KENILWORTH, Ill. – J. Reilly McCarren, majority owner and chairman of the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, died of cancer Sunday at his home in Kenilworth. McCarren, a 1978 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, enjoyed a long career in the railroad industry. He served as president and CEO of Wisconsin Central and led the […]
Railroad: Short Lines/Regionals
Ma & Pa six-wheel switcher

Maryland & Pennsylvania 0-6-0 No. 30 stands at the road’s ramshackle coal dock at Baltimore in March 1955. H. N. Proctor photo […]
Obituary: Hugh Tarbutton, 82 NEWSWIRE

Hugh Tarbutton, in white shirt, poses at a 1993 event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Sandersville Railroad. His brother, Ben, is second from left. Tom Hord Hugh Tarbutton, president of Georgia’s Sandersville Railroad, has died at age 82. A lifelong resident of Sandersville, he was employed by or led the short line for more […]
Former Illinois Terminal Bloomington station razed NEWSWIRE

A Norfolk Southern freight passes the structure just before its demolition on Thursday. Steve Smedley BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Like so many others before it, a former Interurban station has bit the dust, literally, as the former Illinois Traction System station and warehouse complex, located in the warehouse district south of downtown Bloomington, Illinois was razed […]
Minnesota Southern to reopen line, acquires larger locomotives NEWSWIRE

A Minnesota Southern train crosses a trestle at Magnolia. Steve Glischinski LUVERNE, Minn. – The Minnesota Southern Railway hopes to reopen the western end of its line following flooding which devastated the railroad last summer. Heavy rains struck the area in June, heavily damaging the railroad. No trains have reached the west end of the […]
Vermont Rail System locomotive roster
NOTES: 1. Owned by Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority 2. Lettered Washington County Railroad 3. Painted in 50th anniversary scheme 4. Built as ACL GP7 No. 103 in 1950, rebuilt by SCL to GP16 ABBREVIATIONS: CLP – Clarendon & Pittsford Railroad GMRC – Green Mountain Railroad NY&OC – New York & Ogdensburg Railway VTR – […]
Hazardous materials to return to Lac-Mégantic’s rails NEWSWIRE
LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec – Fifteen months after an oil train derailed and exploded in the heart of Lac-Mégantic, city officials have come to an agreement with the Central Maine & Quebec Railway to allow hazardous materials through the community by rail. The new agreement, passed unanimously by the city council earlier this week, puts various restrictions […]
Iowa Pacific purchases Illinois Central E units from CN NEWSWIRE

Nos. 100 and 101 running around an excursion train in Wisconsin in December 2012. Steve Glischinski CHICAGO – Iowa Pacific Holding is the top bidder for two Illinois Central E units from Canadian National. The two units, E9s Nos. 100 and 101 were put up for sale earlier this year after CN deemed them surplus. […]
Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 20 – Lombard Canyon, MT

After days on the road, this “epic” Trackside Adventure finally settles into a heavenly patch of Big Sky country, otherwise known as Lombard Canyon, Montana. Drew Halverson and the MRVP crew make the most of their time here by capturing MRL main line action from several panoramic vantage points in and around the canyon. […]
Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 20 – Lombard Canyon, MT

After days on the road, this “epic” Trackside Adventure finally settles into a heavenly patch of Big Sky country, otherwise known as Lombard Canyon, Montana. Drew Halverson and the MRVP crew make the most of their time here by capturing MRL main line action from several panoramic vantage points in and around the canyon. […]
Crew injured in Arkansas & Missouri derailment NEWSWIRE

Dale Rush FORT SMITH, Ark. – The conductor and engineer of an Arkansas & Missouri train that derailed Friday morning have come away with only minor injuries from the incident. Both have been released from the hospital. No hazardous materials are involved. According to Police Chief Ron Sparks, the southbound, 98-car train derailed at a […]
Mineral Range Railroad handles first revenue loads NEWSWIRE
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Mineral Range Railroad has pulled its first revenue carloads of nickel and copper concentrate from the Humboldt Mill. Ore is trucked from the Eagle Mine northwest of Marquette to the Humboldt Mill west of Ishpeming – making about 15 trips per day – where it is processed into concentrates that are […]