Watch steam return to the scenic Great Smoky Mountains Railroad! In July 2016 we filmed 2-8-0 No. 1702 as it returned to service after an absence of more than a decade! You’ll see the latest excursions as well as historic footage of this classic steam locomotive! […]
[…]
BERLIN — Touting its arrival as “a blockbuster; I think it will revolutionize the railway industry,” Alstom Chairman and CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge highlighted the company’s first train powered by hydrogen fuel-cell technology during a Tuesday press conference at InnoTrans, the world’s largest rail industry conference. As part of an overview of the state of his […]
An eastbound Napoleon, Defiance & Western train passes the new crossing gates at Scott Street in Napoleon, Ohio, on Oct. 19, 2014. The new grade crossing protection is arguably the newest equipment of any kind on this short line. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]
Amtrak Assistant Conductor Tony Brey punches a bicyclist’s ticket for the eastbound Empire Builder on Monday. Amtrak will now accept bicycles without disassembling at most station stops for long-distance trains. Steve Glischinski Amtrak Assistant Conductor Paul Trossen loads a bicycle into a baggage car on the Empire Builder Monday. Steve Glischinski A bicycle loaded on […]
Charlie Conway’s short stay in Great Britain included plenty of time to railfan in England and Wales. This Trackside Postcard to Drew features snapshots of great train-watching (and riding) locales in Cardiff, Southampton, and London. […]
No summertime blues for host Drew Halverson this year! That’s because he managed to begin his summer of trackside treks with a day trip to the Windy City. Upon arrival in West Chicago, Ill., Drew, Kent, Ben, and special guest Kevin P. Keefe, chased Union Pacific freight and a parade of Metra commuter trains along […]
Clean BNSF Railway locomotives, clean ballast, and clean freight cars, match a clean, crystalline blue sky at the lower portion of “Sullivan’s Curve” in this October 2013 shot in California’s famed Cajon Pass. Photo by Steve Sweeney […]
From the beginning of U.S. railroading, each railroad chose its own whistles that varied from high to low in pitch. Alex Mayes Q Have American steam engines always used a low-pitched or bass whistle, instead of a high-pitched whistle? – James Kelty, San Anselmo, Calif. A Steam whistles chosen by American railroads were almost always […]
Take one last look at the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum’s Secret City Excursion Train, which closed earlier in 2016 after more than 20 years in operation. You’ll see a finely restored Seaboard Coast Line EMD SD45 and a classic Alco C420 in operation in the hills of northern Tennessee. The museum plans to continue its […]
No. 4501 leads a 14 car train through Orange, Va., on the former Southern Railway main line, in May 1985. Alex Mayes CHATANOOGA, Tenn. – Inspired by an affirmation for steam and the startup of Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam program, a documentary discussing the history of Southern Railway 2-8-2 No. 4501 is now available. […]
Grand Prize winner: A reflection of a BNSF Railway engine in water droplets near Old Monroe, Mo., on the BNSF K-Line. Barry Gaston This year we are publishing our 77th volume, so it seemed fitting to call the 2017 Trains Photo Contest “Lucky 7.” As always, you can interpret our theme in any way you […]
