Trains

PLUS

• Unscheduled night station stop on the Grand Trunk Western • Railfan Road: New York’s Route 5 along the Water Level Route • A small-town depot is Iowa’s busiest Amtrak station

From the Editor

Positive train control, says author Greg Richardson (page 16), is “arguably the most significant technological advancement in railroading since the transition from steam to diesel locomotives.” Greg witnessed the PTC revolution from the front lines....

From the Editor

The merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern continues to loom large over the railroad industry. Veteran journalist Bill Stephens summarizes several developments on page 14, while retired BNSF Executive Chairman Matthew K. Rose makes the case for...

From the Editor

The numbers are staggering. Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern would see UP grow to 50,000 route miles — a single railroad connecting 43 of the 50 states, serving 100 ports, and spanning the nation from ocean to...

Classic Alco PA rumbles again

Genesee Valley Transportation celebrates after long restoration

Rimrock and coal in Montana

PLUS • Last of steam on West Virginia’s Bu alo Creek & Gauley • Amtrak success story: Borealis marks its first anniversary • California eyes changes for iconic Carquinez Strait Bridge

From the Editor

Bill Stephens takes us underground this month to examine CSX’s reconstruction of the 8,700-foot-long, 130-year-old, Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore, Md. The tunnel will be closed through most of 2025, requiring detours of about 20 freight trains a...

From the Editor

This, or so we believed, was the path to short line success. In the June 2014 issue, we profiled the Blacklands Railroad in East Texas. A group of Texas counties had pooled their resources, purchased a cast-off rail line, and hired an operator to...

Liquid light

Curving along the Bow River in Alberta, Canada, a mid-train set of locomotives illuminate the foreground’s frozen landscape, while the lead locomotive a half-mile ahead casts a headlight glow on the forest beyond. Todd Halamka captured this 30-second...

From the Editor

Amtrak’s long-distance trains are a great way to travel, as long as you don’t absolutely need to get to your destination at the scheduled time. Bill Stephens notes in his article starting on page 20, in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2024, on-time...

From the Editor

Reading Blue Mountain & Northern, headquartered in Port Clinton, Pa., is likely best known for its active program of steam- and diesel-powered passenger trains, headlined by Reading T-1 4-8-4 No. 2102. But, as Correspondent Scott Hartley details in his...

From the Editor

Railroad adventure is a common thread running through this issue. John Friedmann, for instance, recently found time for a rail trip from Maine to Miami — with a difference. John aimed for one journey stringing together as many different intercity,...

From the Editor

The slow pace of California’s high-speed rail system frustrates many observers. While progress continues to be made on the initial 171-mile section between the Central Valley cities of Merced and Bakersfield (and environmental approval has been...

From the Editor

The new year ahead marks the first of a series of railroad anniversaries, starting with the bicentennial of England’s Stockton & Darlington, the first locomotive-powered public railway, followed, in a couple of years, by the bicentennial of railways in...

Railroading in the heart of Texas

Houston’s 185-mile Port Terminal Railroad Association keeps cargo moving

RAILFAN ROAD: FOLLOW BNSF RY. IN MONTANA

Chicago’s steel heart: Cicero Avenue

ROOSEVELT ROAD USED TO BE THE Chicago railfan road. On less than a mile of viaducts just south of downtown, fans could catch passenger trains to and from many of the great Chicago passenger stations and associated coach yards. But intercity trains now...

Saving steam at Silvis

Aspen Welker is hard at work. He’s cutting stay bolt caps o a massive steam locomotive, inside an equally massive steam backshop. He’s part of a crew overhauling two steam locomotives receiving Class 1 repairs. Class 1 repair, according to the United...

The Superliner solution

Superliner capacity not a new issue