Denver & Rio Grande Western 3404, from a batch of 16 2-8-8-2 Mallets built by Alco in 1913, gets ready for a run west from Helper, Utah, in June 1947. R. H. Kindig photo […]
Rocky Mountain Mallet
Zone & Region: Mountain West
Rotary snowplow clears Cumbres Pass
Of all the forces that can bring trains to a halt, snow has to be one of the fiercest elements that Mother Nature can throw at a railroad. Keeping the tracks clear is a never-ending battle in the winter months. Depending on the severity, plows and flangers can do a good job winning the battle. […]
Scenic Limited observation car
Passengers fill the rear platform of the observation car on Rio Grande’s Scenic Limited at Denver Union Station in about 1928. Those folks have the best seats in the house for the climb up the Front Range. George Beam photo […]
Amtrak cancels more trains as winter storm advances
CHICAGO — As predictions of high winds and subzero temperatures move east, Amtrak has cancelled all service on some regional and long-distance routes while maintaining reduced service on others. Amtrak had originally planned to maintain full service on Friday, Dec. 23, after projecting cancellations for Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday [see “Amtrak cancels Empire Builder, thins […]
Navajo-owned coal company sues BNSF for breach of contract
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Native American-owned coal company has sued BNSF Railway for breach of contract, claiming the railroad’s preferential treatment of other mines cost it more than $150 million in revenue and $15 million in demurrage penalties in 2022. In a suit filed Monday in federal district court in Montana, Navajo Transitional Energy Co., […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Timelapse Trek to the Tracks
In this extra-long, extended-length, timelapse video (1 hour 20 minutes!), our intrepid railfan/professional photographer Tom Danneman has a long way to go, but makes a point to enjoy the entire journey to, about, and from his favorite trackside destination – Big Sky Country! You’ve seen Tom’s meticulous preparations to his trail-rated 4×4 truck in previous […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Timelapse Trek to the Tracks
In this extra-long, extended-length, timelapse video (1 hour 20 minutes!), our intrepid railfan/professional photographer Tom Danneman has a long way to go, but makes a point to enjoy the entire journey to, about, and from his favorite trackside destination – Big Sky Country! You’ve seen Tom’s meticulous preparations to his trail-rated 4×4 truck in previous […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Timelapse Trek to the Tracks
In this extra-long, extended-length, timelapse video (1 hour 20 minutes!), our intrepid railfan/professional photographer Tom Danneman has a long way to go, but makes a point to enjoy the entire journey to, about, and from his favorite trackside destination – Big Sky Country! You’ve seen Tom’s meticulous preparations to his trail-rated 4×4 truck in previous […]
Wreckage of SP boat used to build Lucin Cutoff reappears as Great Salt Lake shrinks
SALT LAKE CITY — A boat used by Southern Pacific to help build its route across the Great Salt Lake has resurfaced as a result of the lake’s shrinking water level. KTVX-TV reports the W.E. Marsh No. 4, which first set sail on the lake in 1902, has reappeared as the lake’s water level reaches […]
Ogden, Utah, buys Union Station land
OGDEN, Utah — The City of Odgen has answered questions about the future of Ogden Union Station by purchasing the land under the historic structure from Union Pacific. KSTU-TV reports the city agreed earlier this month to purchase the 8.06-acre parcel from UP for $5.56 million. The railroad turned the building over to the city […]
Montana’s Isaak Walton Inn is sold
ESSEX, Mont. — The Izaak Walton Inn, the trackside property along BNSF main line adjacent to Glacier National Park that is a longtime railfan destination, is under new ownership. The Daily Inter Lake reports that Brian Kelly, who has owned the property since 2006, has sold it to Loge Camps, a hotel marketed toward outdoors […]
Denver’s RTD permanently drops two light rail routes
DENVER — The Regional Transportation District will permanently discontinue two light rail lines that had been dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of schedule changes beginning in January. Dropped will be the C line, from Denver Union Station to the Littleton-Mineral station, and the F line, from 18th and California in downtown Denver to […]
