Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific had a fleet of 85 4-8-4 Northerns, largest in the country. Here, No. 5058 leads a westbound freight near Lawrence, Kans., in January 1952. Robert P. Olmsted photo […]
Superlative steam
Type of Train: Steam Locomotive
C&O No. 614 restoration to begin after arrival at Strasburg
STRASBURG, Pa. — Not even the dreary weather put a damper on the arrival of Chesapeake & Ohio No. 614 at the Strasburg Rail Road on Sunday (June 8, 2025). The Class J3a 4-8-4 arrived in style during the afternoon, as 2-10-0 No. 90 escorted the locomotive along the tourist railroad’s main line from its […]
A 2025 Big Steam Summer
Spring has sprung some big highlights for big steam in 2025. After a two-week stay at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Nickel Plate Road No. 765 made a historic detour along the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway — plus three employee appreciation trips out of Brewster, Ohio, on May 10 — before heading to the […]
MTH Premier Norfolk & Western J-class 4-8-4
MTH Electric Trains continues its presence in the model railroad world, focusing on O, Standard, and One Gauge products. The O gauge lineup has mainly been previously-offered locomotives and rolling stock from the tooling that’s in a shared agreement with Atlas or wasn’t sold to Lionel. Among their offerings, the Norfolk & Western J-class 4-8-4 […]
Sierra Railway No. 3 to make public debut in July after 1,472-day inspection
JAMESTOWN, Calif. — Sierra Railway 4-6-0 No. 3 will make its official public debut on July 12. The locomotive has been out of service since 2021 for its federally mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection. The famed Rogers-built Ten Wheeler-type of Hollywood stardom was returned to steam early in the year. According to a June 3 Facebook […]
Age of Steam museum begins construction of new roundhouse
SUGARCREEK, Ohio — Construction has begun on a new 10-stall roundhouse has begun at the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Sugarcreek, the organization has announced. The new structure, known as the East Roundhouse, is a separate building not connected to the existing 18-stall roundhouse displaying 24 steam locomotives. The East Roundhouse will contain an […]
Prairie State steam
Chicago & North Western train 6, heavy with mail and express, speeds east near Dekalb, Ill., in 1949. H-1 class 4-8-4 No. 3014 is one of 24 such rebuilt locomotives on the roster, built by Baldwin in 1929 as the H class and retired between 1950 and 1956. Classic Trains collection […]
Age of Steam museum to present World War II event
SUGARCREEK, Ohio — The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum will host “Steam to Victory,” a World War II-themed event paying homage to the role railroads played in the war, on Father’s Day weekend, Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14. The event, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, will feature living history reenactors […]
Short film on CPR No. 2816’s 2024 tour to premiere this fall (with video)
CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC will be premiering its short film of Canadian Pacific No. 2816’s 2024 tour this fall. The Calgary International Film Festival, scheduled Sept. 18-28, will set the stage for a public screening of Pulse of the Continent: Final Spike Steam Tour. The 48-minute documentary was produced by the Class I railroad, covering […]
A thrilling 90 mph steam locomotive ride
A thrilling ride on a high-steed steam locomotive is featured in this article from June 1950 Trains Magazine by then-Editor David P. Morgan. Engineer Valentine Ureda pulls up the drop seat within the door of his Hudson’s vestibuled cab, wipes it off with cotton waste, then pauses for a logical question: “Ever ride a steam […]
Durango & Silverton loses land-use case at Colorado Supreme Court
DENVER — The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has lost a land-use fight stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic before the Colorado Supreme Court. The court, in a group of decisions announced May 27, upheld a ruling that LaPlata County had the right to regulate the railroad, as the Colorado Public Utilities Commission had previously […]
4-6-4 Hudson steam locomotives
While growing up in Cleveland and Buffalo after World War II, a close encounter with a 4-6-4 Hudson-type locomotive was just a train ride away. My first memory was as a four-year-old. My family had taken the New York Central to Chicago, and as we walked forward at La Salle Street Station, I was […]
