HILL CITY, S.D.— If you had a question, needed a photo, or just wanted to chat about railroading in South Dakota, there was only one person to go to: Rick W. Mills. Mills, who wrote several books on South Dakota railroading and served as the curator of the South Dakota Railroad Museum, died unexpected April […]
The rumble of Canadian Pacific’s 4-6-4 Empress No. 2816 and Union Pacific’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 echoed across thousands of miles in 2024. What made these journeys truly remarkable and deserving a brighter spotlight? Both locomotives were equipped with fully compliant, standalone Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. This means they can independently navigate their […]
Second of two parts. Part one is available here. LANDQUART, Switzerland — After winding through a number of other buildings, the tour of the Rhatische Bahn’s main shops by Markus Zaugg, the railroad’s head of rolling stock, eventually wound its way to the 19-stall roundhouse Zaugg says is “probably the most famous railway spot in […]
First of two parts LANDQUART, Switzerland — A railroad’s shops can tell you a lot about the company in general. That was certainly the case from a visit to the main shops of the meter-gauge Rhätische Bahn, which firmly keeps one foot in the past while also embracing cutting-edge technology. My host for this tour […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Expansion of high-speed rail in Ontario and Quebec, infrastructure projects to support trade, and efforts to simplify approval for major construction are part of the party platform released Saturday (April 20) by Canada’s Liberal Party and Prime Minister Mark Carney. Saying Canadian sovereignty is “under threat,” the platform calls for nearly Ca$130 […]
The Lexington Group for Transportation History has announced the establishment of the H. Roger Grant Award for outstanding scholarship in railroad history. The $5,000 award, made possible through support of Julia Grant in honor of her father, Roger, will honor the best book, published by an academic or trade press, on the subject of railroad […]
ARKVILLE, N.Y. — The Delaware & Ulster Railroad, a heritage rail operation that last ran in 2019, has announced plans to resume operation beginning in May. “The railroad is heading in a new direction literally and figuratively,” Todd Pascarella, executive director of the Catskills Revialization Corp., the nonprofit organization that operates the railroad, said in […]
FRESNO, Calif. — A Southern Pacific steam locomotive on display in a Fresno park for almost 70 years is about to receive a new home. SP No. 1238, a class S-10 Baldwin 0-6-0 built in 1918, is slated to be moved from Fresno’s Roeding Park to the city of Kingsburg, about 24 miles to the […]
GOLDEN, Colo. — The Rocky Mountain Railroad Club will merge with the Colorado Railroad Museum, the two organizations have announced, allowing the efforts of the club to continue even as it disbands after 87 years. “This merger will formally end the work of the Rocky Club, but our goal is to nurture the continuation of […]
Note: General travel information on visiting the Rhätishe Bahn is available here. North American railfans can only dream of their interests receiving the kind of respect from a major railroad that is displayed by the Rhätische Bahn, the meter-gauge, electrified railway in the Swiss canton of Graubünden we are featuring in the June and July […]
Space precluded inclusion of “If You Go” information with June’s Trains Magazine feature on Switzerland’s Rhätische Bahn (the first of two parts), but for anyone who might like to visit, here are a few notes: Getting there From Zurich’s main train station, direct service on the Swiss Federal Railways, or SBB, to Chur — the […]
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