This Map of the Month appeared in the May 2004 issue of Trains magazine. If a system map is an archaeological record of mergers, acquisitions, abandonments, and line sales, then a crew-district map is the record of all of these, plus technological change and traffic pattern change, with a great deal of law and contract negotiations […]
This Map of the Month appeared in the January 2004 issue of Trains. Al first glance, this looks like the route map of an airline. In reality, it’s BNSF Railway’s merchandise freight traffic network (i.e., cars not moving in unit trains from one common origin to one destination). It’s no coincidence they look the same, for […]
Great Northern Railway’s St. Paul, Minn.-Seattle transcontinental main line, now part of BNSF Railway, was built in the early 1890s as the northernmost such route in the United States, crossing the Continental Divide in the Lewis Range at Marias Pass, 5,213 feet above sea level. The Great Bear Wilderness in Lewis and Clark National Forest […]
This Map of the Month was featured in the June 2003 issue of Trains magazine. We know railroads experienced a lot of traffic growth since they were deregulated in 1980, but where? And more importantly, which lines did better or worse than average? This map of western main lines compares the growth rate in tonnage […]
MIAMI – Even if 40 miles of new track are not built by 2014, a new privately-run passenger service in Florida may run anyway, the head of passenger rail development for Florida East Coast Industries tells Trains News Wire. Eugene Skoropowski, who was named senior vice president of passenger rail development earlier this month, said […]
A westbound Z-train roars through West Chana, Ill., on the BNSF Aurora Sub. Photo by Nathan Beecher […]
The Western Maryland, or “Wild Mary” as it was known to its many fans, was a a tenacious regional railroad, running west from Baltimore to the mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It was known for its fast freights, coal traffic, and the iconic Helmstetter’s Curve. Download this month’s Trains Express PDF package at the […]
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An Alta Velocidad Espanola train soars through Cordoba, Spain, on March 21, 2010. AVE, as it’s known, is also the Spanish word for “bird.” Photo by Brian Solomon […]
Today, it’s a busy Metra station, but on Sept. 27, 1979, LaSalle Street Station in downtown Chicago was a place for rust and weeds. An extended strike crippled the Rock Island Railroad, leading to the desolate scene. Photo by Ralcon Wagner […]
A westbound BNSF Z-train, hauling new J.B. Hunt Intermodal containers, pounds the diamonds at Rochelle, Illinois. Photo by Nathan Beecher […]
