DERBY, England — Ticket sales have resumed for Alstom’s event at its Derby factory celebrating the 200th anniversary of railroading, after initial demand crashed the servers of the third-party ticketing company. A new company is handling the ticketing, the BBC reports. The three-day “Greatest Gathering” event, Aug. 1-3, will open Alstom’s Litchurch Lane Works to […]
Invisible Giants — inside the Van Sweringen brothers empire Railroading is a multi-faceted industry. Depending on your interest or the discussion at hand, the relationship between different facets will be emphasized. For this discussion, let’s simplify railroading into two dimensions. There is the steel wheel meeting the rail — what can be viewed trackside. The […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Public TV series Great Scenic Railway Journeys has joined with the restoration effort for Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-8-0 No. 734, launching a $10,000 donation-match program for the restoration project. The program is offering a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10,000 for the effort to return the locomotive to operating condition. The 2-8-0, […]
As an entity with 50-plus years under its belt, Amtrak now has plenty of its own history, in addition to that of the trains it took over as of May 1, 1971. Thus, it probably should not have been a total surprise when Amtrak launched a through train service in November 2024 between Chicago […]
Missouri Pacific history is easier to understand if the railroad is considered in three parts: the lines west of St. Louis, the lines south and southwest of St. Louis, and the lines in Texas and Louisiana. Lines west of St. Louis Ground was broken for the Pacific Railroad at St. Louis, Mo., on […]
DERBY, England — Rolling stock manufacturer Alstom was forced to halt ticket sales for an event celebrating the 200th anniversary of railroading this week because the system handling ticketing was overwhelmed by demand from around the world. The company is planning to open its Derby Litchurch Lane Works to the public for the first time […]
SPARKS, Nev. — Union Pacific has begun demolition on the former Southern Pacific machine shop in Sparks, a building that predates the city, KTVN-TV reports. The railroad and city have also updated plans for when community members can claim bricks from the historic structure as a keepsake. The bricks will now be available while supplies […]
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The photo and film collection of the late rail photographer and author Michael A. Eagleston has been donated to the Industrial Archives & Library, a private nonprofit foundation in Bethelem. The Eagleson collection spans more than 60 years and helps document the end of the steam locomotive in the U.S. and worldwide. […]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, the organization that serves as the heritage rail line’s museum arm, has hired Rick Marsden as its new executive director. The Friends board announced the move Jan. 24. The hiring is effective Feb. 13. Marsden will replace Tim Tennant, retiring after 20 years […]
Of the many first-rate photographers who became fascinated by postwar railroading, one of the best was James La Vake. An airline pilot by profession, he also had some experience as a photographer, and it showed: his photos in Trains magazine in the late 1940s and early ’50s are among the best featuring diesel-powered streamliners. I’ve […]
BOONTON, N.J. – Construction work in Amtrak’s East River Tunnels will indefinitely sideline the United Railroad Historical Society’s Hudson River Rail Excursions after trips scheduled for February and March with the group’s former New York Central lounge cars. The historical society will operate “Farewell (For Now) Excursions” from New York Penn Station to Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y., […]
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Alaska museum and city, with help from donors including the Alaska Railroad, have won the auction for a 14-karat gold spike that was part of the railroad’s completion ceremony in 1923. The Anchorage Museum and city of Nenana will take turns displaying the spike, which was purchased for $201,600, according to […]
