Compared to their traditional reciprocating rod-driven counterparts, geared steam locomotives can be seen as “oddballs” to the casual eye. They certainly fit that bill with their unique styles of running gear consisting of cylinders positioned at different angles and connected to the drive shaft through a series of gears to ultimately power every wheel […]
Rock Island passenger trains: All through February 2025, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and heritage of the Missouri Pacific. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Missouri Pacific passenger trains, originally published online in December 2020. […]
The rise and fall of cabless locomotives, also called B-units, is a story tracing back to the beginning of dieselization. A cabless locomotive is simply a diesel locomotive without a cab for a crew to occupy. This differs from a slug, which has no prime mover and requires power from a mother unit to provide […]
DIX, Nebraska — Two Union Pacific trains derailed today about 150 miles apart on the railroad’s Overland Route main line in Nebraska, with a fire resulting from one of the incidents. KNOP-TV reports that several fire departments responded to a derailment in Dix, about 30 miles from the Wyoming state line, at 6:50 a.m. The […]
Green Line train crashed last night. Driver crashed into a stationary train at speed; most were bruised but able to walk out. The rear operator of the train got pretty hurt. She split her forehead and was bleeding and was taken by the EMT. (East Somerville stop.) #MBTA #Boston pic.twitter.com/s4cCGsyTas — Alan Hume (@alanocu) February […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak, which was recognized as one of the best employers for diversity in 2023, will no longer devote resources to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a company spokesman has confirmed. Bloomberg first reported the move, saying the company had informed employees of that policy in a Feb. 6 email. That email also informed […]
Common name: Skeleton bush, wire-netting bush Latin name: Corokia cotoneaster ‘Little Prince’ Plant size: 3′ high x 18″ wide, easily kept smaller Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-10 Cultural needs: Sun or shade, medium water needs, good drainage, tolerates alkaline soil The dark, almost black, twisting stems of Corokia cotoneaster ‘Little […]
BOSTON — No one was injured but commuter rail and Amtrak operations were disrupted after a low-speed derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train arriving at Boston’s South Station today (Saturday, Feb. 8). The derailment involved train No. 1806, an 11:45 a.m. departure from Providence, R.I., that was due at South Station at […]
CHICAGO — In the latest round of Amtrak operating issues, fallout from days of late trains has again inconvenienced passengers along the Empire Builder’s Chicago-Seattle/Portland, Ore., route, causing cancellation of one round trip. Other significant disruptions befell Southwest Chief and Lake Shore Limited departures, and reports say VIA Rail Canada’s westbound Canadian encountered snow-covered frozen […]
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sierra Northern Railway has acquired the assets of locomotive builder RailPower LLC as part of its efforts to develop hydrogen and other low- or zero-emission motive power. RailPower has produced approximately 190 locomotives, including 55 hybrid switchers and 116 genset locomotives, while Sierra Northern is currently involved in development of at […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will launch South Coast Rail operations — serving a group of southeastern Massachusetts communities that have been without passenger rail for 65 years — on March 24, 2025, the agency announced today. The start date — two months ahead of the most recent timeline, which called for service […]
Mitchell Park Domes Large Scale Garden Display | Each year, from January to the end of March, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory in Milwaukee, Wis., hosts a beautiful G scale garden railroad inside one of its three uniquely-engineered domes. For one weekend only, in early February, a wide range of layouts and displays in different […]
