Prototype News

Illinois’ Regional Transportation Authority is warning of “doomsday” cuts to transit and commuter rail services throughout Chicagoland if the state’s General Assembly does not take action in the coming weeks. The RTA, which oversees the Chicago Transit Authority subway, Metra commuter, and Pace bus services, is facing a $770 million budget deficit. If the legislature does not act quickly, the agencies will have to start reducing services. 

“This isn’t just a transit crisis—it’s a regional emergency,” said RTA Executive Director Leanne Redden. “If the General Assembly does not act this spring, hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans will wake up in 2026 without a way to get to work, school or medical appointments with continued uncertainty in future years about their transit services. This doomsday scenario can still be avoided as long as our state partners vote to fully fund transit operations before it’s too late.”

Four of the CTA’s eight rail lines could be suspended, leading to the closure of 50 stations. Metra would need to reduce service by 40 percent, which means eliminating early-morning and late-night trains. Lines like the BNSF connecting downtown Chicago and Aurora could experience a reduction, cutting its 91-train schedule in half. Metra would also have to suspend service completely on the Metra Electric Blue Island Branch. —Justin Franz 

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Big names from railroad photography and art will headline “Conversations 2025,” the Center for Railroad Photography & Art’s annual conference, on May 16-18, 2025. This inspiring weekend is open to all who love railroad photography and art works, whether you’re a photographer or artist, or simply a fan. More information and a conference schedule can be found online. Fewer than twenty spaces remain as of this writing, so register today!

The conference will begin with a special Friday evening reception event at the Grohmann Museum in Milwaukee, on the campus of the Milwaukee School of Engineering, with the opening of The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery. The new exhibition is the first public showing of the artwork that was donated by Kalmbach Media to CRP&A in 2024. With the company now dissolved and its magazines sold to Firecrown Media, the collection is the final legacy of the 90-year-old Kalmbach name. The exhibition celebrates the importance of imagery in Kalmbach’s printed materials and the company’s collaborations with artists. Beginning at 5 p.m., attendees will be among the very first to see this pillar of rail-themed art; Kevin Keefe, CRP&A board member and former vice president-editorial at Kalmbach Media, will give a gallery talk about his memories and his connection to the collection at 6 p.m.

“Roaring Through Rondout” by Gil Reid, c.1982 is part of the recently-acquired Kalmbach Collection. 

On Saturday and Sunday, May 17 – May 18, 2025, the conference will move to the familiar grounds of Lake Forest College’s McCormick Auditorium, in Lake Forest, Ill. This year’s presenters will include an exciting mix of accomplished railroad photographers, outstanding artists, and up-and-coming photographers. Here is a quick sneak peek of what’s in store for attendees!

Dale Sanders — author, photographer, designer, and former editor of CTC Board magazine — will share his 20-year experience documenting the operations of British Columbia Railway, which culminated in the all-color book Northern Light: A Portrait of BC Rail. Sanders was given unprecedented access to the railway and his photography covers operations from both trackside and aboard trains, in some of the most remote locations imaginable. He’ll share the untold story of the landmark project, featuring stories and jaw-dropping images of BC Rail trains powered by steam, diesel, and electric power, plus Budd RDC passenger operations. The scenery is equally diverse and spectacular, and you’ll meet the railroad people who made BC Rail unique and kept it running across breathtaking and unforgiving terrain.

Photographer and author Dick Dorn is another western photographic legend, and his presentation will focus on snow-fighting operations in California across several decades. This will include the McCloud Railroad operating out of McCloud, the Western Pacific Railroad between Keddie and Portola and up the Highline … followed by more modern Highline operations in the BNSF era out of Westwood. Dorn will then dazzle attendees with the spectacular snow-fighting operations over Donner Pass during the eras of Southern Pacific and successor Union Pacific. Donner Pass receives considerably more snowfall than any railroad mountain pass in North America. Dorn, who co-authored Diesels Over Donner with Richard Steinheimer, will also speak about how developing relationships with railroaders in charge of snow operations opened many doors for him.

