Join Trains Editor Jim Wrinn in Cass, West Virginia, in June 2020 for the re-opening of the Cass Scenic Railroad. Although the opening came amid a serious health crisis, Cass crews steamed up five locomotives and coupled them end-to-end for a quintuple-headed steam train — rare in any location in modern times. The highlight […]
Section: Railroading
Rio Grande Southern steam locomotive returned to service in Colorado
Follow along with Trains Editor Jim Wrinn as he gets a close look at Rio Grande Southern No. 20 — a newly restored narrow-gauge 4-6-0 steam locomotive now homed at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colo. Before 2020, No. 20 had not steamed since the 1950s and required more than a decade of […]
Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway re-construction work
Trains’ Editor Jim Wrinn visited the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway in August 2020 to grab video above the tree line to record portions of the tourist line’s re-construction project. The railroad itself is being completely re-built and is expected to re-open in May 2021. The railroad has also ordered new trains from […]
Siemens Charger locomotives on Midwest trains
Chargers are among the newest and most popular passenger locomotives in North America today. The diesel-electric units are made by Germany-based Siemens, at the company’s Sacramento, Calif., manufacturing plant. This videos offers a Chicago-area tour of Chargers leading Amtrak train to Midwest destinations. […]
Narrow gauge Denver & Rio Grande Western caboose restored to operation
Colorado’s magnificent Georgetown Loop Railroad rebuilt a unique caboose in 2020. One of a small number of surviving Rio Grande cabooses with eight wheels, the Loop’s caboose adds a new element to this spectacular railroad. Join us for a ride with the man who headed up the restoration. […]
U.S. Sugar Corp. 4-6-2 steams again in Florida
Florida has standard gauge steam once more. U.S. Sugar has restored 4-6-2 No. 148 for special events and a future tourist railroad. The locomotive helped to kickoff the sugarcane harvest. Let’s visit this graceful locomotive on the railroad where it worked for many years. […]
U.S. Sugar Corp. 4-6-2 steams again in Florida
Florida has standard gauge steam once more. U.S. Sugar has restored 4-6-2 No. 148 for special events and a future tourist railroad. The locomotive helped to kickoff the sugarcane harvest. Let’s visit this graceful locomotive on the railroad where it worked for many years. […]
Heisler geared steam locomotives in operation today (2020)
One of the big three of geared steam power, the Heisler was a favorite of loggers and miners from the late 1800s through the 1940s. Propelled by two cylinders powering a crankshaft running under the locomotive, the Heisler provided power and more speed than its competitors, the Shay and the Climax. We’ll look at […]
South Dakota Railroad Museum 2020 tour
Join us in Hill City, S.D., for one a visit to one of the nation’s best state railroad museums. Housed in an enginehouse-like building next to the Black Hills Central tourist railroad, the South Dakota Railroad Museum tells the story of the Mount Rushmore State’s railroads. Executive Director Rick Mills gives us a tour of […]
Black Hills Central Railroad steam powered double-header
The Black Hills Central tourist railroad operated a doubleheader with its two Baldwin tank engines in October 2020. This was the first time these 1920s brutes joined forces to pull a train on this mountainous railroad. Join us for a look trackside and a ride along. […]
Strasburg Rail Road at 60
One of the nation’s iconic tourist railroads, Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road, reached a major milestone in 2020. The railroad reached its 60th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, it returned 2-10-0 Decapod No. 90 steam locomotive to its original tourist paint scheme. It also ran trips with its tiny Plymouth diesel. Join us for a […]
CSX history including predecessors
Join Trains on a locomotive-studded tour of CSX Transportation — the blue and gold railroad — along with predecessors. Trains honored CSX with a full-length DVD in 2020. This segment from the DVD features an overview of CSX and a history of the railroad and predecessors. Only from Trains.com! […]