Southern Pacific narrow gauge 4-6-0 No. 18 stands in the weed-grown yard at Laws, Calif., in April 1956. Wendell Mortimer photo […]
SP narrow gauge at Laws
Train Topic: Narrow Gauge & Industrial
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, […]
White Pass & Yukon workers ratify new agreement
SKAGWAY, Alaska — Union operating crews at the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway have ratified a new agreement, ending the prospect of a strike that could have disrupted the end of the tourist railroad’s 2023 operating season. KTOO reports the railroad and members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation […]
Canada’s Cando Rail to develop battery switcher
EDMONTON, Alberta — Cando Rail & Terminals — the Canadian company which operates shortlines, terminals and transload facilities, and handles industrial switching, among a wide variety of rail services — will develop a battery-electric switcher. The company announced Thursday that it plans to retrofit a legacy, non-tier compliant diesel with a lithium-ion propulsion system for […]
White Pass & Yukon, SMART-TD announce tentative agreement
SKAGWAY, Alaska — The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad and the union representing its train and engine workers have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, the two sides announced Tuesday. The agreement, which would run through 2027, is subject to ratification by the more than two dozen employees represented by the International […]
White Pass & Yukon operating employees vote to strike
SKAGWAY, Alaska — Operating personnel on the White Pass & Yukon Route have voted to authorize a strike, according to their union’s website. Members of International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) Local 1626 authorized the strike in voting last week. The union says it has been negotiating with the […]
C&NW narrow-gauge Mogul
Chicago & North Western 3-foot-gauge Mogul No. 279 stands at Fennimore, Wis., in 1925. Known as “The Dinky,” the North Western’s narrow-gauge line ran 16.4 miles from a C&NW standard-gauge connection at Fennimore to Woodman, on the Milwaukee Road’s Madison–Prairie du Chien, Wis., line. One of the last slim-gauge lines in the Midwest, The Dinky […]
2-8-2T logging engine
Simpson Lumber Co. No. 12, a 2-8-2T with tender, waits at the loading spar. By this 1949 view, the Washington line was a truck-to-rail reload operation. Fred Matthews photo […]
Workers strike at Canada’s National Steel Car
HAMILTON, Ontario — About 1,500 workers are on strike at railcar manufacturer National Steel Car, the Hamilton Spectator reports. The workers, represented by United Steelworkers Local 7135, walked out on Thursday, June 29. Local president Frank Crowder told the newspaper via email that “significant issues,” including wages, remain on the table. The company’s latest offer […]
Durango & Silverton sues insurance company over coverage for 2018 fire
DURANGO, Colo. —Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is suing its insurance company over damage caused by a 2018 wildfire and subsequent floods and mudslides in the burn area, saying the insurance company should have paid for damages from the fire and flooding as separate incidents. The insurance company disagrees, saying the fire led to […]
SP’s “Slim Princess”
Southern Pacific narrow-gauge 4-6-0 No. 22 nears Keeler, Calif., with a freight in May 1940. The Ten-Wheeler was originally Florence & Cripple Creek No. 22, an 1899 product of Schenectady, and then became Nevada-California-Oregon No. 22 before the equipment was relettered for the SP. F.J. Peterson photo […]
Railroad memories on vinyl records
Today, it’s easier than ever to railfan without leaving the comfort of your home. Kalmbach Media is one of several companies that offers DVDs on various prototype subjects. If you prefer seeing trains in real time, you can watch any number of railfan webcams, such as the one Trains magazine has at Rochelle, Ill. This […]
