Four operating steam locomotives to headline Indiana’s Railroad Open House

People gather around a steam locomotive during an event

HUDSON, Ind. — The Indiana Northeastern Railroad Co. is scheduled to host the first Railroad Open House at its locomotive maintenance facility in Hudson this upcoming weekend. The July 29-30 event will see more than 1,000 visitors and passengers help celebrate over 130 years of regional history. “The railroad first came to Hudson in 1893 […]

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The MTH Premier Hudson is a modern classic

The MTH Premier Hudson Pacemaker front end

The MTH Premier Hudson is a modern incarnation of arguably the most iconic steam locomotive ever made in O scale. The classic 4-6-4 wheel arrangement, originally offered in by Lionel in 1937, can be seen on artwork from decades ago and carried on today by the works of artists like Angela Trotta Thomas. Due to […]

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South Shore rail service to Michigan City should resume in early 2024

Night shot of station construction

CHESTERTON, Ind. — South Shore Line rail service between Michigan City and Gary, Ind., which has been replaced all or in part by buses since February 2022, should resume early in 2024, South Shore President Michael Noland said Monday. Noland, speaking to a meeting of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board, said the Double […]

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Indiana man arrested following CN derailment

Canadian National logo

VAPARAISO, Ind. — A 39-year-old Indiana man has been arrested on charges related to the derailment of a Canadian National train in Valparaiso early Saturday, WBBM-TV reports. James Rockhill, of Kouts, Ind., was being held at the Porter County Jail on charges of railroad mischief, criminal recklessness, and leaving the scene of a crash. He […]

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S.S. Badger, last Great Lakes car ferry, sidelined by ramp issue

Large ship.S.S. Badger awarded USDOT grant.

LUDINGTON, Mich. — The S.S. Badger, the former Chesapeake & Ohio car ferry that is the last coal-fired passenger ship operating on the Great Lakes and last remnant of the once sizable fleet of railroad car ferries, has been sidelined until further notice by a mechanical failure of its ramping system, the ship’s owner announced. […]

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Kansas City streetcar service resumes

Multicolored light rail vehicle on city street

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The KC Streetcar is back in operation. Streetcar service resumed this morning (July 21), 17 days after being halted because of track failure on a portion of the Main Street bridge over Interstate 670. The streetcar operator says multiple factors led to the track failure, including thermal expansion and degradation of […]

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Batory, accomplished rail executive, joins Michigan State University rail program

Batorymug

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Ron Batory, the career railroader whose lengthy resume includes a term as Federal Railroad Administration administrator, is joining Michigan State University’s Center for Railway Research and Education. A press release from MSU’s Broad College of Business says Batory, who has spent 52 years in the rail industry, will provide the CRRE […]

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Nickel Plate Road No. 765 to power Fall Color Trains in Indiana and Michigan

Steam locomotive waiting to depart during a fall day.

STEUBEN COUNTY, Ind. — Tickets have been released for the Fall Color Trains, scheduled to operate in Northeast Indiana and Southeast Michigan this October. Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive No. 765 of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society will serve as the main motive power for these all-day, round-trip excursions on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad […]

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Gleaming SD9 reminds us of Nickel Plate Road’s big switch

Black-and-yellow Nickel Plate Road diesel locomotive in front of trees

  Just when you think recent progress in railroad preservation can’t get any better — I’m thinking here of everything from Big Boy to Reading & Northern 2102 to Silvis Shops to Michigan Central Station — along comes another milestone that, if not quite a blockbuster, is still remarkable. Especially if you’re interested in diesel […]

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Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum BL2 nears operation (with video)

Man stands in front of blue and yellow diesel

NORTH JUDSON, Ind. —  After two years of restoration work using an all-volunteer labor force, the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson is close to beginning operations with one of its two former Bangor & Aroostook Railroad BL2s. BL2s No. 52 and No. 56 came to the museum in June of 2021 after private […]

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