Nickel-plated freight

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Westbound Nickel Plate Road train NC-3 rolls through the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, in June 1959. The railroad, formally known as the New York, Chicago & St. Louis, dieselized its freight operations with road-switchers. As evidence, a mix of six Alco and EMD locomotives led by Alco RS11 No. 568 and EMD GP9 No. […]

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Grand Crossing

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This 1902 northward view of Chicago’s Grand Crossing makes it obvious how this busy South Side rail intersection got its name. Six tracks of Illinois Central (two suburban, two passenger, two freight) cross the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago (Pennsylvania Railroad) and Lake Shore and Michigan Southern (New York Central). Illinois Central photo […]

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Soo Line No. 1003 steams through central Wisconsin for 110th year

Steam locomotive sits on display.

HARTFORD, Wis. — A weekend of operations for Soo Line steam locomotive No. 1003 stretched from its home in Hartford to as far as Fairwater, Wis., approximately 50 miles northwest. The Mikado-type 2-8-2 is in its 110th year, having been constructed in March 1913 by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, N.Y. Making the most […]

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Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails returns to Eiteljorg Museum

model train display with Christmas tree

One of Indianapolis’ favorite Hoosier holiday traditions returns this season when the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art presents the 14th annual Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure. Running from Nov. 18 through Jan. 15, the family favorite Jingle Rails model railroad display will also be open late on eight […]

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Amtrak-VIA proposal for through Chicago-Toronto service revealed (updated)

WINDSOR, Ontario — The mayor of Windsor, Ontario, released a “fact sheet” to local media last week which outlines a $44 million plan to convert a daily Wolverine Corridor Amtrak round trip and a Southwest Ontario VIA Rail Canada round-trip from Toronto into a Chicago-Toronto train. First reported in an interview with radio station CKLW […]

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Ohio Rail Development Commission approves funding for two rail infrastructure projects

Men working in steel plant

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Rail Development Commission has approved grants to support a pair of rail infrastructure projects in the state. In a Nov. 9 meeting, the commission approved $1 million in support for $5.1 million in rail projects at the JSW Steel USA facility in Mingo Junction, Ohio, and a $125,000 grant for […]

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Amtrak Cincinnati services through time

Current station for Amtrak Cincinnati services at Cincinnati Union Terminal

Amtrak Cincinnati services arose from the need to move people between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Amtrak moved from Cincinnati Union Terminal to a new station, its first new-built station on its vast network, located on River Road west of downtown on Oct. 29, 1972.     On July 29, 1991, Amtrak returned to the monolithic […]

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Metra approves 2024 budget with simplified fare structure

Commuter train at station

CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors has approved a 2024 budget that significantly revises the commuter rail agency’s fare structure and eliminates some discount passes introduced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The board on Friday approve a $1.1 billion operating budget, a 4.9% increase over the 2023 budget (excluding $65 million to be […]

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Spaces to Places IV | A flash of finishing flourishes, part 7

Host Gerry Leone may be dangerously close to finishing off the town of Westcott, but he’s still found plenty more to do with scenery, structures, lighting, and those little details that help turn a space into a definitive place on his HO scale model railroad. But at the end of this episode, Gerry’s efforts come […]

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Regional Rail adds two Midwestern short lines to portfolio

Green and yellow locomotive with freight train on trestile

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. — Shortline holding company Regional Rail LLC is expanding its holdings, having agreed to acquire Indiana Eastern Railroad and the Ohio South Central Railroad, the company announced today (Friday, Nov. 10). Indiana Eastern is a 43-mile short line headquartered in Liberty, Ind., operating between Richmond, Ind., and Fernald, Ohio. It was established […]

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Spaces to Places IV | A flash of finishing flourishes, part 7

Host Gerry Leone may be dangerously close to finishing off the town of Westcott, but he’s still found plenty more to do with scenery, structures, lighting, and those little details that help turn a space into a definitive place on his HO scale model railroad. But at the end of this episode, Gerry’s efforts come […]

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Cleveland-area short line introduces battery-electric locomotive

Green and yellow locomotive with six people standing in front.

CLEVELAND —Newburgh & South Shore Railroad, an OmniTRAX short line serving the Cleveland area, has introduced its first battery-electric locomotive, the first electric locomotive operated by an Ohio short line. The locomotive, an AMPS Traction G9, is intended to reduce fuel consumption by half and NOx emission and particulate matter by 77%. The locomotive was […]

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