friction bearings (also called solid bearings or plain bearings) were a railroad standard for many years. Friction bearings were blocks of metal, usually brass, resting atop the axle and lubricated by oil-saturated wool waste enclosed in a hinged-lid journal box. To keep the bearing from getting too […]
Almost exactly 160 years ago, the American Civil War wound down to a messy and anticlimactic end. By December 1864, it was apparent the Union had prevailed. It didn’t necessarily win, but at least southern secession had been thwarted. If noticed at all, the anniversary might be an occasion to recount the many roles railroading […]
Livestock shipments and railroads had a love-hate relationship that kindled in the 1850s, blossomed after the Civil War, matured with the growth of big-city stockyards and giant meat-processing plants, then slowly faded in the 1960s and 1970s. While it lasted, livestock shipments were a major part of the railroad scene. Hammered by aging physical plants […]
