F7, undressed

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This 1949 view of the erecting floor at EMD shows a 567 diesel engine, generator (on the deck at the left of the engine), and electrical cabinet (far left) in place on an F7 frame. An FP7 is taking shape in the background. EMD photo […]

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Storm cancellations, maintenance failures continue to plague Amtrak: Analysis (updated)

Passenger train passing through snow-covered yard with Chicago skyline in distance

CHICAGO — Amtrak’s “new normal” for handling anticipated severe weather — cancelling trains rather than operating them into a region where a storm is predicted — has proven to be a significant change from decades past when passenger rail earned an “all-weather” reputation. Fewer railroad resources in far-flung locations and Amtrak’s stretched-thin equipment situation are […]

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Diesel pioneers

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A GP9 and RS11 work in Crookston, Minn., on Aug. 15, 1969. Northern Pacific went from hauling 35 percent of its tonnage behind diesel in 1950 to complete dieselization in January 1958. Bells retired from steam locomotives found their way onto GP9 replacements. Doug Wingfield photo […]

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Grand Trunk Western passenger trains remembered

a streamliner pulling passenger cars with chicago in the background

All through January 2025, the Grand Trunk Western is Classic Trains‘ Railroad of the Month! In this photo gallery, please enjoy images of Grand Trunk Western passenger trains selected from the archives of the David P. Morgan Library at Firecrown Media! This photo gallery had previously been published in May 2020. Only from Trains.com! […]

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Milwaukee Road’s A-class: ultimate 4-4-2 Atlantic-type

Streamlined 4-4-2 Atlantic-type steam locomotive below bridge

  By 1935, it would have been sensible to consider the 4-4-2 Atlantic-type steam locomotive all but obsolete, at least insofar as new construction was concerned. In the U.S., the design could be traced back to the 1880s, and ultimately about 1,900 of the type were built. Its heydays were the years surrounding World War […]

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FTA finalizes grant for Chicago’s Red Line Extension

Map illustrating new transit route.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has signed a grant agreement for $1.97 billion in funding for the 5.5-mile extension of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line, the first line of the L system to reach the Far South Side. The extension is the largest single transit project in CTA history. The grant fulfills a […]

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Robert Wegner, Kalmbach illustrator, dies at 83

Man working at computer on illustrations

RICHFIELD, Wis. — For more than 40 years, readers of Trains magazine were the beneficiaries of one of railroad publishing’s most accomplished but unsung talents, a man who created hundreds of the railroad maps that helped seal the magazine’s reputation. But unless you read the tiny, 6-point type in the corner, you wouldn’t know the […]

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Six rail routes receive federal grants for service improvements

Passenger train crossing bridge with ocean in background

WASHINGTON — Four state-supported Amtrak routes, Connecticut’s CTRail, and Florida’s Brightline will receive a total of more than $146 million for service improvements from the Federal Railroad Administration, the agency announced today (Friday, Jan. 10). The funding comes from the Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program. It was announced at the same time as FRA funding […]

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EnterTRAINment Junction: Remembering a Legendary Layout

Colorful large-scale steam train passes by a depot

Original article published in Garden Railway’s Dec. 2019 issue by Bill Mefford; edited and updated for Trains.com by Lucas Iverson. For many model railroaders and garden railway enthusiasts, a trip to the Greater Cincinnati Tri-State area was on the bucket list. That’s because it was the home to EnterTRAINment Junction, which boasted the biggest indoor […]

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