The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, commonly known as the Burlington Route, had many other Zephyrs. While not as prestigious as the Pioneer, Twin Cities, Mark Twain, Denver and California Zephyrs, these other streamlined trainsets and services, famously named after the Greek God of the West Wind, deserve a spotlight. Sam Houston Zephyr Fort […]
Rock Island passenger trains: All through May 2024, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Rock Island passenger trains, originally published online in July 2017. […]
Welcome to Canada! It’s April 26th, 2024, and Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 is on its way to Mexico. The preserved vintage steam locomotive is on a public relations tour to celebrate the one year anniversary of the merger between the Canadian Pacific and the Kansas City Southern to create the CPKC railroad, operating a […]
Canadian Pacific Railway Class H1-b Hudson No. 2816 continued its Final Spike Steam tour on Thursday, May 9, operating over former Milwaukee Road trackage into Iowa following a display day in Franklin Park, Ill., on Wednesday. The 4-6-4 and the CPKC executive train rolled west across the former Milwaukee Road D&I (Dubuque and Illinois) Division […]
FORT MADISON, Iowa — BNSF Railway’s bridge across the Mississippi River between Fort Madison and Niota, Ill., was briefly closed today after having been struck by a barge, but has been reopened, according to authorities. The Hancock County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office reported the closure at about 1:40 p.m.; police in Fort Madison posted on Facebook […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Transportation has awarded a total of $9.6 million to 11 freight rail projects under the Minnesota Rail Service improvement program, the agency announced this week. Funding, approved during the 2023 legislative special session, supports economic development in regions across the state. “Improving Minnesota’s rail service gives local […]
DETROIT — “Iconic Detroit performers” will headline the opening-night concert for the revitalized Michigan Central station, the company in charge of the facility announced Tuesday, although no specific acts have been announced. The Detroit Free Press reports that the lineup is not yet set as producers continue to nail down commitments, but names “circulating in […]
LAKE CITY, Minn. — Gearing up for the May 21 launch of the Chicago-St. Paul Borealis, Amtrak ran a special test train between the two cities on Tuesday, May 7, using the planned Horizon and Amfleet equipment and operating on the train’s schedule. The trip included all scheduled stops. The special is shown here in […]
An eastbound Elgin, Joliet & Eastern freight is headed by 2-8-2 No. 747 about 2 miles east of Joliet, Ill. For years the road promoted itself as a Chicago bypass. R.H. Braun photo […]
PITTSBURGH — East Ohio Valley Railway, one of the seven railroads of Transtar LLC, will more than double its operating mileage through a long-term lease of rail lines in the Powhatan Point, Ohio, area, Transtar has announced. The East Ohio Valley, currently 12.2 miles, will add a total of 18 miles through lease from Norfolk […]
CHICAGO — Metra will open its newest station, and expand service on its Union Pacific North Line — which includes that station, Peterson/Ridge — on Monday, May 20, the commuter rail operator has announced. Peterson/Ridge is in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Groundbreaking was held in November 2021, on what at the time was projected to be […]
BENSENVILLE, Ill. — Canadian Pacific No. 2816 and the ‘Final Spike Steam Tour’ have reached Chicago. Well, technically, Bensenville, Ill., the home of CPKC’s yard west of the city and adjacent to O’Hare Airport. That’s where the locomotive is laying over after its two-day trip from St. Paul, Minn., prior to Wednesday’s display in Franklin […]
