California’s high-speed rail Rod Diridon Sr., 85, a crusader for high speed rail, grew up in the small Northern California town of Dunsmuir. There, he worked for the Southern Pacific during summers and vacations when he was a college student, starting in the late 1950s. The steam era was ending, but steam-era technology was […]
CAÑON CITY, Colo. — The Royal Gorge Chamber Alliance has purchased the former Denver & Rio Grande Western depot in Cañon City and plans to make it “a hub serving businesses, residents, and tourists.” The 1909 structure is located at 816 Royal Gorge Blvd., the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and State Route 115. “We […]
Let’s travel abroad During a Trains Magazine photo charter at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in fall 2024, a group of British and European photographers decided to travel abroad to the U.S. to join Trains staff at the D&SNG and, in the days following, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic with Pete Lerro of […]
NEW YORK — The gold spike from the 1923 ceremony marking completion of the Alaska Railroad, in private hands since it was driven by President Warren G. Harding, is up for sale. Auction house Christie’s announced plans for a January sale of the spike in a social media post earlier this month. A listing on […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The first winter “Iron Horse Ramble” will provide an early start to the 2025 steam excursion schedule for the Reading & Northern, the railroad announced today (Dec. 28, 2024). In all, four steam excursions are planned, with tickets on sale at this Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at 9 a.m. The season […]
Pennsylvania Railroad T1 technology The Pennsylvania Railroad had a reputation for blazing its own path, setting a standard different from the rest of the railroad community. Such is the case with its T1 class 4-4-4-4 duplex locomotives. In spring 1942, prototypes Nos. 6110 and 6111 were quietly rolled from the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The Pennsy […]
Since 2019, Union Pacific has been in the steam spotlight with its restored 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014. In 2024, CPKC stole some of 4014’s thunder with its “Final Spike Tour” using Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816. From April to July, No. 2816 operated from Canada through the central U.S. and through Mexico to Mexico […]
David H. Hamley, a professional engineer and Trains magazine author with a talent for writing about diesel locomotives, died Dec. 18 at a hospital near his home south of Pittsburgh. He was 84. Born in Pittsburgh on Nov. 4, 1940, Hamley in 1965 earned a degree in engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and went […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed its massive Track Improvement Program, announced late last year, which has addressed more than 200 slow orders plaguing the MBTA’s rail transit network. In a ceremony at North Station on Monday, Dec. 23, MBTA CEO Phillip Eng, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, and […]
WASHINGTON — Alvin Brown has been appointed as vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, the board announced Monday, Dec. 23. The appointment by President Joe Biden was made on Friday, Dec. 20. Brown’s appointment to the board was confirmed by the Senate in March; he joined the agency in April [see “Brown, Inman […]
Photographer Bob Krug Bob Krug’s visit to the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire certainly fits the description of going the extra step to creating a great railroad image. With Mountain Washington transitioning primarily to biodiesel locomotives for motive power, Krug wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to photograph one of its two […]
The Santa train season is nearing its end — which may be just as well, considering a weekend with minor mishaps involving three such trains, from one side of the country to the other. On Friday, the Polar Express operated by the California State Railroad Museum from its station in Old Sacramento was involved in […]
