Video: The Empress in Iowa

Steam engine and train round curve with river in background

Trains contributor Steve Smedley put together this video of Canadian Pacific Hudson No. 2816 in Iowa on the return leg of the Final Spike Steam tour to accompany his earlier photo gallery of the July 1 move from Davenport to Dubuque, Iowa [see “‘The Empress’ and its train make the trip back to Canada,” Trains.com, […]

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Pikes Peak Cog Rail again offering sunrise trips

Pikes_Peak_Lassen

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — The Pikes Peak Cog Railway is bringing back its sunrise trips on four days this summer and fall, after introducing the early-morning departures last season. On these four days, the first departure from the railway’s Manitou Springs station will be at 4:30 a.m. instead of the usual 8 a.m. The early […]

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Perils of a road foreman

black and white train photo

Road foreman As a young engineer, age 38, I was appointed road foreman of engines on the Lehigh Valley Railroad working out of Sayre, Pa. My territory ran from Coxton, Pa., to Manchester, N.Y., which is half way to Buffalo, N.Y. It was in 1953 and the job lasted until 1955 when I was fired […]

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U.S. rail traffic again shows gains in June

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic showed a 3.8% gain in June over the same month in 2023, the fifth straight month of increased volume, according to data from the Association of American Railroads. Weekly traffic, for the week ending June 29, showed a 3.9% gain compared to the corresponding week a year ago. The monthly […]

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News photos: Big Boy heads west

Steam locomotive with passenger and freight cars passes under signal bridge on high plains.

EVANSTON, Wyo. — Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 is four days into its “Westward Bound” tour, preparing for a Fourth of July move from Evanston to Salt Lake City after travel from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Evanston in three days of travel, with an off-day Tuesday in Rock Springs, Wyo., for an employee event. The […]

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MBTA completes agreements with all 28 of its unions

Worker welding in subway tunnel

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed agreements with all 28 of its labor unions, an accomplishment covering 16 collective bargaining agreements, the agency announced today (Wednesday, July 3). The agency says this is the first time in 15 years it has had agreements in place with all its unions, and — with […]

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Durango & Silverton again up and running to Silverton

A Durango & Silverton train in Silverton, Colo., in October 2018.


DURANGO, Colo. — The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has made quick work of its latest slide disruption. The heritage railroad said on its Facebook page that it has resumed service to Silverton today (Wednesday, July 3) after Tuesday trains to Silverton were halted by a Monday night slide at milepost 486.0, near Needleton. […]

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VIA Rail Canada solicits questions for annual public meeting

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will air its annual public meeting — a pre-recorded session featuring the passenger operator’s top officials — on Wednesday, Aug. 7, the company has announced, and is soliciting questions to be answered during that meeting. Questions are being accepted beginning today (Wednesday, July 3), through Friday, July 5, at 11:59 […]

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