ROANOKE, Va. — Norfolk & Western Class A locomotive No. 1218, the 2-6-6-4 built by the railroad’s East End Shops in Roanoke in 1943, will be added to the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as a Virginia Historic Landmark. The locomotive, retired in 1959 and restored for excursion service between 1987 […]
In every issue News, p. 4 California drops zero-emission locomotive rule Bill Stephens, p. 8 BNSF’s double-tracking persistence pays off History with Hankey, p. 10 A railroad-themed float at a president’s inauguration Great Railfan Roads, p. 42 Route 66 is the country’s greatest railfan road Brian Solomon, p. 50 United Kingdom celebrates two centuries of […]
Wisconsin’s East Troy Railroad Museum garners an impressive volunteer base. Many are young individuals with a keen interest in preserving and operating the 7-mile, electric interurban line, along with its collection of trolleys and streetcars. Those volunteers made a lasting impression on 31-year-old Christopher Schmidt, who now wears multiple hats for the organization by volunteering […]
The Fore River Railroad, a 2.5-mile short line in Quincy, Massachusetts, has defied the odds by surviving and thriving for 122 years. Originally established in 1903 to serve a new shipyard, the railroad was formally incorporated in 1919. Despite the shipyard’s closure in 1986, the Fore River Railroad continues to operate, thanks to a combination […]
KYUNE, Utah — The test train for next year’s expansion of Rocky Mountaineer service to Salt Lake City is well into its six-day round trip from Denver. Rocky Mountaineer’s parent company, now known as Armstrong Collective, announced earlier this month that in 2026, it would add three-day trips between Denver and Salt Lake City to […]
SUGARCREEK, Ohio — The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum will launch its 2025 season on Thursday, April 3, the museum has announced. The season will run through Nov. 22, with tours offered on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. Family tours begin June 6 and conclude Aug. 30. Special events, […]
BALTIMORE — Ben Griswold, a partner at investment firm Brown Advisory, will join CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs as a co-chair of the B&O Railroad Museum’s $38 million capital campaign, the museum has announced. Griswold is the great-great-great-grant grandson of Alex Brown, who in 1800 founded the first investment bank in the United States. It was […]
BOONTON, N.J. — The long-lost New Jersey car from the post-World War II “Merci Train” has been rediscovered and will be returned to the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey for restoration. The URHS reports the car has been donated by the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. It was […]
Spring has officially sprung, and like warmer days ahead, announcements will soon be heating up for when and where you can experience big mainline steam in 2025. Some of these massive locomotives have already gotten head starts in their operating seasons with more expected to be out of hibernation before Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial […]
ELKHART, Ind. — Initial fundraising for the campaign to restore New York Central 4-8-2 No. 3001 has passed the halfway mark, with a new challenge grant launched to help bring in more funds. The American Locomotive Project seeks to restore the 1940 Alco, ownership of which was transferred from the City of Elkhart to the […]
DENVER — Although seasonal revenue round trips between Denver and Salt Lake City won’t debut until April 2026, Rocky Mountaineer single-level SilverLeaf equipment will make a six-day training round trip to the Utah capital next week. It will also be the tour train’s initial departure from Denver Union Station. Beginning this year, passengers will leave […]
CHICAGO — Improvements and 52 stations and replacement of 43 grade crossings are part of Metra’s planned capital projects during its 2025 construction season, the commuter rail operator announced Tuesday, March 18. Track, bridge, and signal work is also on the agenda. “We plan to take full advantage of the construction season to address projects […]
