New York Central J-1 4-6-3 5403 accelerates toward 85 mph with a mail-and-express train heading west out of Mattoon, Ill., in September 1954. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
NYC Hudson on the run
Type of Train: Steam Locomotive
News photos: Final coal-fired train at Durango & Silverton
DURANGO, Colo. — The final chapter of the long history of coal-powered trains on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad came Saturday, March 23, with a round-trip excursion between Durango and Cascade, Colo., handled by a Baldwin Class K-36 2-8-2 No. 481. The locomotive will now be converted to oil firing, completing conversion of […]
Project 113 sets trips with CNJ 0-6-0 for Minersville, Pa., Community Day
MINERSVILLE, Pa. — Railway Project 113, the group that has restored Central of New Jersey 0-6-0 No. 113 to operation, will be operating the train for six trips on May 18 as part of Minersville’s first Community Day. Trips will operate from the Minersville station to Reading Anthracite’s New St. Nicholas Breaker and return. The […]
Streamlined Hudson on NYC’s Twilight Limited
New York Central J-1 4-6-4 5344 starts the Detroit-bound Twilight Limited out of Englewood Union Station on Chicago’s South Side in November 1939. Paul Eilenberger photo […]
Contemplating the King: Bessemer & Lake Erie No. 643
If there’s one thing you could never accuse the late Jerry Joe Jacobson of, it was thinking small. At every turn in his remarkable career as a railroader and preservationist, he went big. Really big. When he got started in the shortline business 40 years ago, he began with a modest 35-mile former New York […]
2-4-2 tank engine
Although the 2-4-2 type was rare in the United States, Berlin Mills Railway 2-4-2T No. 6, built by Baldwin for the New Hampshire switching road, is typical of the smaller steam locomotives used for switching around sawmills and paper mills. Matt Coleman collection […]
The ‘Rolling Roundhouse’: Tool cars provide support for mainline steam excursions
From short lines to the Class I railroads, chances are you’ll come across a mainline steam excursion with one or more non-passenger railcars near the front of the train (sometimes coupled directly behind the locomotive). They’re carrying, as the name implies, tools and more to support the steam locomotive when out on the road and […]
Photos from a late 1930s themed garden railway
The railroad at a glance Railway name: Dunckley Northern Railway (DNR) Size of railroad: Covering an odd shaped garden approximately 70′ x 70′ Scale: 1:24 Gauge: 45mm for 3’6″ gauge and 64mm for standard gauge Era: Late 1930s Theme: The DNR is a colonial railway in an undisclosed country. The Consolidated Concentrates Conglomerate (CCC) branch […]
Cumbres & Toltec names Beaudette as general manager
CHAMA, N.M. — The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has named Ed Beaudette as general manager for the 2024 season, the railroad announced Friday. He replaces Steven Butler, who resigned earlier this month. Beaudette, who worked for many years as the railroad’s manager of engineering and operations, currently serves on the board of the Friends […]
Milwaukee County Zoo railroad replacing steam engines
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Dieselization came late to the Milwaukee County Zoo’s railroad, but it has arrived. The zoo announced today (Thursday, March 14), that it has sold the two steam locomotives for its 1.25-mile, 15-inch gauge railroad — No. 1916, the Henry J. Grant, a 4-4-2 built in 1961, and No. 1924, a 4-6-2 built […]
Milwaukee S3 4-8-4 on a freight
Milwaukee Road class S3 Northern 267 rolls stock and refrigerator cars east at Bensenville, Ill., in the 1940s. The 4-8-4 is one of 10 built by Alco for MILW in 1944; sister 261 was restored for excursion service in 1993 and still runs out of Minneapolis. Classic Trains collection […]
Must-see big steam for 2024
From tourist line operations to a transnational tour, see which of these big locomotives will be in steam and a must-see for 2024! Additional locomotives and schedules are expected to be added throughout the year based on upcoming news and announcements. Check back regularly for the most up-to-date list of the must-see big steam for […]
