A conventional two-cylinder locomotive like this one exhausts four times per wheel revolution. This is thanks to the position of the valves. Library of Congress Q At low speed, the four “chuffs” a steam engine makes per wheel rotation all sound the same to me, but at higher speed I think I hear a four-beat […]
Financial hardships, highway competition, and inadequate maintenance and investment led to the abandonment of a wide array of railroads. Take a look at our free 45-page PDF download to uncover the history behind the following railroads: The formation of the Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad and the different rail lines it operated, restored, and acquired. How the Vicksburg Route changed […]
An elevated interior image of Chicago Union Station’s Great Hall after reconstruction. The suspended work deck is shown beneath the vaulted skylight. Mike Clarahan, Berglund Construction/Amtrak CHICAGO — The historic Great Hall at Chicago’s Union Station is awash in new light with renovation all but complete on the iconic skylight, installation of improved lighting, and […]
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has been shutdown following two earthquakes north of Anchorage on Friday morning. The back-to-back quakes measuring in 7 and 5.8 on the Richter scale shook buildings and damaged roads across the southern part of the state. The Associated Press reports that there were no immediate reports of death or […]
Crews hoist former Pan Am Railways GP9 No. 52 into the air. The locomotive will soon serve the Heber Valley Railroad in regular service. Mike Manwiller HEBER CITY, Utah — After a 3,000-mile journey from Maine, the Heber Valley Railroad’s new GP9s are ready for service in Utah. Earlier this month, ex-Pan Am Railway GP9s […]
This California Heisler is returning to the area where it first worked. Mill Valley Historical Society MILL VALLEY, Calif. — The only remaining original equipment from the fabled Mount Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railroad in Marin County is on its way to a new home. No. 9, a 30-ton two-truck Heisler built in 1920, was […]
An NJ Transit train crosses the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River. A GoFundMe campaign wants to raise $920 million to replace the bridge. Russell Sullivan SECAUCUS, N.J. — NJ Transit commuters and Amtrak passengers tired of dealing with frequent issues with Amtrak’s Portal Bridge can now do something about it: Pay for a replacement […]
Iowa Interstate QJ 2-10-2s Nos. 6988 and 7081 doublehead in Iowa in 2011. Trains: Jim Wrinn MENLO, Iowa — In the first announcement of a scheduled big steam locomotive running on a regional railroad in 2019, Iowa Interstate officials Friday said that steam will operate to benefit a volunteer fire department in this community located […]
An F40PH-2C leads a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter train across the Charles River in Boston on April 21, 2016.The MBTA will begin offering service between Boston and Foxborough, Mass., under a pilot program. Scott A. Hartley FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will begin an 11-month pilot program of commuter rail service […]
Swiss-built diesel-powered rack rail cars pause at the top of Colorado’s Pike’s Peak during a Trains Magazine tour of Colorado in June 2015. Trains: Steve Sweeney MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — One of the highest rack railroads in the world will re-open in 2021, say Colorado media outlets. Denver’s Fox 31 reports that the Pikes Peak Cog […]
Big Boy No. 4014 will steam between Cheyenne, Wyo., and Ogden, Utah, in May 2019. CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Trains Magazine and Special Interest Tours will offer a multi-day Big Boy No. 4014 chase bus on the Union Pacific locomotive’s inaugural run in May 2019, promoters said Friday. The massive 4-8-8-4 will operate from its homebase […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has defended penalties it plans to impose on shippers who don’t load and unload cars quickly or who make last-minute changes to unit train service schedules. “We are certain the proposed tariffs are fair, balanced, and reciprocal in nature,” Kenny Rocker, UP’s executive vice president of marketing and sales, wrote in […]
