Summer 2025 left fans of big steam wanting more, with Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 being the sole Class I representative — and with a limited appearance at that. The remaining locomotives on the scene were few and far between, staying on short lines and tourist railroads. Good news, though: For those disappointed in […]
Andrew Ossler grew up visiting one of North America’s largest railroad museums, located just a short drive from his home. That helped cultivate a passion for railroading in the now 26-year-old, who has since joined the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill., as a key volunteer. A teacher by day, Ossler spends his spare time […]
CINCINNATI — Nickel Plate Road GP9 diesel No. 532 is set for a return to the Midwest and eventual revival. Ownership of the EMD unit, built in 1958, was recently transferred from the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society to the Cincinnati Scenic Railway. The Cincinnati Scenic also recently acquired ex-NKP express boxcar […]
ROANOKE, Va. — The Virginia Museum of Transportation has received a $15,000 grant from the Phillips Charitable Foundation Inc. to support firebox maintenance on its Norfolk & Western Class J 4-8-4, No. 611. The foundation’s benefactor, Howard W. Phillips, displayed a lifelong love for trains as well as an appreciation for historic preservation. This led […]
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — After an engaged community discussion, the city council voted Aug. 26, to retain Western Maryland 4-6-2 No. 202, rejecting a proposal to donate the locomotive to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The debate drew lines in the Western Maryland community over the cost of restoration and responsibility for care versus seeing the […]
HARTFORD, Wis. — The 2025 debut of Soo Line 2-8-2 No. 1003 on Saturday, Aug. 23, marked its first summer run since a 2022 trip to Chicago for a Metra family days event [see “News photos: Soo Line No. 1003 makes road trip …,” Trains.com, Aug. 8, 2022]. The 1913-built Mikado made a non-passenger round […]
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Jim Ehernberger, 88, has now been retired longer than his time working for the Union Pacific. Yet, Ehernberger still considers himself a railroad man. Over the years, he has amassed a collection of documents, maps and photographs detailing western U.S. railroad activity. While he previously donated a portion of his collection to […]
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — The family responsible for saving the East Broad Top Railroad has been honored by the EBT Foundation for its role in preserving the narrow gauge line. In a Saturday ceremony, the EBT dedicated a monument to Fannie and Nick Kovalchick and their family. The Kovalchicks, who operate a scrap metal firm, […]
Time capsule When construction of Pennsylvania’s iron ore and coal-hauling East Broad Top began in 1872, more than 150 years ago, its builders decided it would be a narrow gauge line, with rails set 3-feet apart instead of the North American standard gauge of 4-feet, 8.5-inches. Narrow gauge offered significant advantages, as the smaller locomotives […]
BUTTE, Mont. – Turn off Harrison Ave. into the parking lot of the Butte Civic Center and there between the asphalt and the Town Pump gas station next door sits Northern Pacific No. 25, one of 13 2-8-0s built in 1899 by the Schenectady Locomotive Works for the railroad. No. 25 lugged freight and passenger […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Activist investor Ancora Holdings, which recently announced it had taken an increased stake in CSX, is increasing pressure on the railroad to pursue a merger. The hedge fund today released a letter it had sent to the CSX board on Aug. 6, saying the board “needs to announce in the near term […]
Steam over Cumbres Pass On a sunny June morning in Antonito, Colorado, Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad’s 4-6-0 No. 168, built by Baldwin in 1883, is readied for another run over the mountains. Its relatively tall 46-inch drivers made it suitable for fast passenger service. Carl Swanson The 64-mile-long Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is […]
