White Pass & Yukon, SMART-TD announce tentative agreement

Yellow and green diesel with vintage-style passenger cars on narrow-gauge track

SKAGWAY, Alaska — The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad and the union representing its train and engine workers have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, the two sides announced Tuesday. The agreement, which would run through 2027, is subject to ratification by the more than two dozen employees represented by the International […]

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White Pass & Yukon operating employees vote to strike

WhitePass_Diesels_Johnston

SKAGWAY, Alaska — Operating personnel on the White Pass & Yukon Route have voted to authorize a strike, according to their union’s website. Members of International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) Local 1626 authorized the strike in voting last week. The union says it has been negotiating with the […]

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C&NW narrow-gauge Mogul

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Chicago & North Western 3-foot-gauge Mogul No. 279 stands at Fennimore, Wis., in 1925. Known as “The Dinky,” the North Western’s narrow-gauge line ran 16.4 miles from a C&NW standard-gauge connection at Fennimore to Woodman, on the Milwaukee Road’s Madison–Prairie du Chien, Wis., line. One of the last slim-gauge lines in the Midwest, The Dinky […]

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Workers strike at Canada’s National Steel Car

White end-cab switcher moves cars

HAMILTON, Ontario — About 1,500 workers are on strike at railcar manufacturer National Steel Car, the Hamilton Spectator reports. The workers, represented by United Steelworkers Local 7135, walked out on Thursday, June 29. Local president Frank Crowder told the newspaper via email that “significant issues,” including wages, remain on the table. The company’s latest offer […]

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Durango & Silverton sues insurance company over coverage for 2018 fire

Steam locomotive leads train onto dirt street

DURANGO, Colo. —Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is suing its insurance company over damage caused by a 2018 wildfire and subsequent floods and mudslides in the burn area, saying the insurance company should have paid for damages from the fire and flooding as separate incidents. The insurance company disagrees, saying the fire led to […]

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SP’s “Slim Princess”

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Southern Pacific narrow-gauge 4-6-0 No. 22 nears Keeler, Calif., with a freight in May 1940. The Ten-Wheeler was originally Florence & Cripple Creek No. 22, an 1899 product of Schenectady, and then became Nevada-California-Oregon No. 22 before the equipment was relettered for the SP. F.J. Peterson photo […]

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Railroad memories on vinyl records

Group photo of railroad-themed LPs on white background

Today, it’s easier than ever to railfan without leaving the comfort of your home. Kalmbach Media is one of several companies that offers DVDs on various prototype subjects. If you prefer seeing trains in real time, you can watch any number of railfan webcams, such as the one Trains magazine has at Rochelle, Ill. This […]

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Owner of Beech Mountain Railroad prepares to close mine

Blue Alco end-cab switcher moves hopper cars in forested area

ALEXANDER, W.Va. — The Carter-Roag Coal Co. plans to close its Morgan Camp mine, the last coal mine in Randolph County, W.Va., as well as the Star Bridge coal preparation plant, likely spelling the end of the company’s Beech Mountain Railroad. Local news reports say Carter-Roag, a subsidiary of United Coal Co., announced last week […]

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EBT opens its first steam-powered season in 12 years

Steam locomotive and train at station

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – The East Broad Top Railroad opened its first steam-powered season in 12 years with the return of regularly scheduled excursion trains for weekend operations Friday, May 5, through today, May 7. EBT 2-8-2 engine No. 16 (Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1916) easily handled its six-car train.  Freshly overhauled, the 81-ton engine broke […]

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Victim identified in death at Decatur, Ill., industrial railyard

DECATUR, Ill. — A man who died in while operating a locomotive at an Archer-Daniels-Midland rail yard on Tuesday has been identified by the Macon County coroner, WAND-TV reports. Robert L. Dautel Jr., 66, of Morrisonville, Ill., died of blunt force injury of the chest due to injuries sustained an accident described as a collision […]

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