SUNOL, Calif. — The Pacific Locomotive Association and the Niles Canyon Railway will host a railfan photographers’ special on Saturday, May 1, featuring Columbia River Belt Line No. 7, the 2-4-4-2 known as the Skookum. The event, to benefit the restoration of recently acquired Southern Pacific M-6 locomotive No. 1744, will feature the Skookum pulling […]
California State Railroad Museum reopens The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento has reopened after being closed for most of the last year, with new measures in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic. KCRA-TV reports the museum is allowed to reopen at 25% of its usual capacity, meaning attendance is currently capped at 125. And […]
Railroad photographer/videographer Tom Danneman resides in Wisconsin, but his heart never wanders from the American West – even during the harshest days of winter. Take a cinematic trek with him, as he immerses us to the clash with the cold, charms of the quiet, and the continuous challenges railroads face under Big Skies & Iron […]
Railroad photographer/videographer Tom Danneman resides in Wisconsin, but his heart never wanders from the American West – even during the harshest days of winter. Take a cinematic trek with him, as he immerses us to the clash with the cold, charms of the quiet, and the continuous challenges railroads face under Big Skies & Iron […]
Steam Directory editor, heritage rail pioneer Marvin Cohen Marvin Cohen, editor of the Steam Directory from 1966 to 1989, passed away at home in Middletown, N.Y. on Dec. 10, 2020, at age 93. Mark Smith, Cohen’s successor, credited Cohen with an “incalculable contribution” to the heritage rail industry by creating the “bible of the industry.” […]
Western Maryland Scenic says No. 1309 is being prepared for FRA inspection Western Maryland Scenic Railroad officials say C&O 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 is “100% operational” and believe the locomotive will be operating this summer, although it awaits a few parts and must address “a few leaks” before receiving its Federal Railroad Administration inspection. The Cumberland […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak will paint at least six locomotive in new and heritage paint schemes in the coming months in honor of the railroad’s 50th anniversary this year. In a YouTube video launched Tuesday, March 16, an Amtrak representative discusses the history of the railroad’s liveries and detailed the newest paint schemes well into the […]
MINNEAPOLIS – The Friends of the 261, the non-profit organization that owns and operates Milwaukee Road S-3 class 4-8-4 No. 261, has launched a study to consider converting the locomotive from coal to oil firing. Friends of the 261 President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Sandberg said the group is conducting a feasibility study and […]
DULUTH, Minn. — Volunteers at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum have returned Northern Pacific SD45 No. 3617 to operating condition. The locomotive was started up and moved under its own power at the museum on Feb. 27, the first time it has operated in more than 14 years. The locomotive was donated to the museum […]
Steam in 2021 It’s too early to tell what will happen with certainty, given the grip the virus still holds on the nation. But it’s not too early to anticipate. As always with big steam, there are many dreams of excursions and plans for trips drawn up and ready to dust off. Every big steam […]
Introduction to the Durango & Silverton A trip to Colorado to see and ride a narrow gauge railroad is essential for anyone with an interest in great steam railroading in the Rocky Mountains. Colorado has several railroads worth visiting (in fact, we offer, in conjunction with Special Interest Tours, a week-long trip to visit them […]
The first of 12 Connecticut Department of Transportation P40 locomotives to be rebuilt by Amtrak at Beech Grove, Ind., is CDOT No. 6711, seen at North Haven, Conn., on March 8, 2021. The unit was built as Amtrak no. 820 in 1993, and later worked for NJ Transit in Atlantic City service, carrying NJT no. 4803. CDOT […]
