When a trek to Big Skies & Iron Rails is a tad too far to reach, railfan/videographer Tom Danneman opts to settle trackside at the very edge of the waterway that denotes the start of American’s western expanse. From his rental property (not a van!) down by the river, Tom and his crew take in the […]
DENVER — Amtrak and BNSF Railway have sued the driver of a semi-truck of milk, as well as the truck’s owner, over the Jan. 29 grade-crossing collision that derailed the eastbound California Zephyr near Keenesburg, Colo. The suit, filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, says Dairy Farmers of […]
For Snow Week 2024, let’s head west to view operations at two tourist railroads running 2-8-2 Mikado-type steam locomotives during the winter. We’ll begin at the Sumpter Valley Railroad in McEwen, Oregon, before jumping to Nevada to chase the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Want to see and learn more about this class of steam locomotive? […]
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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah counties backing the proposed Uinta Basin Railway have asked the state to help fund an appeal of recent court decisions to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition has asked for $750,000 from the state’s general fund, with Keith Heaton, the coalition’s […]
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho rail advocates were disappointed when a route linking Boise and Salt Lake City wasn’t included in the Federal Railroad Adminstration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program announced in December. But it turns out that effort to revive part of the route of Amtrak’s discontinued Pioneer was never even considered for the eventual […]
A 2-8-8-2 assists a 4-8-2 on a special Denver & Rio Grande Western train carrying Civilian Conservation Corps workers climbing Tennessee Pass near Mitchell, Colo., in March 1940. R. H. Kindig photo […]
KEENESBURG, Colo. — Amtrak’s eastbound California Zephyr derailed Monday night after striking a truck at a grade crossing northeast of Denver, KDVR-TV reports. Amtrak said that “no serious customer injuries” occurred in the collision and derailment that occurred about 10 p.m. east of Keenesburg, according to the Colorado State Patrol, although an exact number was […]
Three locomotives – a 2-8-2, 2-8-8-2, and 4-8-4 – start the Rio Grande’s eastbound Royal Gorge out of Minturn, Colo., on Aug. 30, 1947. Ahead for the 18-car train: Tennessee Pass. C. L. Carson photo […]
DURANGO, Colo. — Passenger excursions are the meat and potatoes for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s (D&SNGRR) overall business. However, logging has been another venture that has returned the former branch line of the Denver, Rio Grande & Western to its common carrier roots. Nearly six years after the 416 Fire [See “Fires […]
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The state legislature is considering a rail safety bill requiring railroads to be equipped with more safety features, limit the length and weight of trains carrying hazardous materials, and limit the time that trains can block major intersections while passing, according to a story aired by KRDO-TV. The bill’s sponsor, Colorado […]
Beginning in 1964, the Rio Grande began attaching a car or two of piggyback trailers to the rear of the Salt Lake City–Denver Prospector in order to boost the train’s bottom line, as seen here at East Rocky, Colo., in April 1964. Nevertheless, the train was discontinued in 1967. Richard Steinheimer photo […]
