CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC has released a revised schedule for the return trip of Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 and the Final Spike Steam Tour, including a new display date in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The revised schedule accommodates the planned excursion with the locomotive on June 29 between Silvis and Bureau Junction, Ill., on the Iowa […]
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After making its public debut on May 18 at a Final Spike Steam Tour event in Kansas City, CPKC ES44AC No. 9375 — the first locomotive to wear the railroad’s new paint scheme — is now in revenue service. Paired with sister ES44AC KCS No. 4805, also repainted into the new scheme, the locomotive was […]
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Milwaukee train No. 6, the Morning Hiawatha, passes Tower A20 near Northbrook, Ill., on July 29, 1969. Ahead lies Chicago Union Station. Jim Scribbins photo […]
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Indiana’s Valpo Dummy commuter train could not garner the public support and funding needed to survive into the modern era. In the 1890s, the Pennsylvania Railroad began operating commuter trains between Chicago and Valparaiso, Ind. Over the next century the service remained largely frozen in time, with operations changing relatively little as the trains passed […]
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CHESTERTON, Ind. — South Shore Line commuter rail service has been experiencing some growing pains with its expanded schedule, to the point that Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District President Mike Noland on Friday issued a letter to riders vowing to do better. With the completion of its $378 million Double Track project between Gary and […]
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A seven-car Illinois Central Gulf piggyback train heads north through Springfield, Ill., for Chicago in September 1975. At Springfield the ICG’s one-time Gulf, Mobile & Ohio route split for Kansas City to the west and St. Louis and points south. Walter A. Peters photo […]
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CHICAGO — Metra has opened a new $27 million station on Union Pacific’s North Line. The Peterson/Ridge station opened May 20. It includes two six-car platforms; heated concrete stairs and ADA-compliant ramps; a glass and masonry warming house with side canopies and metal roof; two shelters with on-demand heating; an access drive with a cul-de-sac […]
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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has proposed running special Amtrak trains to Green Bay during next year’s NFL Draft. In the last few years, the draft announcements have become big business, drawing thousands of people to host cities. The 90th version of the NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay, home […]
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Rail Development Commission has announced grants totaling more than $1.65 million for infrastructure projects for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, East Ohio Valley Railway, and Camp Chase Railway. These grants join the previously announced grant of more than $1.23 million for R.J. Corman’s Western Ohio Lines [see “Two R.J. […]
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WINONA, Minn. — The first westbound trip of Amtrak’s new Borealis wasn’t flawless. A “technical problem” with a credit card reader delayed the café car’s opening. A pesky lock on the platform wheelchair lift’s enclosure at the Sturtevant, Wis., stop contributed to delay, as did the decision to open only one vestibule trap at downtown […]
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FORT WAYNE, Ind., and OWOSSO, Mich. — Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 has been a recent showstopper during its epic CPKC Final Spike Steam Tour from Canada to the U.S. and Mexico. But with summer closing in, expect more locomotives to take center stage as part of 2024’s must-see big steam, including a pair of […]
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was 43 years in the making, but the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor finally has a second Amtrak passenger train. In ceremonies in Chicago, St. Paul and intermediate points today, Amtrak and state, local, and federal official marked the first run of the Borealis, new daily service between Chicago Union Station and […]
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