Pecos River crossing Southern Pacific’s crossing over the Pecos River 65 miles west of Del Rio, Texas, stands 362 feet above the river. It opened in 1944. Southern Pacific photo […]
Pecos River crossing
Zone & Region: Plains & Texas
Giant turbine and diesel locomotives followed Union Pacific’s famous Big Boys
Union Pacific’s fascination with large, single-unit freight locomotives did not end when it received the last of its 25 Big Boys in 1944. The railroad fielded fleets of powerful gas-turbine-electric and double-engined diesel locomotives in the 1950s and 1960s. […]
Cab roof acquisition allows PA restoration project to move forward
FRISCO, Texas — A critical part in the restoration of Santa Fe Alco PA 59L at the Museum of the American Railroad has arrived in Texas. The cab roof and front windshield from a FP4A arrived Aug. 16 and was set down next to the legendary locomotive. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Ohio provided […]
Employee killed in accident at Union Pacific yard in Texas
LAREDO, Texas — An employee at Union Pacific’s Laredo yard was killed Monday afternoon when struck by a truck, the Laredo Morning Times reports. Juan Pedro Gamez, 20, was struck by a truck being driven by another UP employee at the yard. Laredo Police said the driver, who was not identified, was trying to work […]
Iowa Interstate’s QJ 2-10-2 steam locomotive in photos
Look over Jim Wrinn’s shoulder as with photographs taken on August 2021 excursion with Iowa Interstate Railroad’s QJ 2-10-2 steam locomotive in Iowa. Only from Trains.com! […]
Big Boy in Texas and Mid-South photo gallery, August 2021
Trains contributors Steve Smedley and Sol Tucker present some of their choice images from chasing Union Pacific Big Boy in Texas and the Mid-South. Big Boy’s 2021 trip from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to New Orleans and back is the locomotive’s first excursion since 2019. For more information, see the Union Pacific steam schedule online. Also, […]
NTSB report: Track damage from flooding led to 2019 UP derailment, fire
WASHINGTON — Flooding from a nearby lake that weakened and washed out track structure was the probable cause of a 2019 Union Pacific derailment and fire in Fort Worth, Texas, the National Transportation Board said in a report released Thursday. The April 24, 2019, incident saw 26 cars of a 98-train of ethanol derail at […]
Locomotives on Big Boy’s 2021 route
These are the steam locomotives on Big Boy’s 2021 route. In August and September 2021, Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 will travel from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to New Orleans through Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, among other places. Classic Trains offers this photo gallery of steam locomotives from railroading’s high-period, showcasing those […]
BNSF train derails in North Dakota
BISMARCK, N.D. — Approximately 15 cars of a BNSF coal train derailed Sunday afternoon in Bismarck, KX TV news reports. No injuries were reported. Bismarck police and fire and the Burleigh County Sheriff’s responded to the incident just outside the southeast border of the city limits. The derailment initially blocked one roadway, Yegen Road, but […]
County officials accept donation to fund Palestine, Texas, suit against
PALESTINE, Texas — County officials have accepted a donation of more than $14,000 for the court case seeking to keep Union Pacific from closing its car shop in Palestine, per an agreement that originated more than a century ago. The Palestine Herald-Press reports the Anderson County Commissioners Court has accepted $14,500 raised by an online […]
Company service
Company service Texas Electric Utilities E25B No. 2304, southbound with coal for Monticello, Texas, in May 1984, represents the first generation of motive power on the power plant railroad. Alex Mayes photo […]
News photo: Big Boy begins 2021 tour
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Big Boy has begun this year’s Big Trip. Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 left its Cheyenne headquarters today, heading east to Sidney, Neb., on the first leg of a month-long, 10-state journey that will take it to New Orleans and back. Union Pacific offers both a detailed schedule and live […]
