WASHINGTON — A conductor entered the “red zone” where there was an increased likelihood of being struck by equipment, and an engineer did not follow operating procedures to stop his train after failing to hear instructions from the conductor, the National Transportation Safety Board said in determining the probable cause of the fatal Oct. 28, […]
Montreal Locomotive Works DL535E diesel locomotives have proven to be versatile narrow-gauge haulers made famous by a garden railway staple. In 1969, American Locomotive Co. of Schenectady, N.Y., was building seven six-axle, 1,200-hp DL535E diesel locomotives, Nos. 101-107, for the White Pass & Yukon when the builder abruptly shut down its manufacturing operations. […]
The narrow-gauge Denver & Rio Grande Western did a lot of livestock business. Here, several stock cars are loaded with sheep in Silverton, Colo., in 1942. K-28 Mikado will lead the train back down to Durango. William Moedinger photo […]
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — The EBT Foundation, Inc. announced Monday, Dec. 11, that due to scheduling and maintenance demands for its lone operating steam locomotive, the East Broad Top Railroad will not hold its highly popular annual Winter Spectacular railfan event for 2024. “The locomotive’s annual inspection falls during the period we have historically held […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Genesee & Wyoming’s switching subsidiary, Rail Link, Inc., announced it has signed five new contracts since September with customers across the U.S. The agreements include handling of biofuels and liquid petroleum gases for a facility in Southern California; wood chips, chemicals, and containerboard for paper manufacturers in Savannah, Ga., and South Carolina; […]
BARILOCHE, Argentina — A British tourist remains hospitalized in intensive care as a result of injuries suffered in the Nov. 12 derailment of a narrow-gauge tourist train in Patagonia, according to local media reports. Four tourists required hospitalization after the La Trochita train, also known as the Old Patagonian Express, overturned in a remote area […]
In seeking the oddest of oddball locomotives, today we will follow our compass to California’s Ludlow & Southern, one of many, many railroads past and present with the name of a city or a state and the addition of a compass direction. Think Kansas City Southern, Colorado & Southern, Arizona Central, Missouri Pacific, and Texas […]
Experience the breathtaking beauty of fall in Chama, New Mexico, as you embark on a train journey through stunning mountain peaks of the Western U.S. Ride aboard the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, covering 14 miles from Chama to the summit at Cumbres Pass. Ascend over 2000 feet on a 4% grade, accompanied by a captivating […]
RIO NEGRO, Argentina — Four tourists were reported to have been injured — including a British passenger who is now described as “fighting for his life” — when a remote narrow-gauge, steam-powered heritage passenger train derailed Saturday in Argentina’s Patagonia region. The train was operating on the 750mm (2-foot, 5½-inch) gauge La Trochita Railway, which […]
As classic as a ’67 Chevrolet Chevelle SS and as smooth as a Rolls Royce, the Rio Grande’s 2-8-2 Mikado “Sport Model” K-28 locomotives turn 100 years old in 2023. Those 100 years have been spent hauling tonnage across some of the most difficult narrow-gauge right of way in the country and perhaps the world. […]
PITTSBURGH — U.S. Steel has begun using two battery-electric locomotives, converted from diesel-electric switchers, at its Mon Valley Works, the company has announced. The conversions were performed by Innovative Rail Technologies, a Washington, D.C.-based company that provides lithium-ion power systems for the locomotive market, and are working at two of the four facilities that make […]
Meadow River Lumber Co. No. 7 is a good example of a three-truck, standard-gauge, coal-burning Shay with a Radley & Hunter stack. The West Virginia company used steam locomotives into the mid-1960s. Matt Coleman collection […]
