Located 45 miles southwest of the Chicago Loop, Joliet is a city of 147,000, the fourth largest in Illinois. Just as much of the former Santa Fe Railway accompanies the former Route 66 across the Southwest, the two pair up briefly in Joliet — now as BNSF Railway and Illinois Route 53. TRAIN WATCHING For […]
La Crosse, Wis., is a city of 51,000 people located about 150 miles southeast of Minneapolis, Minn. The city was once home to the G. Heileman Brewing Co., maker of Old Style beer. For a city its size, there is a remarkable variety of railroading, with scenery to boot. Train-watchers frequently see motive power of […]
Bobby Troup called out Flagstaff, Ariz., in “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” and railfans will too. The city of 65,000 is surrounded by ponderosa pines and flanked by the San Francisco Peaks. At 7,000 feet, Flagstaff offers comfortable summers, snowy winters, and fall colors. The city is home to BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision, part of […]
Chicago is still the railroad capital of the country in most people’s opinion. What puts it on top over other cities like Kansas City is the strong passenger-train presence. It’s Amtrak’s midwestern hub (8 routes), and hundreds of Metra commuter trains (11 routes) hustle in and out of the city daily. Much of the railroad […]
All this month — September 2020 — Classic Trains editors are celebrating the heritage, history, and images of the Great Northern Railway. Please enjoy this photo gallery of images from the David P. Morgan Library archives at Kalmbach Media that include GN diesel- and steam-powered freight trains through time. You might also enjoy this […]
More Monday morning rail news: BNSF maintenance to bring Metra schedule changes, grade-crossing closures Sept. 17-20 BNSF Line will see schedule changes, including some train cancellations, and closures of major grade crossings during a four-day maintenance project to replace 11,000 ties over a nearly 15-mile stretch of the three-track BNSF main line between Berwyn and […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway today named Kathryn Farmer as its next chief executive, effective Jan. 1. Farmer, who has been BNSF’s executive vice president operations since 2018, will become the first woman to lead a Class I railroad. She will replace Carl R. Ice, who will retire at the end of 2020 after […]
More Friday rail news: Pacific Sun Railroad to discontinue operations; BNSF to take over BNSF Railway will take over operation of San Diego-area lines currently served by short line Pacific Sun Railroad, according to a petition filed with the Surface Transportation Board. Pacific Sun’s lease to operate the 21.3 Escondido Subdivision and 0.3 mile Miramar […]
All through September 2020, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, grit and grandeur of the Great Northern Railway. Please enjoy this Great Northern Railway passenger train photo gallery, originally published in September 2018. If you like this gallery, please take a look at an article on the history of the Great Northern, here. […]
In 1857 the Minnesota & Pacific Railroad was chartered to build a line from Stillwater, Minnesota, on the St. Croix River, through St. Paul and St. Cloud to St. Vincent, in the northwest corner of the state. The company defaulted after completing a roadbed between St. Paul and St. Cloud, Minnesota, and its charter […]
BNSF Railway has introduced the first of what it says will be 10 locomotives with special paint schemes marking the railroad’s 25th anniversary. On its Facebook page, the railroad posted four photos of GE ES44AC No. 5828, with a “25th Anniversary” label on the nose and side, as well as logos of predecessor railroads. BNSF […]
More Tuesday morning rail news: Winds derail BNSF train in Oklahoma High winds derailed a BNSF Railway train near Gage, Okla., on Monday night. The community’s fire chief estimated as many as 25 cars were derailed by winds up to 70 mph, according to KWTV News in Oklahoma City. The train included three cars of […]
