Bakken Energy announces alliance with BNSF Railway

BNSF Railway logo

BISMARCK, N.D. – Bakken Energy, a developer of affordable clean hydrogen, announced a memorandum of understanding with BNSF Railway to collaborate on the design of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub. In collaboration with the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Montana, Bakken Energy is working on the design of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, a regional […]

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Sisseton Milbank Railroad seeking federal grants to rebuild line

Web of 75-pound rail

  SISSETON, S.D. — The Sisseton Milbank Railroad, owned by Twin Cities & Western Railroad, is seeking $24.7 million in grant funds to rebuild the railroad, the Watertown (S.D.) Public Opinion reported. The former Milwaukee Road branch line was built in 1893 and still has 75-pound rail. The railroad can’t handle 286,000 pound cars and […]

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Railfanning Chicago: Clarendon Hills

Commuter train arrives at station

Metra’s new Clarendon Hills station New Metra stations are rare enough. One on the Chicago-area commuter operator’s most-used line is a particularly big deal, given how many people will likely use it — and how long it is likely to be used. So it seemed worthwhile to devote one chapter of our occasional series on […]

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National Railroad Museum submits expansion plans

Inside the National Railroad Museum's main exhibit hall looking at Union Pacific No. 4017, Big Boy

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. – The National Railroad Museum has submitted a plan to the Village of Ashwaubenon for a $15 million expansion project that would include a new building for exhibits and a plaza along the Fox River, Green Bay’s Fox 11 News reported. The museum would expand its current Lenfestey Center by 32,040 square feet. […]

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Pullman National Monument designated as National Park

Ornate multistory brick building with clock tower

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden has signed legislation that changes the Pullman National Monument to a National Historical Park, making it the first National Park Service unit in Chicago. Pullman National Monument was designated by President Barack Obama on Feb. 19, 2015. The park tells the story of one of the first planned industrial communities […]

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CEOs from BNSF, CN, NS set to appear at MARS meeting

Mars logo

LOMBARD, Ill. — CEOs of three Class I railroads are among the impressive list of speakers for this year’s winter meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, set for Jan. 17-19 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Ill. Katie Farmer of BNSF Railway, Tracy Robinson of Canadian National, and Alan Shaw of […]

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Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee remembered

Streamlined electric passenger train crossing railroad tracks at grade during Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee history

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee history is tied to the transit needs of Chicago and Milwaukee. In 1891 the Waukegan & North Shore Rapid Transit Co. was incorporated — a trolley line for the city of Waukegan, Ill., on the shore of Lake Michigan, 36 miles north of Chicago. In 1897, by which time it […]

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20th Century Limited: ‘The Greatest Train Ever Made’

Streamlined diesel locomotives on 20th Century Limited passenger train along river

New York Central’s 20th Century Limited was dubbed “The Greatest Train Ever Made.” In the first half of the 20th century, New York and Chicago were the two largest, most dynamic cities in the U.S. and titans of commerce. Big business demanded in-person company meetings, thus the need for fast travel between New York and […]

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Biggest 4-6-2 Pacific: Omaha Road’s E-3 class

Three-quarter rear view of biggest 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive

The biggest 4-6-2 Pacific came from a surprisingly small railroad.     Any history of the American steam locomotive must save some superlatives for the 4-6-2 Pacific. The wheel arrangement allowed a wide variety of design and performance, such that approximately 6,000 were manufactured in the first half of the 20th century, all in the […]

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Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee equipment remembered

Streamlined Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee equipment under catenary

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee equipment set it apart from other electric interurban lines. Please enjoy this photo gallery selected from files in Kalmbach Media‘s David P. Morgan Library.     Each month since October 2019, Classic Trains editors have selected one Fallen Flag to honor. A Fallen Flag is a railroad whose name and heritage have succumbed […]

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“Annie” FAs at Durand

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Ann Arbor Railroad freight TF-1, led by Alco FA diesels in the blue-white-gray of AA parent Wabash, crosses one of the Grand Trunk Western diamonds at Durand, Mich., in the late 1940s or early ’50s. Rail Photo Service photo […]

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