Cordele, Ga., opens viewing platform for busy, three-railroad diamond

Brick pavilion between train tracks and downtown buildings

CORDELE, Ga. — An average of 80 trains a day cross the diamond in the south central Georgia community of Cordele, making it one of the busiest rail crossings in the Southeast. Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, and the Heart of Georgia Railroad, a Genesee & Wyoming short line, all use the crossing. “The activity rivals […]

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East Broad Top sets ‘Winter Spectacular’ for Feb. 20

Green motorcar on turntable

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — The narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad has announced details for a one-day revival of its “Winter Spectacular” on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Winter Spectacular was an annual railfan event in south-central Pennsylvania from 1966 to 1981, held each President’s Day weekend. It started with the 1927 gas-electric car No. M-1 […]

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Digest: CP derailment knocks out power to Field, B.C.

Canadian Pacific beaver logo

More Wednesday morning rail news: CP derailment knocks out power in Field, B.C. The community of Field, B.C., was at risk of running out of electricity Tuesday night after a Canadian Pacific grain train derailed earlier in the day, knocking out power. The CBC reports the train derailed about 1:40 a.m., taking out a power line. CP […]

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Short line Winchester & Western grows through pandemic under OmniTRAX ownership

Black diesel locomotives on freight train in farm fields

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Winchester & Western, the 100-mile short line with trackage in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey, was able to grow last year despite the pandemic. Traffic on the railroad, which short line holding company OmniTRAX acquired in September 2019, was up a shade over 9% last year. That was below railroad […]

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Monticello, Ill., museum offers throttle time on rare RS1325 (corrected link)

Orange diesel locomotives on freight train

MONTICELLO, Ill. — The Monticello Railway Museum is offering aa chance to operate its recently acquired former Chicago & Illinois Midland RS1325 No. 31, one of just two such locomotives built. The museum is selling tickets for an hour of throttle time, with participants running the locomotive under direction of a museum locomotive engineer. Those […]

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Cass Scenic Railroad steam logging locomotive quintuple-header (that’s 5 at once!)

Geared steam locomotive hauling a train through the forest.

  Join Trains Editor Jim Wrinn in Cass, West Virginia, in June 2020 for the re-opening of the Cass Scenic Railroad. Although the opening came amid a serious health crisis, Cass crews steamed up five locomotives and coupled them end-to-end for a quintuple-headed steam train — rare in any location in modern times. The highlight […]

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Cass Scenic Railroad steam logging locomotive quintuple-header (that’s 5 at once!)

Geared steam locomotive hauling a train through the forest.

  Join Trains Editor Jim Wrinn in Cass, West Virginia, in June 2020 for the re-opening of the Cass Scenic Railroad. Although the opening came amid a serious health crisis, Cass crews steamed up five locomotives and coupled them end-to-end for a quintuple-headed steam train — rare in any location in modern times. The highlight […]

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Rio Grande Southern steam locomotive returned to service in Colorado

Steam locomotive moves out of a roundhouse.

  Follow along with Trains Editor Jim Wrinn as he gets a close look at Rio Grande Southern No. 20 — a newly restored narrow-gauge 4-6-0 steam locomotive now homed at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colo.  Before 2020, No. 20 had not steamed since the 1950s and required more than a decade of […]

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Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway re-construction work

Track workers and a back hoe work high on a mountain top.

  Trains’ Editor Jim Wrinn visited the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway in August 2020 to grab video above the tree line to record portions of the tourist line’s re-construction project. The railroad itself is being completely re-built and is expected to re-open in May 2021. The railroad has also ordered new trains from […]

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Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway re-construction work

Track workers and a back hoe work high on a mountain top.

  Trains’ Editor Jim Wrinn visited the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway in August 2020 to grab video above the tree line to record portions of the tourist line’s re-construction project. The railroad itself is being completely re-built and is expected to re-open in May 2021. The railroad has also ordered new trains from […]

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Siemens Charger locomotives on Midwest trains

Diesel electric locomotive leading a train over a bridge.

  Chargers are among the newest and most popular passenger locomotives in North America today. The diesel-electric units are made by Germany-based Siemens, at the company’s Sacramento, Calif., manufacturing plant. This videos offers a Chicago-area tour of Chargers leading Amtrak train to Midwest destinations. […]

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Siemens Charger locomotives on Midwest trains

Diesel electric locomotive leading a train over a bridge.

  Chargers are among the newest and most popular passenger locomotives in North America today. The diesel-electric units are made by Germany-based Siemens, at the company’s Sacramento, Calif., manufacturing plant. This videos offers a Chicago-area tour of Chargers leading Amtrak train to Midwest destinations. […]

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