Watch the Union Pacific funeral train for George H.W. Bush as it crosses Texas. You’ll see SD70ACe No. 4141, painted and lettered for our 41st president, do the honors while thousands of people line the tracks to pay their respects. […]
Zone & Region: Plains & Texas
Using restored vintage equipment, El Paso begins streetcar service NEWSWIRE
A streetcar tests on the streets of El Paso earlier this year. The city’s streetcar system, brought back after being shut down in 1974, opened on Friday. El Paso Streetcar via Facebook EL PASO, Texas — After offering limited free operation during its grand opening weekend, the 4.8-mile El Paso Streetcar system begins full operation […]
Kansas court rules for BNSF in grade-crossing case
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Court of Appeals has found for BNSF Railway in a case regarding state law on blocked grade crossings, saying in a decision released Friday that federal jurisdiction preempts state law. Officials in Chase County, Kan., had cited the railroad for blocking grade crossings for more than the 10 minutes allowed […]
Mountains on the prairie
Illinois Central 4-8-2s pass at speed on the double track near Gilman in September 1954. Engine 2539 is southbound, 2418 northbound; both are on freight. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Washout delays Amtrak ‘Heartland Flyer’ NEWSWIRE
ARDMORE, Okla. — A track washout in southern Oklahoma delayed passengers traveling to Oklahoma City from Dallas-Fort Worth on Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer. Heavy rains late Sunday afternoon damaged the tracks between Gene Autry and Davis. At 5:15 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Carter County. KFOR News 4 reported that the […]
RPO on IC’s Hawkeye
A Railway Post Office clerk looks out from a doorway during a stop at Waterloo, Iowa, in April 1967. The train is Illinois Central’s Sioux City–Chicago Hawkeye. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Nighttime at North Platte
This view from 1950 looks eastward from the hump of Union Pacific’s newly expanded yard at North Platte, Nebr. Wallace W. Abbey photo […]
Texas sees growth potential in remote rail line NEWSWIRE
A Texas Pacifico crew works at Ballinger, Texas, in 2012. The state of Texas has made major investments in the line operated by Texas Pacifico. Wes Carr AUSTIN, Texas — What could be the loneliest railroad in the United States is getting a facelift. Crews are at work upgrading the South Orient rail line, which […]
Fast run on the Frisco
Frisco 4-8-2s 4300–4310 were intended for freight service, but could turn a fast wheel on varnish when necessary. Here No. 4304 departs St. Louis in March 1943 with a 23-car passenger train. George W. Person Jr. During the mid-1930s, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad started rebuilding low-drivered 2-10-2 freight locomotives into modern, high-horsepower, coal-burning 4-8-2s, […]
’24 Hours @ Saginaw’ event returns for Texas railfans
A BNSF train rolls through Saginaw, Texas. Hayley Enoch SAGINAW, Texas — The Dallas-Fort Worth area’s premier annual train-watching event will return in 2018. The North Texas Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society will host the 13th annual “24 Hours @ Saginaw” between 7 p.m. on Friday, May 25, and 7 p.m. on Saturday, […]
Kansas City Southern gets tangled up in Union Pacific’s Houston-area capacity crunch NEWSWIRE
Kansas City Southern CEO Patrick J. “Pat” Ottensmeyer TRAINS: David Lassen WASHINGTON — Kansas City Southern has enough motive power and train crews to handle anticipated traffic growth this year, but its key route to Mexico has experienced slowdowns over the past five months amid congestion on Union Pacific in the Houston area. “While we […]
Burlington “Banana Special”
Two Burlington Route 2-10-2s power away from Edgemont, S.Dak., with a westbound “Banana Special,” 67 reefers of bananas bound for the Pacific Northwest, in November 1948. G. B. Taylor photo […]