Berkshire blast-off

20160524

Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 750 gets under way at Bellevue, Ohio, with a westbound freight in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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C&NW No. 1385 return to Mid-Continent museum postponed

Steam locomotive by concrete coaling tower

NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — The move, scheduled to begin May 5, bringing Chicago & North Western 4-6-0 No. 1385 back to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum has been postponed, says Jeffrey Lentz, museum office manager. A statement from the museum indicates that the trucking firm slated to handle the road move withdrew its services “on short […]

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Woodstown Central steam locomotive sidelined (updated)

Black and gray steam locomotive with large smoke plume running in woods.

WOODSTOWN, N.J. — Woodstown Central Railroad steam locomotive No. 9, an Alco 0-6-0, suffered an overheated journal on its central axle during the 12 p.m. excursion on April 18. The railroad’s mechanical team determined the damage was beyond in-house repair capabilities at its South Woodstown, N.J., shop. The wheelset has been removed for repairs at […]

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Illinois Railway Museum’s Frisco 2-10-0 sidelined

Steam locomotive passing between signals

UNION, Ill. — A “mechanical issue” discovered during preparations for the 2025 season has led the Illinois Railway Museum to remove its Frisco 2-10-0, No. 1630, from service, IRM has announced. The museum will now begin the locomotive’s federally mandated 1,472-day inspection earlier than anticipated to address repairs and a return to service. The inspection […]

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Identifying a Pennsylvania RR steam engine

Black-and-white image of a young boy in the cab of a steam locomotive.

Q: I need help identifying a specific Pennsylvania RR steam engine. The number on the cab was 1299. What class was this locomotive? I have a picture of me as a boy looking out the fireman’s window and want to model the engine in HO scale. — John Nagle A: Thanks for writing in and […]

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Minnesota museum opens Northern Pacific steam exhibit

Two steam locomotives in museum roundhouse

ST. PAUL, Minn. — For the first time in decades, it’s possible to see three Northern Pacific steam locomotives gathered in a roundhouse, thanks to the efforts of the Minnesota Transportation Museum (MTM). The museum is exhibiting two NP 4-6-2s and a 4-6-0 at its former Great Northern Railway Jackson Street Roundhouse in St. Paul. […]

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South Wind

Smoking steam locomotive with passenger train under signal bridge

The Chicago–Miami South Wind arrives at Montgomery, Ala., on June 6, 1948. Atlantic Coast Line 4-6-2 No. 1533 does the honors on this day. Launched in 1940, the streamliner ran on Pennsy, Louisville & Nashville, ACL, and Florida East Coast. F. E. Ardrey Jr. photo […]

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Big Steam and PTC: A Reset Stage

Steam locomotive rounds curve on a rainy day

The rumble of Canadian Pacific’s 4-6-4 Empress No. 2816 and Union Pacific’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 echoed across thousands of miles in 2024. What made these journeys truly remarkable and deserving a brighter spotlight? Both locomotives were equipped with fully compliant, standalone Positive Train Control (PTC) systems. This means they can independently navigate their […]

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Norm Charbonneau’s Northbrook Layout in O scale

Norm Charbonneau’s Northbrook Layout in O scale | Come along with Model Railroader Editor Eric White as he and Trains.com Video captures Norm Charbonneau’s 29 x 36-foot O scale (3-rail) basement layout, depicting steam-diesel transition era, Pennsy-inspired railroading action. Catch a sneak peek months before crowds arrive to visit the display during the 2025 NMRA National […]

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