Minnesota Commercial Railway owner John Gohmann dies

Balding caucasian man wearing eyeglasses and brown coat.

John Gohmann, owner of the Minnesota Commercial Railroad — a notable early success story in the shortline industry that developed in the wake of Staggers Act deregulation — has died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Libertyville, Ill. He was 73. Gohmann began his railroad career as a yard clerk for the Chicago & […]

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Historical society, Cumbres & Toltec reach agreement on 15-year inspection for D&RGW No. 315

Older steam locomotive pulling a train along a grassy flat area.

ANTONITO, Colo. — The Durango Railroad Historical Society and Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad will perform the Federal Railroad Administration-required 15-year inspection on D&RGW C-18 locomotive No. 18, the 2-8-0 built by Baldwin for the Florence & Cripple Creek. The work will be performed in the Cumbres & Toltec’s Antonito shops, with historical society volunteers […]

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East Broad Top schedules September, October events

ORBISONIA, Pa. — The revitalized East Broad Top Railroad has announced several fall events, offering visitors several opportunities to visit the railroad, ride trains and enjoy a barbecue dinner. On Friday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 19, 90-minute guided tours of the East Broad Top shops complex will be offered at 11 a.m. and 2 […]

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Backdating the East Broad Top: how much is too much?

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — With rehabilitation and restoration of the East Broad Top Railroad under way, the EBT Foundation staff is beginning to deal with the issue of backdating. How far and how much should it change in order to give the property the appearance of its common-carrier days (1870s-1956)? A recent trip through Rockhill […]

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U.S. Steel looks to sell remaining rail operations

United States Steel Corp., which is struggling amid the steep downturn in demand, is poised to sell the remaining railroads held by its Transtar subsidiary, Trains News Wire has learned. Multiple rail industry sources say the steelmaker plans to put the Transtar lines up for sale soon. A U.S. Steel spokeswoman said the company does […]

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White Pass & Yukon receives second new locomotive NEWSWIRE

White_Pass_Loco

The second of the White Pass & Yukon’s new diesels arrives in Skagway, Alaska, on Monday. White Pass & Yukon Tuesday morning rail news in brief: — The White Pass & Yukon has received the second in its order of 10 new locomotives. National Railway Equipment E3000CC-DC No. 3001 arrived in Skagway, Alaska, by ship […]

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Final days of steam in western China

A steam locomotive billows smoke and steam under a twilight sky in an industrial rail yard.

Editors’ note: The author and photographers are graduates of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s rail engineering program. This is their first Trains byline. In North America, the days of steam railroading are a distant memory, and coal traffic is slowly headed the way of steam. In Europe and Japan, steam enthusiasts eagerly attend steam […]

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Durango & Silverton buys White Pass & Yukon diesels

WhitePass_Diesels_Johnston

DURANGO, Colo. — The Durango & Silverton is expanding its locomotive roster, adding four diesels with the potential to be tourist attractions in their own right. The D&S has announced it is acquiring four of the White Pass & Yukon Railway’s distinctive Montreal Locomotive Works DL535C diesels, 1,200-hp C-C locomotives built in 1969 and 1971. […]

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