Trains’ Swiss steam adventures: Brienz Cog Railway

Distant steam locomotive-hauled passenger trains atop a lush green Swiss mountain.

Join Trains and guests on a guided tour of Switzerland’s Brienz Cog Railway. Officially the Brienz Rothorn Bahn, this cog railroad features multiple steam locomotives, open air coaches, steep grades, and spectacular views. More information on the Trains 2019 Switzerland tour is available online. […]

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How far can you travel for 15 cents?

15CENTS

Railroads like Illinois Terminal, Pennsy, and New York Central sent promotional material to author Matejka, and often returned his 15 cents postage as well. How far can you travel for 15 cents? As a child in the early 1960s, I was traveling all over the country from my St. Louis home, thanks to 15 cents I […]

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Toledo’s Hallett Tower, last in the state, closes NEWSWIRE

HallettTowerSignals

The Ann Arbor’s tracks, foreground, are on the west side of the tower. Sol Tucker TOLEDO, Ohio – Operator Larry Bohland, the most senior employee on the railroad, had 40 years and one week on the job when Hallett Tower in Toledo closed earlier this week. He survived the dark days of the bankrupt Ann […]

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Was club in trouble before New River Train’s problems with Amtrak tariffs? NEWSWIRE

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia railroad club that sponsored the annual New River Train blames its financial woes on the cancellation of its annual October excursions on Amtrak, but an analysis of financial reporting shows the club may have been in trouble long before Amtrak began increasing its chartered private train rates in 2018. […]

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No. 119, meet SD70ACe

Freshly painted locomotive in red and gold colors.

What could be: See how Trains Art Director Tom Danneman added — layer by layer — the various color, striping, and artwork to his photo of a Montana Rail Link SD70ACe, creating a commemorative paint scheme for Union Pacific’s celebration of the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad. The imaginary paint scheme pays tribute to […]

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CRPA exhibition ‘After Promontory’ opens in Provo, Omaha NEWSWIRE

CRPA_exhibition_photo

“Trestle on Central Pacific Railroad,” by Carleton E. Watkins, from the J. Paul Getty Museum, is part of the “After Promontory” exhibition. Courtesy Center for Railroad Photography & Artt The Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s traveling exhibition, “After Promontory: 150 Years of Transcontinentail Railroading,” will open at two sites this weekend. Today, March 29, […]

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Minidoka: place of enchantment

UPtrain339

UP train 339, the mixed from Twin Falls, Idaho, nears its destination of Wells, Nev., in fall 1943. Is Uncle Jim the conductor today? W. B. Wolverton There’s not much there anymore, and few people know that Minidoka, Idaho, was once a busy railroad point. It was also my youthful idea of heaven. That’s where […]

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What’s in a photograph?: Cotton Belt on the MoPac at Gorham, Ill.

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A fast freight rides a two-railroad speedway in May 1971. Jerry A. Pinkepank 1 Cotton Belt freight. A St. Louis Southwestern Railway (SSW, common nickname Cotton Belt) freight rolls north on Missouri Pacific tracks May 8, 1971, at Gorham, Ill., on the 123.7 miles of MoPac trackage rights Cotton Belt used to reach the Illinois […]

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Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 41 Gallop to the Gateway City

DTA host Drew Halverson, along with pals Kent Johnson and Charlie Conway, launch their summer-long mission to explore the hottest railroad action in the state of Missouri. But first, they have get to the Gateway to the West. Make the trip with the guys, as they chase and race trains (and rain) along a wandering […]

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Taking Care of Business: Caledonian Sleeper, Part 2

UK-style passenger trains near a station platform, one paused in front of a "Stop" signal.

Charlie Conway continues his UK travels with unprecedented access aboard The Caledonian Sleeper. Follow Chas to the cab, as he rides along with the drivers responsible for providing slumbering passengers with a safe and sublime journey into the Scottish Highlands. […]

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Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 41 Gallop to the Gateway City

DTA host Drew Halverson, along with pals Kent Johnson and Charlie Conway, launch their summer-long mission to explore the hottest railroad action in the state of Missouri. But first, they have get to the Gateway to the West. Make the trip with the guys, as they chase and race trains (and rain) along a wandering […]

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