Excursions to begin on New Mexico short line

Locomotive with elaborate purple dragon paint scheme

SANTA FE, N.M. — A group of entrepreneurs who purchased the old Santa Fe Southern Railway in 2020 plan to begin offering excursions Dec. 3. “Every train ride will be embedded in entertainment,” Sky Railway co-owner Bill Banowsky told the Santa Fe New Mexican in announcing plans for the new attraction. Santa will be aboard […]

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Milwaukee Road freight trains photo gallery

Streamlined electric locomotive leads freight train with four diesels through mountain valley in snow

All through November, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the multi-faceted Milwaukee Road. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Milwaukee Road freight trains selected from the image archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. In its history, the Milwaukee Road operated freight service from as far as Louisville, Ky., west to Tacoma, Wash., and Portland, […]

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Diesel hydraulics: Diesels that didn’t

Gray and red diesel locomotive pulls stock cars

North American railroads never found a broad use for freight service diesel locomotives with a hydraulic drive, making them another case of the “diesels that didn’t.” Germany was the early leader in developing and building diesel locomotives that utilized direct-drive transmissions. Those early models in the 1930s incorporated torque converters and gears in lieu of […]

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Amtrak ‘Winter Park Express’ set to return in January

Passenger train on curve in snow

WINTER PARK, Colo. — Amtrak’s Winter Park Express ski train service will return in January, launching 12 weeks of Friday-Saturday-Sunday service between Denver and the Winter Park Resort. Service begins the weekend of Jan. 14-16 and will continue through the weekend of April 1-3, with one-way fares beginning at $29, and fares for kids ages […]

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Colorado governor proposes free transit to address pollution issues

Denver_RTD_Cuts_Lassen

DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is proposing funding for free rail and bus transit during the state’s ozone pollution season as part of his 2022-23 budget request. Colorado Public Radio reports the $28 million proposal is part of $424 million in air-quality projects in the budget request, which also includes $150 million for electric […]

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Colorado & Southern steam locomotives in the late 1950s

Colorado & Southern steam locomotives in the late 1950s

In this video from contributor Dick Wallin, we can see 2-8-0s, 2-8-2s, and 2-10-2s of Burlington Route subsidiary Colorado & Southern in action during the late 1950s — in COLOR! Please enjoy this digitized video compilation from Wallin’s 8mm video archive. Only from Trains.com! […]

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Colorado & Southern steam locomotives in the late 1950s

Colorado & Southern steam locomotives in the late 1950s

In this video from contributor Dick Wallin, we can see 2-8-0s, 2-8-2s, and 2-10-2s of Burlington Route subsidiary Colorado & Southern in action during the late 1950s — in COLOR! Please enjoy this digitized video compilation from Wallin’s 8mm video archive. Only from Trains.com! […]

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81 for 81: Celebrating Trains Magazine and a Nevada Northern 2-8-0

Steam locomotive at speed with tall plume of smoke.

ELY, Nev. — Consolidations, the everyday freight workhorse of the steam era, garner little love. They’re not sleek or refined like the rare Pacific passenger locomotive still found in service in the 21st century. They’re not as muscular as the Mikados that surpassed them with greater fireboxes, a trailing truck, and powerful muscularity in eight […]

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Union Pacific, Long Beach port, Utah facility combine for new service to ease congestion

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

LOS ANGELES — Union Pacific, the Port of Long Beach, and the Utah Inland Port Authority have announced the launch of direct rail service between the Long Beach and Utah facilities to help address ongoing port congestion. The executive directors of the two facilities, Mario Cordero of Long Beach and Jack Hedge of the Utah […]

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TTCI to build new Pueblo, Colo., test facilities

Electric commuter rail equipment on test track

PUEBLO, Colo. — Transportation Technology Center Inc. will build a new railroad research and testing center in Pueblo, replacing the nearby facility it has used for more than 40 years. The Pueblo Chieftain reports that TTCI, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads, will build its new test track at PuebloPlex, a […]

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Funding secured for Colorado passenger rail studies

Map of Front Range Passenger Rail District

DENVER — Officials have pieced together the funding necessary for studies to assess the feasibility of a proposed passenger service along Colorado’s front range, connecting cities from Fort Collins to Pueblo and beyond. The Denver Post reports the Colorado Transportation Commission last week approved $1.6 million in funds for the $3.9 million study, matching funds […]

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