Railroads of the past can be full of mystery, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are numerous paths, some fruitful and others not, to find answers to your own mysteries. Follow these simple railroad research tips for better results. Printed resources, both historic and modern, are numerous. Perhaps the most comprehensive is […]
CHICAGO — The owner of the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway has donated a 1928 Pullman car to the Historic Pullman Foundation for preservation and display at the Pullman National Historical Park and State Historic Site. The Glen Ayr, an all-steel Pullman heavyweight sleeper, has donated by Robert Menzies from the railway’s collection of historic […]
Join the Trains.com staff visiting the Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The club, established in 1934, boasts the country’s longest-running model railroad in the same location. Housed in a former train station built around 1917, the club’s O scale (1:48) layout, largely unchanged since 1950, operates as a “living museum”. Members once included a […]
On July 22, 2025, Chicago Union Station in Downtown, Chicago, Ill., hosted a centennial celebration of the site’s official dedication in 1925. As referenced in the companion Trains.com article, notable city, regional, state, and federal officials staged near the Great Hall to recognize the station’s quintessential role, longevity, and impactful renovations aimed to keep it […]
SHILTON, England — Officials in the United Kingdom have announced a new feature for the 200th anniversary of the first modern steam railway in September: A newly restored replica of the Stockton & Darlington Railways original locomotive, Locomotion No. 1, will operate on sections of the original railway on Sept. 26-28, part of a weeklong […]
CHICAGO — You only celebrate a 100th birthday once, and Amtrak made sure that the milestone for Chicago Union Station did not go unnoticed. Officials including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker were on hand today for ceremonies today (July 22, 2025) marking the centennial of the station’s dedication, held July 23, 1925, although — as Amtrak’s […]
SACKETS HARBOR N.Y. — As he approached his final days in recent weeks, Ross E. Rowland could look back secure in the knowledge that U.S. steam — indeed even the entire rail preservation scene— owes him a substantial debt. From his Golden Spike exhibition train of 1969 to the American Freedom Train of 1975-76 to […]
No railroad was better equipped to shoulder the heavy burden of wartime traffic thanks to the three types of Union Pacific steam locomotives that constituted its front line of defense: the 4-6-6-4 Challenger, arguably the most successful simple articulated ever made; the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy, which easily wore the mantle “world’s largest steam locomotive”; and […]
BROOKS, Ore. — The Oregon Electric Railway Museum has added one of the first MAX light rail vehicles to its collection, a donation from Portland-area transit agency TriMet. MAX LRV No. 101 was part of the original set of equipment used to launch TriMet’s light rail service on Sept. 5, 1986, reviving a form of […]
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — VIA Rail Canada is marking 120 years of continuous operation of the Ocean, Canada’s oldest named passenger train, with ceremonies today (July 15, 2025) in Halifax. The event includes unveiling of restoration work at the Halifax station and public tours of the train’s equipment. “This isn’t just a train, it’s a […]
ELY, NEVADA — With all three of its restored steam locomotives down for repair and the busy summer season in full-swing, Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nev., has launched a “Steam Up Sweepstakes” to fund needed repairs and restore its iconic locomotives to full steam before the season slips away. More than $100,000 in prizes […]
NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — The long wait for Chicago & North Western steam locomotive No. 1385 to return to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum is over. The Alco 4-6-0 returned home Saturday, July 12, after 12 years at Spec Machine LLC in Middleton, Wis., and a multi-day move from Middleton, sparking a homecoming celebration at the […]
