The Denver & Rio Grande Western, symbol of so much of Colorado railroading, had nowhere else to go for traffic. After laying tracks in search of gold and silver, it was coal that made the road. A westbound freight appropriately heads up Coal Creek Canyon west of Denver on the Front Range in 1972. Ron […]
DENVER — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs says he is transforming the regulatory agency into a more efficient body that will help support competition and growth for railroads. “We want to break down barriers to growth, encourage competition and elevate the role of markets instead of government,” Fuchs told the American Short Line and […]
DENVER — Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena says his company will work through tariff shocks gripping the economy the same way it worked through the pandemic. “I can’t control what governments do,” Vena said Monday (April 7) as keynote speaker at the annual conference of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. “It’s noisy, […]
Facts and features Name: Missouri-Kansas-Texas RR St. Louis SubdivisionScale: N (1:160)Size: 15 x 25 feet with 19 foot extensionPrototype: Missouri-Kansas-Texas RRLocale: central MissouriEra: 1984Style: walk-inMainline run: 135 feetMinimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 3% on Columbia BranchBenchwork: L-girder with 1 x 4 box modules on perimeterHeight: 53″ to 60″Roadbed: AMI Instant Roadbed on main […]
Facts and features Name: Danforth, Hadley & NorthernScale: N (1:160)Size: 38 x 52 feetPrototype: freelanced, based on Northern PacificLocale: central MontanaEra: 1955Style: walkaroundMainline run: 400 feetMinimum radius: 24″ (main), 20″ (branch)Minimum turnout: No. 5 (main), No. 4 (industrial spurs)Maximum grade: 1.5% (main), 2.25% (branch), and 3% (logging)Benchwork: L-girder, with Homasote and spline roadbedHeight: 52″ to […]
Colorado Railroad Museum founder Bob Richardson moves a three-way switch at the Narrow Gauge Museum south of Alamosa, Colo., in the mid-1950s. This was the initial gathering point for the collection before it moved to Golden in 1958. The Mears Junction sign is from the place where the Rio Grande’s Marshall Pass and Valley narrow […]
KYUNE, Utah — The test train for next year’s expansion of Rocky Mountaineer service to Salt Lake City is well into its six-day round trip from Denver. Rocky Mountaineer’s parent company, now known as Armstrong Collective, announced earlier this month that in 2026, it would add three-day trips between Denver and Salt Lake City to […]
SALT LAKE CITY — Rail equipment manufacturer Stadler will receive a tax break from a Utah agency as part of the expansion of its Salt Lake City plant, the Swiss-based company’s only U.S. facility. The Utah Inland Port Authority said last week that it has awarded a 10% break on property taxes, once the expansion […]
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s legislature is considering a bill that would use a tax on railroad cars to help provide funding for the organization seeking to revive passenger service on the former route of the North Coast Hiawatha. House Bill 848, introduced by state Rep. Denise Baum (D-Billings) earlier this month, initially sought to direct […]
DENVER — Increased frequency and capacity and lower prices have led to a significant boost in ridership for Amtrak’s Winter Park Express ski train. Colorado Public Radio reports that one-way tickets were priced as low as $19, thanks to use of a state fee on rental car funds designated for rail projects. Trains were also […]
DENVER — Although seasonal revenue round trips between Denver and Salt Lake City won’t debut until April 2026, Rocky Mountaineer single-level SilverLeaf equipment will make a six-day training round trip to the Utah capital next week. It will also be the tour train’s initial departure from Denver Union Station. Beginning this year, passengers will leave […]
DENVER — Luxury train Rocky Mountaineer is transitioning to a new name in the U.S. — Canyon Spirit — as of 2026, when it will also expand its current route from Denver to Salt Lake City as part of a three-day excursion. The U.S. excursions have operated “Rockies to the Red Rocks” trips under the […]
