Clik here to view.
Signaling complicates positive train control
[caption image="/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-07-48/0640.TRNC111401A3.jpg" position="right"]A Union Pacific train heads eastbound on BNSF Railway tracks in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two yanks in Montreal (in 2017) in pictures
Your humble correspondent once had high-minded aspirations and sincere intentions of saying something appropriately meaningful about a 2017 visit to Montreal as a part-work trip part-vacation visit...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Railroading is everywhere, just look around!
A quick note from me to remind you to look for railroading all around you as you are out and about this summer. You never know when some slice of railroading will present itself. I was reminded of this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rio Grande Southern 20: An iconic photo, a careful restoration
There are iconic American steam locomotives that appropriately have national and even worldwide followings. Most are big mainline rigs that exude personality and charisma as they blast down the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An open letter to the Forest Service about the Durango & Silverton
U.S. Forest ServiceSan Juan National Forest Headquarters15 Burnett CourtDurango, CO 81301Attn: Supervisor Kara ChadwickDear Ms. Chadwick:You and I have never met, but I hope you will allow me to speak...
View ArticleClik here to view.
It's time to Steam the Last Baldwin: A final push!
For the last six months, dear readers, you’ve patiently endured my calls to support the Steam the Last Baldwin campaign, the effort to restore the 1949 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 at the non-profit Western...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First impressions of scrappy Rio Grande Southern 20 at the Colorado Railroad...
GOLDEN, Colo. — Since my first visit to the Colorado Railroad Museum in 1987, I have walked by the stuffed and mounted Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 No. 20 and admired the displayed locomotive many times....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rebuilding a railroad above the clouds: Pikes Peak's cog
PIKES PEAK, Colo. — We have driven in a pickup up the dirt road that for 128 years has been The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway. We have reached a spot approximately 11,000 feet above...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CSX at 40: A visit to Cowan, Tenn., where helpers still rule
We put together a special issue called CSX at 40 to mark the four decades of this Eastern giant. In editing that special issue (available here https://bit.ly/3lk12G4), I kept looking at one great image...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Steam the Last Baldwin: 1309 work progresses thanks to your donations
If you have been involved in the restoration of a full-sized steam locomotive you know there are long periods of time between the big events that mark progress. There’s the hydrostatic test of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Steaming the Last Baldwin, 1309: With these rings, I thee steam
I touched base Friday with the team working on Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. They are busy at the shop in Ridgeley, W.Va., working on multiple fronts at one time, in an effort to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When railroads changed the world — looking for stories
We know railroads have changed the course of history.From making frequent, long-distance travel practical and affordable to lowering the transportation costs of heavy or distant goods, railroads have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trains magazine celebrates its 80th year with Soo Line No. 1003
Trains is turning 80 in November and what better way to celebrate than with a steam engine near and dear to Wisconsin’s heart. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic quashing the plans for our evening soirée...
View ArticleClik here to view.
'Big Projects' arrives, with stories both timely and timeless
[caption image="/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-07-48/3108.Projects_5F00_Cover.jpg" position="right"]The cover of our latest special issue, 'Big...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Where do you find inspiration?
Here in Dairyland in January, it’s cold, the days are too short, the snow is an inconvenience (although sometimes beautiful, but it overstays its welcome), and the pandemic continues to harsh one’s...
View Article