Chicago Union Station 100th Anniversary Celebration

On July 22, 2025, Chicago Union Station in Downtown, Chicago, Ill., hosted a centennial celebration of the site’s official dedication in 1925. As referenced in the companion Trains.com article, notable city, regional, state, and federal officials staged near the Great Hall to recognize the station’s quintessential role, longevity, and impactful renovations aimed to keep it […]

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News photo: Airo on the move

ARVADA, Colo. — Amtrak’s first Airo trainset — a diesel-powered version destined for use in Amtrak Cascades Service — arrived in Colorado on Wednesday, July 23, en route to an extended stay for testing in Pueblo, Colo. P42 No. 22 was in charge special train No. 964, ferrying the new equipment from Siemens Mobility’s Sacramento plant. […]

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Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger

Color photo showing front of modern N scale diesel in red, white, blue, and silver paint on white background

Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger Scale: N (1:160) Price: Direct-current models, $150; with pre-installed Digital Command Control motor decoder, $250; with pre-installed DCC and sound decoder, $350 Era: 2021 to present Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger features: All-wheel electrical pickup Blackened wheels Body-mounted […]

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Amtrak marks 100th birthday of Chicago Union Station

Interior of main waiting room at large railroad station

CHICAGO — You only celebrate a 100th birthday once, and Amtrak made sure that the milestone for Chicago Union Station did not go unnoticed. Officials including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker were on hand today for ceremonies today (July 22, 2025) marking the centennial of the station’s dedication, held July 23, 1925, although — as Amtrak’s […]

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News Photos: Amtrak’s first Airo train readied for departure

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Amtrak today shared photos of the first Airo train set being prepared to leave the Siemens assembly plant in Sacramento. The set will head to Pueblo, Colo., for testing before eventually making its revenue debut in Cascades service sometime in 2026. Amtrak has ordered 83 of the train sets, which will replace […]

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Lincoln Service, Floridian see extended cancellations

Regional passenger train departs station in evening

CHICAGO — On short notice, Amtrak has cancelled one Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service round trip for more than a week as of Thursday, July 17, and implemented a complicated Floridian cancellation scenario that began Friday, July 18, and runs through Aug. 3. Other regional services and long-distance trains continue to suffer hours-long delays, cancellations en […]

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Amtrak’s Borealis reaches 250,000-rider mark

Passenger train led by road-switcher style locomotive

CHICAGO — Amtrak’s Borealis reached the 250,000-passenger milestone during the July 4th holiday weekend, the passenger operator has announced. The train, funded by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, launched in May 2024. It continues to exceed initial passenger estimates, carring more than 18,500 passengers in its first month and reaching 100,000 riders in […]

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