Butte to restore Northern Pacific No. 25

Black and silver steam locomotive inside fence. Butte restores NP No. 25

BUTTE, Mont. – Turn off Harrison Ave. into the parking lot of the Butte Civic Center and there between the asphalt and the Town Pump gas station next door sits Northern Pacific No. 25, one of 13 2-8-0s built in 1899 by the Schenectady Locomotive Works for the railroad. No. 25 lugged freight and passenger […]

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Discover the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Sideview of an old steam locomotive being looked over by a crewman wearing bib overalls

Steam over Cumbres Pass On a sunny June morning in Antonito, Colorado, Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad’s 4-6-0 No. 168, built by Baldwin in 1883, is readied for another run over the mountains. Its relatively tall 46-inch drivers made it suitable for fast passenger service. Carl Swanson The 64-mile-long Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is […]

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East Troy Railroad Museum receives financial donation from CN

Orange trolley operates on a cloudy day

EAST TROY, Wis. — The East Troy Railroad Museum recently announced a $10,000 donation from the Canadian National Railway’s Community Giving Program. The funding will support vital infrastructure improvements, specifically the replacement of wooden ties along the museum’s main line between East Troy and Mukwonago, Wis. “This 7-mile line is the last remnant of an […]

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Conway Scenic Railroad founder Smith dies

Three men in front of locomotive

TILTON, N.H. — Dwight A. Smith, founder of the Conway Scenic Railroad, has died at age 100. Smith, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II, had been living at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton since 2020. The Conway Scenic said in a statement that it “mourns the passing of its […]

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Amtrak stations with both originating/terminating and through services

Two trains at station

Of the more than 500 stations Amtrak serves across its 21,000-mile network, most are pretty straightforward. Some serve as originating/terminating points for the carrier’s trains, while others are stops along the way for through services. But there are more than 30 Amtrak stations with both originating/terminating and through services. These dual-purpose facilities are small depots […]

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50 years ago in Trains: Tribute to Santa Fe’s 2-10-4s

The front of a steam locomotive in a railroad yard, the word Trains appears in red on a white box

In introducing the issue-length article on Santa Fe’s 2-10-4s dominating the August 1975 issue of Trains Magazine, Editor David P. Morgan wrote: “We broke our word. We promised you after our single-subject issues in 1972 on L&Ns “Big Emma” 2-8-4 and Electro-Motive’s 50th anniversary that Trains would not publish any more all-steam or all-diesel editions. […]

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Cycle against Western Maryland Scenic Railroad No. 1309

With heavy smoke pouring from its stack, Western Maryland No. 1309 powers a freight train in Fall 2022

CUMBERLAND, Md. — In nearly 200 years of American railroad history, we have witnessed some unusual speed challenges — horse vs. steam locomotive, attempts at distance speed records, even, how much track can be laid in a day. Now it’s time to gear up for cyclists racing against Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. […]

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