Trains LIVE — Rail news analysis with Bill Stephens

Man in vest with pictures on wall behind him.

Trains LIVE — Rail news analysis with Bill Stephens — 5-3-2024 — Every day Trains News Wire brings you the latest railroading news. There are some stories that unfold over weeks and months with each new twist adding to the story’s depth. Bill Stephens, Trains business analyst, reports on the most significant railroad business events, […]

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Olympia & Sand Creek, Sidetrack Ep. 4 | A horse apiece

Back on the sidetrack, David resumes construction of the drivers, plus the horses and mules used to pull the various wagons and carts he’ll place into his On30 layout scenes. Initial efforts in this episode involve the basic material prep and assembly of all the white metal parts and pieces in the selected kits. By […]

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Trains LIVE — Along the rails with JDI

35mm slide of J. David Ingles. Trains LIVE — Along the rails with JDI

Trains LIVE — Along the rails with JDI — 4-18-2024 — J. David Ingles — “Diesel Dave” — is among eight people to serve as editor of Trains. He was a member of the Kalmbach staff for 47 years, 1971 to 2018, when he transitioned to working as a contributing editor. Ingles was a prolific […]

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Great Railfan Roads | U.S. Route 30 in Nebraska

The Union Pacific main through Nebraska is one of the best train-watching spots in America, with a plethora of trains operating over double track and sometimes triple track mainline.  U.S. Route 30 closely parallels the railroad, making this stretch of the Union Pacific a great place to see trains.  Let’s follow the route from Cheyenne, […]

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Steve Miazga’s N scale Missabe Junction operating session

Enjoy an insider’s look at an informal operating session hosted on Steve Miazga’s N scale (1:160) model railroad, set in northern Wisconsin. While you can read about the construction of this 14 x16-foot basement layout in Trains.com bonus articles and Model Railroader magazine’s September 2018 issue, the real thrill comes from seeing Steve and his […]

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When Ringling Bros. rode the rails

For 146 years, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train criss-crossed the nation as America’s longest passenger train.  With a mile-long train of passenger cars and container flats and housing about 300 performers and crew, the circus train was a regular sight on American railroads. The Ringling Bros. shut down operations in 2017 […]

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Durango & Silverton | Coal-fired steam finale

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has faced numerous challenges in the last few years, the results of which have attributed to the end of using coal to fire their steam locomotive fleet.  Following a major fire near the railroad, the D&S fast-tracked a program to convert their steam engines to burn oil.  A […]

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Spaces to Places V | A new path to the underpass, part 4

Our host Gerry Leone heads for the hills in this episode of Spaces to Places! More specifically, he works a bit on the topography of the underpass area and how the highway routes through it all. Wisely, Gerry elects to make a template of his initial design, and then uses it to guide his efforts shaping up […]

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Trains LIVE — Mikados

Man in TV studio with interview guest on a video monitor. Trains LIVE — Mikados

Trains LIVE — Mikados — 3-29-2024 — As rail traffic expanded in the early 1900s, the 2-8-0 steam locomotive class had reached its apex. The railroads, however, needed more power, which meant expanding steam-generating capacity. More steam meant having a larger fire and firebox to hold it. Fireboxes became wider, moving behind the last driving […]

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CT rail passenger service along the Hartford Line

Travel with Trains.com to the Hartford Line, a busy stretch of commuter railroad operating passenger service between New Haven, Conn. and Springfield, Mass. Opened in 2018 and featuring up to 35 passenger trains a day, this state-supported passenger rail corridor features both CT rail service and Amtrak Regionals. In addition, we’ll view Amtrak Vermonter, which […]

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Vermont Rail System winter operations

In celebration of Green Mountain Railroad’s 60th Anniversary, Trains.com visited the snow-covered mountains of Vermont to view wintertime operations. Now part of the Vermont Rail System, the Green Mountain is a vital cog moving freight across the entire state. Operating over a former Rutland Railroad mainline, we’ll follow train 263 running between Rutland and Bellows […]

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