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NORTHUMBERLAND, Pa. — The North Shore Railroad Co., operator of six Pennsylvania short lines, has introduced a new paint scheme for SW1500 No. 2238 to honor the 250th anniversary of American independence — a design it describes as “the first documented time a locomotive has been painted as a mural.” The locomotive features differing, complex […]
The Rock Island used a variety of diesel power on its Chicago suburban trains, but Alco RS3s predominated. In 1966, maroon RS3 499 has just departed La Salle Street Station with three cars. Duane Darnell photo […]
THOMASTON, Conn. — Three former Santa Fe Hi-Level cars are in the consist of the Railroad Museum of New England’s Naugatuck Railroad’s Santa Express train. Built by Budd for Santa Fe’s Chicago-Los Angeles El Capitan in the 1950s, the three later were acquired by Amtrak. Naugatuck’s two parlors served as “Pacific Parlour” cars on Amtrak’s […]
The list of 2025 rail preservation happenings is long. There are many organizations working on numerous fronts and making significant progress toward preserving America’s railroad heritage. The past 12 months have seen new buildings open, steam locomotives fired up, and relics discovered. Narrowing down the list, here are 10 of the most significant 2025 rail preservation […]
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen has joined the list of unions opposed to the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. In an announcement today (Dec. 22), the union cited concerns about rail safety, impacts on workers, and “the concentration of market power” the merger would create. The union urged the STB to reject […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak could face problems in operating its NextGen Acela and Airo trainsets because some new maintenance facilities will not be completed in time, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General says in a new report issued today (Dec. 22). According to the report, if current schedules for those facilities hold, Amtrak will only be […]
OMAHA, Neb. — The 6,692-page merger application that Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern submitted to federal regulators last week underscores the benefits of the first U.S. transcontinental merger, UP CEO Jim Vena says. Vena came to Union Pacific as CEO in August 2023 with a transcon merger on his to-do list — and has touted […]
New York Central 4-8-4 Niagara 6023 is near the end of its short life as it rambles through Millbury Junction, Ohio, (7.5 miles east of Toledo) with nine-car mail-and-express train X-78 in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
CHICAGO — Railcar manufacturer FreightCar America has acquired parts distributor Carly Railcar Components, the companies announced today. Family-owned Carly Railcar Components, founded in 1995, distributes original-equipment components and operates a core-exchange program for remanufactured parts. Headquartered in Irwin, Pa., it also has a location in Orange, Texas. FreightCar America says the acquisition strengthens its aftermarket […]
Rail transit had quite a year in the U.S. … and not in a particularly good way. Financial, equipment, and labor issues all played a part in making at a stressful year for transit operators. The combination of reduced ridership with the post-pandemic shift to more work-at-home opportunities, along with political divisions over funding, make […]
Trains’ annual review of the year’s top stories begins today, in a new, slightly abridged format. After several years of addressing the top 10 stories of the year, we’ve trimmed the list slightly. This year, we’ll be counting down the top five stories starting later this week; before then, we’ll take a look at significant […]
DENVER — With Gov. Jared Polis on hand for the departure, Amtrak’s Winter Park Express launched its 2025-26 season on Friday, Dec. 19. It was the first of 57 scheduled trips for the ski train through March 29. The train is operating three days a week for its first three weekends — Dec. 19-21, Dec. […]
