Giant turbine and diesel locomotives followed Union Pacific’s famous Big Boys

Overhead black-and-white photo of Union Pacific single-unit gas-turbine electric locomotive.

  Union Pacific’s fascination with large, single-unit freight locomotives did not end when it received the last of its 25 Big Boys in 1944. The railroad fielded fleets of powerful gas-turbine-electric and double-engined diesel locomotives in the 1950s and 1960s. […]

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Fire destroys former Rio Grande Burnham Shops building

Firemen and burning building

DENVER — A  fire Monday has gutted the former Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Burnham Shops coach building. The Denver Fire Department reports it responded “an abandoned warehouse fire” early Monday. The building was fully involved by the time firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation. The building had […]

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‘San Francisco Overland’

Smoking steam locomotive leads a passenger train across open terrain by a water spout

‘San Francisco Overland’ Dressed in two-tone gray, FEF-1 816 and FEF-2 824 make 55 mph up Sherman Hill near Otto, Wyo., on October 21, 1949. Green flags and “1-27” in the 4-8-4s’ train indicator boxes tell that at least one other section of the San Francisco Overland is following. Ross B. Grenard Jr. photo […]

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19th century steam locomotives operating in the West

Two old-time steam locomotives double-head on a passenger train.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic is celebrating its belated (by 1 year due to Covid-19) 50th anniverary with a great gathering of pre-1900 steam locomotives. The event began last weekend and continues through this coming Sunday. Here’s what Editor Jim Wrinn has seen so far.   […]

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RTD approves new study of Denver-Boulder-Longmont rail line

Denver_RTD

DENVER — The Regional Transportation District has approved an $8 million study to revive and revise plans for the commuter rail B Line, a Denver-Boulder-Longmont, Colo., route approved by voters in 2004 that had been pushed back to 2050. It was originally scheduled for completion by 2014. The RTD board also approved a formal response […]

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Garden railroad inspired by Union Pacific and the Big Boy locomotives

Model freight train on a curve

  My garden railroad, the Snake River Railroad, is named after my interest in the Union Pacific. This has been my favorite railroad ever since I saw the Big Boy. The 200 by 300-foot railroad is shaped like a mirror image of Idaho, because of large Ponderosa pines in the backyard. There are two separate […]

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Soldier Summit

Streamlined passenger train rolls into valley alongside yard tracks filled with hoppers

Soldier Summit The eastbound California Zephyr catches the morning sun at Soldier Summit, Utah, in August 1959. Ahead: a full day of breathtaking scenery on the Denver & Rio Grande Western, which the train used for 570 miles of its 2,518-mile, three-railroad route. Fred Matthews photo […]

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Western Pacific Railroad: Locomotives

Black-and-white view of diesel road-switcher locomotive

  All through August 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and splendor that was the Western Pacific Railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of locomotives selected from Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Only from Trains.com! […]

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News Photos: RGS No. 20 arrives at Cumbres & Toltec

Smoke comes from stack of locomotive on trailer

ANTONITO, Colo. — The Colorado Railroad Museum’s Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 No. 20 has arrived at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad for its visit including a role in the upcoming Victorian Iron Horse Roundup. The locomotive, restored to operation in 2020,. arrived Sunday by truck from the museum in Golden, Colo. (The tender will […]

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Rocky Mountaineer debuts excursions out of Denver

Passenger train with yellow locomotives and blue-and-white cars on curve

DENVER — Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer launched its first all-U.S. route Sunday with the first departure from Denver of the “Rockies to the Red Rocks” daytime excursion to Moab, Utah. The train utilizes leased Union Pacific SD70 locomotives pulling SilverLeaf coaches, former Canadian National cars from the 1950s which have been remanufactured with larger windows and […]

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Western Pacific Railroad freight trains

Steam powered freight train on a bridge on a curve exhibiting traits of the Western Pacific Railroad

All through August, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the grit, the glory, and the grandeur that was the Western Pacific Railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images selected from Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Only from Classic Trains! […]

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Western Pacific Railroad: passenger trains

GP1607011

  All through August 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history and legacy of the Western Pacific Railroad. In this article, please enjoy a photo gallery of Western Pacific Railroad passenger trains in their prime. This gallery was first published in July 2016. Only from Classic Trains! […]

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