Spring has sprung some big highlights for big steam in 2025. After a two-week stay at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Nickel Plate Road No. 765 made a historic detour along the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway — plus three employee appreciation trips out of Brewster, Ohio, on May 10 — before heading to the Indiana Northeastern Railroad. Meanwhile, old friends who haven’t been fired up in years were returned to steam: Western Maryland No. 1309, Southern Pacific “Daylight” No. 4449, Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 700, and Reading Co. T-1 No. 2100.
With summer now under way, the busy season has begun for railroad museums and tourist railroads. Between now and Labor Day, some of the mainline locomotives that started running in the spring will see an extended schedule while a handful of others will make their 2025 debuts.
No. 765 is back on the Indiana Northeastern for the 2025 season of the Indiana Rail Experience, including July trips for the National Railway Historical Society’s convention and the Little River Railroad’s 20th anniversary in Coldwater. Reading & Northern T-1 No. 2102 will continue its Iron House Rambles with an encore from last year’s excursions out of Nesquehoning, Pa. As for No. 1309, Southern Railway No. 4501 and Grand Canyon Railway No. 4960, it’ll be business as usual along the Western Maryland Scenic, Chattooga & Chickamauga Railway, and Grand Canyon Railway, respectively.
Newcomers to the 2025 season will range from a Mikado to the Big Boy. The Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad hopes to have its 2-8-2 No. 8419 operating every Saturday for the remainder of June, followed by a completed steam schedule. Union Pacific No. 4014’s outing will be limited this year as it’s scheduled for a late-July visit to Denver with the railroad’s diesel honoring Abraham Lincoln tagging along. An email to UP’s Steam Club members states that “the Big Boy will return to the rails in a big way in 2026 to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.” For those wondering about Canadian Pacific No. 2816, CPKC had not announced plans for a tour in 2025 with the 4-6-4.
Of course, more locomotives may be added to the list as additional news and announcements are publicized. Keep checking back for an updated schedule, and stay tuned for the upcoming 2025 fall schedule of big steam. We could see a great lineup!
Summer Schedules
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad No. 8419
Iowa’s tourist railroad hopes to have its 2-8-2 operating the Boone-Fraser excursion, twice every Saturday throughout June. A complete 2025 steam schedule will be available on the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad website.
Grand Canyon Railway No. 4960
Williams to Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.
- July 5
- Aug. 2, 16, and 30
Visit the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotels website for more information and the complete 2025 schedule.
Nickel Plate Road No. 765
Indiana Rail Experience on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad
- June 13 — Throttle Time
- June 14 and 15 — Tri-State Scenic; Edon, Ohio to Hillsdale, Mich.
- July 11-13 — Throttle Time
- July 12 — Steam & Steel Motorcycle Ramble; Pleasant Lake, Ind.
- July 14 — NRHS Convention Trip; Coldwater, Mich. to Ray, Ind. (Little River Railroad 4-6-2 No. 110 to pull the first leg of excursion from Coldwater to Quincy, Mich.)
- July 25-26 — Members Weekend
- July 27 — Little River’s 20th Anniversary in Coldwater; Coldwater to Quincy
- July 28-29 — Indiana Railroad Camp, Pleasant Lake
Visit the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society website for more information and the complete 2025 steam schedule.
Reading & Northern No. 2102
Iron House Rambles
- June 21 — Nesquehoning to Tunkhannock, Pa.
- Aug. 23 — Nesquehoning to Pittston, Pa.
Visit the Reading & Northern Passenger Department website for more information and the complete 2025 steam schedule.
Soo Line No. 1003
The 1913-built 2-8-2 is scheduled to operate a non-passenger run from Hartford to Burnett, Wis., and return, on Aug. 23, 2025. The day trip will coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
Southern Railway No. 4501
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s Summerville Steam Special; Chattanooga, Tenn., to Summerville, Ga.
- June 28
- July 26
- Aug. 23
Visit the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum website for more information and the complete 2025 Summerville Steam Special schedule.
Union Pacific No. 4014
- July 17 — Cheyenne, Wyo. to Denver
- July 19 — Denver to Cheyenne
Visit the Union Pacific Railroad website for more information.
Western Maryland No. 1309
The former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 leads the Frostburg Flyer daytime excursions from Cumberland to Frostburg, Md., every Saturday and Sunday. The locomotive will also be on the point of the “Sunset on the Mountain” evening excursions, almost every Friday. Visit the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad website for more information and the complete 2025 steam schedule.
View the list of all the 2025 active steam locomotives in Trains’ Feb. 2025 issue.
Canadian Pacific (aka CPKC) probably can’t afford to run their train after spending a lot of money last year tripping all over Canada and then mainlining direct to Mexico to show their concept of One inclusive intermodal operation in North America. A Steam program is an expensive proposition which is why there is only one Class One railroad with a full time Steam Program in the UP. And when you have spent 31 billion dollars to buy a railroad you really didn’t need to try and prove a point (That CP is as good as CN… and the jury is still out on that one) then you can’t run your ambassador maybe as often as you would like. Playing in the Big Leagues isn’t for sissy’s, Keith Creel, unless you and get others to do it for you…