The quiet of rural Iowa is temporarily interrupted by the roar of a passing train. Here, a Chicago & North Western GP50 and two St. Louis Southwestern SD45s hustle a unit grain train across an HO scale module constructed by Bill Larsen for the Midwest Mod-U-Trak Club. Matt Kosic of Orland Park, Ill., took the […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak says ridership on the St. Paul-Chicago route is up 227% since the introduction of the Borealis, which made its debut one year ago today, on May 21, 2024. Preliminary figures through the first 11 months of service show more than 205,800 riders on the Borealis, funded by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, […]
WITTMANN, Ariz. — Residents of the unincorporated community of Wittmann are considering cityhood, in part as a response to BNSF’s plans for a $3.2 billion logistics center in the area. The Arizona Republic reports an incorporation drive is under way as a method of giving the area, about 35 miles northwest of Phoenix, more control […]
DOVER, Del. — Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer is calling for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to continue service on a commuter rail line that reaches into the state, pledging to help find a method to keep the trains running. The Delaware News Journal reports that Meyer, a Democrat who took office this year, wrote the […]
Train-watching basics: Among the ways in which people participate in the railroad hobby, the simple act of watching trains is the most popular. Some railfans thrill to the power of thousands of tons of steel rushing by. Others watch for new locomotive types, or old classics running out their last miles. Many focus on […]
BOSTON — New equipment for the commuter rail fleet is among the major projects planned under the 2026-30 Capital Improvement Plan approved on Tuesday, May 20, by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board. The plan, which calls for $9.8 billion in capital expenditures over the next five fiscal years, includes more than 660 projects, the […]
CASS, W.Va — Cass Scenic Railroad and operator Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has announced the return of Parade of Steam for 2025. The increasingly popular event, which began in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled for June 14 at the Cass Depot. According to the railroad website, up to six […]
Q: When I was looking at pictures of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy locomotive fleet, I noticed small numbers near the herald on some diesels. Were those numbers tied to the control system used on the layout, or did they have another meaning? — Jason Trew A: Those single- and double-digit numbers near the herald on […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern resumed service last month between Asheville, N.C., and points west for the first time since Hurricane Helene devastated the AS Line in September. The railroad’s rebuilding efforts now will turn to restoring its line between Old Fort and Grovestone, N.C., which includes the historic Old Fort Loops, NS said today. NS […]
ELBE, Wash. — The last few weeks have been devastating for the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad. And yet, the heritage line about 45 miles south of Tacoma, Wash., is not only continuing to operate, but finding reasons to be positive. On the evening of April 30, the railroad’s largest wooden bridge — a 400-foot-long, 70-high […]
GENEVA, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Railway will host a series of family-friendly excursions and adults-only wine-tasting trains this summer. The Finger Lakes Rail Experience is a new collaboration between the short line, FMW Solutions, United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, Operation Toy Train, Seneca Lakes Wine Train, more than a dozen local wineries […]
A clean locomotive on a bright, sunny day – you can’t ask for much more when you go trackside. Gary Hoover of Florissant, Mo., caught a virtually spotless CSX Dash 8-44CW on the point of a priority freight near the fictitious community of Oak Grove, Ill. The HO scale action takes place on Gary’s old […]
