ANTONITO, Colo. — Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 No. 20, visiting the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad from Colorado Railroad Museum, will pull freight cars and historic passenger cars on a Trains Magazine photographer’s jaunt between Antonito and Big Horn on Sept. 5. This will be the first solo trip for the 1899 steam locomotive, which […]
Railroad: Tourist Railroad
Western Maryland Scenic now operating Amtrak’s last dome car
CUMBERLAND, Md. — As tourist railroads and museums emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, they are offering new experiences to attract the public. At the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, this effort has translated into the addition of Amtrak’s last dome car. The Ocean View, built in 1955 and retired by Amtrak in 2019, debuted earlier this […]
Hoosier Valley museum seeks funds to help return BL2 to operation
NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, the Indiana preservation railroad that is leasing two rare EMD BL2 diesels, is seeking $5,000 in donations to speed the day when it can put one of the units into service. The former Bangor & Aroostook Railroad diesels, purchased during the bankruptcy sale of Iowa Pacific […]
Nickel Plate Road 765 to return to Ohio for Steam in the Valley
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 will return to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for Steam in the Valley on Sept. 3, 10-12 and 17-19. Each year, except for 2020, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad works with the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society to bring the steam locomotive to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, […]
Oregon excursion operator to add steam locomotive
LEBANON, Ore. — Santiam Excursion Trains, which operates on the Albany & Eastern Railroad in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, has announced it will begin operating with a steam locomotive this fall. Coming to the tourist operation will be Santa Maria Valley No. 205, a 2-6-2 built by Baldwin in 1924. Retired and placed on display in […]
Conrail-painted GP10 will operate near Cincinnati
LEBANON, Ohio— An Electro-Motive Division GP10 road-switcher painted in blue with authentic Conrail markings will be pulling tourist trains for the Cincinnati Scenic Railway, beginning in August. The unit was built as Illinois Central GP9 No. 9037 in June 1954 and later rebuilt to a GP10 in a capital overhaul program at IC/Illinois Central Gulf’s […]
Durango & Silverton set to go coal-free in 2021 season
DURANGO, Colo. — In a break from its 140-year history, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad appears to be on the way to running an entire season without using a coal-burning locomotive. The Durango Telegraph reports the railroad is set to handle the season with two steam locomotives converted from coal to oil firing, […]
Rocky Mountaineer, White Pass & Yukon adjust summer operating plans
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Despite uncertainty when the Canada-U.S. border will open, Rocky Mountaineer has confirmed it is moving ahead with limited operations on two of its three routes out of Vancouver in July and returning to a full schedule in August. Meanwhile, although Alaskan tour train operator White Pass & Yukon Route will begin […]
Preservation roundup: Steamtown increases hours, visitor services
Steamtown offering increased hours and features for summer Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pa., will begin increasing visitor services this week, with additional features to open on July 7. As of this Saturday, June 26, the park’s summer hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. go into effect, and the theater will open, allowing […]
East Broad Top hires archivist
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – The East Broad Top Railroad has hired an archivist to begin organizing and cataloging hundreds of cubic feet of the historic narrow gauge line’s company records. Julie K. Rockwell of nearby Huntingdon, Pa., is leading efforts to sift through a vast collection of material documenting the operations of the 33-mile central […]
Interiors near completion on three ‘Mark Twain Zephyr’ cars
TREGO, Wis. — After surviving 62 years in storage and seven previous owners unable to fulfill their plans for the historic Budd-built streamliner, Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad’s restoration of the Mark Twain Zephyr has turned a corner, with three of the five cars nearing interior completion. “I am thankful every day for the individuals and […]
East Broad Top reopens for regular service, runs specials to Colgate Grove
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – The East Broad Top Railroad reached a couple of restoration mileposts over the past week. On Friday, June 11, it reopened for scheduled public passenger service for the first time in 10 years. The owner, the nonprofit EBT Foundation Inc., has run trains for several special events. But this was the […]