Fox River Expansion transforms National Railroad Museum

Train passes new railroad museum building. National Railroad Museum opens Fox River Expansion.

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — The National Railroad Museum has opened its new Fox River Expansion, a 21,000 square foot, climate-controlled exhibit hall, which faces the waterway running along the museum campus. The $17 million project is the first of four museum expansion phases and has been nearly 10 years in the making. The new facility, says […]

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Big Boy No. 4014 scheduled for another run to Denver

Big Boy rounding a curve on a cloudy day

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Big Boy No. 4014’s 2025 season isn’t over yet! The Union Pacific Railroad announced to Steam Club members (Sept. 18) that the 4-8-8-4 will make another overnight visit to Denver in late September-early October.  The locomotive is scheduled to travel from Cheyenne (11:00 a.m. departure) to Denver on Sept. 30, and return […]

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Illinois Railway Museum to restore ‘Centennial’ diesel to operation

Yellow diesel locomotive on display

UNION, Ill. — The Illinois Railway Museum has announced ambitious plans to restore its Union Pacific DDA40 “Centennial” No. 6930 to full operational status. The “Revive the Centennial” campaign was publicly unveiled on Sept. 17 via the museum’s social media channels. This significant undertaking will involve extensive upgrades and repairs, including the crucial acquisition and […]

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Woodstown Central 0-6-0 No. 9 returns to service

Black and gray steam locomotive with large smoke plume running in woods.

WOODSTOWN, N.J. — On Saturday, Sept. 20, steam locomotive No. 9 of the Woodstown Central Railroad will re-debut to the public, following an extensive period of repairs. In April, the Alco-built 0-6-0 was sidelined by an overheated journal on its central axle during an excursion, necessitating repairs beyond the capabilities of the tourist railroad’s South […]

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10,000-mile journey: CPKC’s epic rail documentary debuts

steam train in distance

CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC has turned the 2024 Final Spike Tour, featuring No. 2816, the Empress 4-6-4 steam locomotive, into a 50-minute documentary that will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 at the Calgary International Film Festival. Titled The Pulse of the Continent, this breathtaking film chronicles the 76-day journey marking the first anniversary of […]

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Fall for 2025’s Big Steam

Steam locomotive rounds curve during a fall day

Summer 2025 left fans of big steam wanting more, with Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 being the sole Class I representative — and with a limited appearance at that. The remaining locomotives on the scene were few and far between, staying on short lines and tourist railroads. Good news, though: For those disappointed in […]

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Young Guns in Preservation: Andrew Ossler

Young individual leaning out of cab of a steam locomotive

Andrew Ossler grew up visiting one of North America’s largest railroad museums, located just a short drive from his home. That helped cultivate a passion for railroading in the now 26-year-old, who has since joined the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill., as a key volunteer. A teacher by day, Ossler spends his spare time […]

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