The movie camera of R. R. “Dick” Wallin finds 3-foot-gauge Mikados at work in Colorado and New Mexico. […]
Rio Grande narrow gauge action
Zone & Region: Mountain West
Durango & Silverton set to go coal-free in 2021 season
DURANGO, Colo. — In a break from its 140-year history, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad appears to be on the way to running an entire season without using a coal-burning locomotive. The Durango Telegraph reports the railroad is set to handle the season with two steam locomotives converted from coal to oil firing, […]
Digest: Work begins on Tehachapi Loop viewing platform
Tehachapi Loop viewing platform could open by mid-July Ground has been broken on a new viewing platform at California’s Tehachapi Loop, with completion expected by mid-July. The Tehachapi News reports the platform will end the need for those viewing trains at the loop to stand along a narrow shoulder of Woodford-Tehachapi Road, easing safety concerns. […]
Digest: Colorado governor signs major transportation bill
Colorado transportation bill helps advance Front Range rail plans Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed a major transportation bill including a provision allowing creation of transportation planning organizations to exercise the powers of a regional transportation authority — a step toward creation of a Front Range Passenger Rail Authority. Full text of the bill is […]
Diesel disruptor
Diesel disruptor Four U25B demonstrators climb upgrade on the Northern Pacific near Blossburg, Mont., in 1961. The U25B brought GE into the heavy diesel market, and within a few years the company had eclipsed Alco for the No. 2 spot among locomotive builders. General Electric photo […]
Rocky Mountain rail adventure set for August
WAUKESHA, Wis. — Trains and Special Interest Tours are still welcoming guests for an epic Rocky Mountain rail adventure this August and September. Guests on this Colorado and New Mexico rail tour will help the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad celebrate its 50th anniversary of operations with a meal aboard a narrow gauge dining car […]
Digest: Bill to create Colorado passenger rail district advances
Legislation to create Front Range Passenger Rail District passes Colorado House The effort to create a special district to help fund proposed passenger rail service along Colorado’s Front Range neared success on Thursday as the state’s House of Representatives passed the bill on Thursday. Colorado Public Radio reports the state Senate has already approved its […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Spring, Episode 3
American’s Western frontier is where Tom Danneman goes to renew and recharge his spirit every springtime. Settle back and allow his captivating video explorations along meandering rail lines, rolling rivers, and blossoming mountain valley meadows to help you emerge from your own hibernation. Big Skies & Iron Rails. Season 1, Episode 3, playing exclusively on Trains.com! […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Spring, Episode 3
American’s Western frontier is where Tom Danneman goes to renew and recharge his spirit every springtime. Settle back and allow his captivating video explorations along meandering rail lines, rolling rivers, and blossoming mountain valley meadows to help you emerge from your own hibernation. Big Skies & Iron Rails. Season 1, Episode 3, playing exclusively on Trains.com! […]
Two railfan friends take a great F-unit safari
By the mid-1960s, the appearance of F units on freights along Union Pacific’s main line through southern Wyoming was rare to nonexistent at best. All of the road’s F3s and F7s had been traded to EMD by the end of 1964 for replacement units in the form of GP30s, GP35s, and DD35s. However, there […]
Digest: Deal appears to be in place to keep Ontario’s Huron Central running
Deal will provide $33 million for Huron Central route repairs The threatened closure of Ontario’s Huron Central Railway appears to have again been averted. Northern Ontario Business reports the co-chair of a task force working to save the 173-mile line between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury says the railroad is “comfortable that it will in […]
Durango & Silverton sues county in dispute over increased use of Rockwood Station site
DURANGO, Colo. — The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is suing La Plata County, Colo., over an effort to stop the railroad’s increased use of its Rockwood Station location. The Durango Herald reports that, in response to a warning from the county that the railroad faced fines or other penalties unless it addressed land-use […]
