BUTTE, Mont. — Federal railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose and Surface Transportation Board Vice Chair Karen Hedlund are among scheduled speakers at the third annual conference of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, set for Wednesday, Aug. 9, at the Hotel Finlen in Butte. The conference will bring together passenger advocates, government officials, railroad representatives, […]
Zone & Region: Mountain West
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Coal Hauling Trains
Tons of Black Gold rides the rails under Big Skies. Tom Danneman is frequently there to capture these unit trains, so we’ve compiled this video of heavy haulers working the western main lines. These big trains and even bigger skies are all part of what makes Tom’s brand of contemporary railfanning so compelling to view […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Coal Hauling Trains
Tons of Black Gold rides the rails under Big Skies. Tom Danneman is frequently there to capture these unit trains, so we’ve compiled this video of heavy haulers working the western main lines. These big trains and even bigger skies are all part of what makes Tom’s brand of contemporary railfanning so compelling to view […]
Cumbres & Toltec seeing high demand for fall-colors trips
CHAMA, N.M. — Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad excursions this fall are selling quickly, the railroad reports, with some September dates almost sold out in all ticket classes and Parlor class seating available for only three dates in the entire month. “Autumn is always a popular time to ride the Cumbres & Toltec,” Scott Gibbs, […]
Big Ten windbreak
The Rio Grande placed a string of hopper cars filled with dirt on the inside of Big Ten Curve above Denver on the Front Range of the Rockies to act as a windbreak. Until the cars were installed in 1971, strong winds off the mountains blew several trains off the track here. Ray Kenley photo […]
Union Pacific’s General Electric U50C locomotives
Union Pacific’s General Electric U50C locomotives were the last double-diesel model to join the roster, beginning in late 1969. They were, however, the least successful of the three production models the railroad acquired. GE built 40 U50C locomotives for UP between September 1969 and January 1971. (Their production dates largely mirrored those of […]
Moffat Tunnel lease could become part of fight over Uinta Basin Railway
DENVER — Colorado opponents of the oil-train traffic expected to be generated by the Uinta Basin Railway may attempt to use Union Pacific’s soon-to-expire lease on the Moffat Tunnel as leverage in their effort to fight the Utah project, the website Colorado Newsline reports. The 99-year lease UP inherited in its merger with Southern Pacific […]
NTSB says track conditions caused fatal 2021 Empire Builder derailment (updated)
WASHINGTON — Track conditions led to the fatal derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder in Joplin, Mont., in September 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final accident report released today (July 27) Three passengers were killed and 49 other people were injured in the derailment of the westbound train on BNSF’s Hi Line […]
Rio Grande 4-6-6-4
Freshly-shopped Denver & Rio Grande Western 4-6-6-4 No. 3708 is at Wolhurst, Colo., 13.5 miles south of Denver, on a freight bound for Pueblo and Alamosa on the road’s “Joint Line” in June 1949. Ross B. Grenard photo […]
Empire Builder delayed by minor derailment in Montana
HAVRE, Mont. — No injuries were reported Monday after one car of the eastbound Empire Builder derailed Monday afternoon near Havre, Mont. Amanda Frickel, Hill County coordinator for disaster and emergency services, told MTN News that the next-to-last car derailed but remained upright, confirming what appeared to be the case, based on an image posted […]
Rebuilt Montana Rail Link bridge over Yellowstone River opens to traffic
Montana Rail Link’s main line was put back into service on Saturday after the rebuilt Reed Point bridge over the Yellowstone River was reopened more than a week ahead of estimates. The bridge collapsed on June 24, sending 10 cars into the river and derailing an additional seven cars. Asphalt was released into the river […]
11 cars of BNSF train derail in Montana
HAVRE, Mont. — Eleven cars of a 25-car BNSF intermodal train derailed Friday afternoon about 8 miles east of Havre, blocking the railroad’s Northern Transcon route. The derailment occurred at 4:39 p.m., the Havre Daily News reports, quoting a BNSF spokeswoman. Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel said one car was carrying […]