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Chicago: America’s Railroad Capital

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When you think of Colorado railroading, you think of mountain-climbing narrow-gauge trains of the Denver & Rio Grande Western, and that is exactly what you’ll see at the Colorado Railroad Museum just outside Denver in the foothills near Golden. But that’s not all—the museum includes 100 pieces of equipment from many other Colorado railroads. Choices […]
Completed in 1923, the Alaska Railroad was built to link the Pacific seaport of Seward with the resource-rich interior long before there were highways. Passenger service offers breathtaking excursions into rugged back-country terrain that is often inaccessible by car. Choices The flagship Denali Star operates daily between Anchorage and Fairbanks with stops at Wasilla, Talkeetna, […]
The Georgetown Loop Railroad shows how engineering overcame mountains when it came to reaching precious minerals in the Colorado Rockies. As the name states, the railroad’s highlight is a loop where the tracks cross over themselves on a massive bridge to gain elevation. The reconstructed Devil’s Gate Viaduct stands no less spectacular than when it […]
Rebuilt on the original right-of-way near Alna, the Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum is home to one of the most authentic recreations of Maine’s 2-foot gauge railroads that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Choices The Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum offer excursions on 3 miles of rebuilt tracks through […]
Sandfly Express Go ahead, talk about the glitzy Orient Express. Or the extended run of the Trans-Siberian Express. But what about the Buffalo & Fort Erie Ferry & Railway Co.? This early 1900s Canadian railroad, born antiquated, ran a 3-mile course in Fort Erie, Ontario, which is across the Niagara River from Buffalo, N.Y. Its […]
NEW YORK — “Putting it Together” (Trains Magazine, July 2023) — a look at major commuter rail projects in the New York area — explains how Long Island Rail Road trains now serve a massive underground station next to venerable Grand Central Terminal, home to Metro North’s Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven routes. Commuters connecting […]
ROANOKE, Va. — The Virginia Museum of Transportation will offer special “behind the scenes” presentations this weekend on Norfolk & Western No. 611 while the Class J 4-8-4 is home at the museum. The presentation will be offered twice on Saturday, June 24, at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and again on Sunday at 1:30 […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Commuter rail service West Coast Express has expanded service to and from Vancouver as of Monday, June 19, thanks to introduction of a trainset with a newly refurbished locomotive. It marks the first time WCE has offered five weekday round trips since 2020. The new equipment will make two round trips […]
ABILENE, Kan. — In commemoration of the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad’s 30th anniversary, steam locomotive No. 3415 was in full operation on June 17 and 18. The Pacific was sidelined the previous Sunday due to feedwater issues with repairs completed last week in preparation for the Father’s Day weekend. “The feedwater issue last week […]
Real or fake? It’s always exciting to come across stuff you didn’t know existed. So, imagine my surprise when driving through Fillmore, Calif. one day and spying not one but two steam locomotives: vintage ones at that! Sunning themselves in the small yard of a tourist railroad were a pair of 19th century creatures that […]
NEW FREEDOM, Pa. — Northern Central Railway of York hauled more than 500 passengers on six trips during the weekend-long 10th anniversary celebration for the non-profit operation [see “Pennsylvania’s Northern Central Railway to mark 10th anniversary,” Trains News Wire, June 14, 2023]. Trips were powered by the railway’s Kloke 4-4-0 No. 17; Northern Central GP9 […]