Artist Dennis Ziemienski has always loved planes, trains and automobiles, and he’s spent the last 40 years painting them in various ways. The glory days of railroads have been a constant inspiration for his highly detailed oil paintings. This presentation will take you through his creative process and show images behind the creation of the many trains he has painted over the years — plus all the varying environments and cultures in which they operate.

Bon French will present a selection of Dick Neumiller’s mid-century color photography of America’s streamliners. Dick loved photography and began photographing trains in 1950, using high-quality equipment and Kodachrome film. Dick loved color — so when diesels replaced steam and the railroad industry replaced old equipment with new streamliners, Dick got more excited about documenting the colorful new trains. The age of the streamliners was relatively short lived, as passenger train travel declined sharply in the late 1950s and 1960s, making Dick’s pictures even more valuable. Despite the decline of passenger trains and rise of Amtrak, he remained an enthusiastic photographer of the rail scene throughout his life. By the time of his passing in 2015, he recorded 82,400 color images of more than 800 railroads, although very few of Dick’s images have been published since the leading railroad magazines of the time rarely used color.

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Amtrak’s decision to remove 70 passenger cars from service this week, following the discovery of corrosion on several of them, has disrupted passenger service from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest. 

On Wednesday, Amtrak decided to park its entire Horizon fleet, which includes 61 coaches and nine café cars, after a routine inspection. Sources close to Amtrak indicate that corrosion on the cars’ jacking pad (where the car is lifted to change the wheels) is at least one point of concern at this time. The Horizon cars were manufactured by Bombardier between 1988 and 1990 to supplement the Amfleet I fleet.

It is unclear how long the cars will remain out of service and what kind of plan Amtrak is developing to repair them. What is clear is that many Amtrak passengers will be taking buses in the coming weeks. Perhaps no route has been affected more than the Cascades between Vancouver, B.C., and Eugene, Ore. Currently, there is only one non-Horizon set of equipment on the route, so most trips will be covered by buses until at least March 30. The non-Horizon equipment will be utilized on trains 503 and 508 between Eugene and Seattle. 

In the Midwest, Amtrak warned passengers on the Hiawatha route between Chicago and Milwaukee that it would be replaced by buses for half of its dozen daily trips for the foreseeable future. 

The Borealis between Chicago and the Twin Cities was also affected by the recall and was replaced with a bus on Wednesday. However, on Thursday, only one run would be affected, and by Friday, service was expected to return to normal using two three-car sets of Superliners. It was unclear whether Superliners would also be used on the Cascades and Hiawatha, although it seemed unlikely given how stretched that fleet is as well. —Justin Franz 

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Amtrak is pulling all Horizon cars from service after a routine inspection this week revealed corrosion in several cars. The decision to park the cars will have a major impact on regional services across the country that rely on the equipment.

Amtrak released the following statement on Wednesday morning: “In compliance with federal requirements and its ongoing commitment to safety, Amtrak routinely inspects its railcars and locomotives. We discovered corrosion in several Horizon railcars and, while working with the manufacturer, decided to remove the equipment from service after learning of additional areas of concern from intensive inspections of multiple cars. The removal of this equipment from service will affect services on several routes: Downeaster, Hiawatha, Borealis, and Amtrak Cascades. Some trains, such as the Downeaster, will operate with fewer cars, while other services will be provided substitute transportation until a long-term plan is developed.”

The largest impact will be on the Cascades route, which has only one other alternative set of equipment. This means that most runs will need to be replaced with buses. 

The Horizon cars were built by Bombardier between 1988 and 1990 to supplement the Amfleet I fleet. The cars were based on Comet commuter cars design. 

This is a developing story and will be updated when additional information becomes available. —Justin Franz 

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The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority brought passenger rail service back to communities along the commonwealth’s south coast for the first time in 65 years. The new South Coast Rail service began on Monday, March 24, and connects Boston’s South Station with the communities of Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro, and Fall River. 

The route is an addition to the existing Middleborough Main Line (now called the Fall River/New Bedford Line) and was first proposed three decades ago. The new service operates over two lines with six stations; one line goes to Fall River and the other to New Bedford. The two lines split just south of East Taunton. 

“The people of Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro and Fall River have been waiting for passenger rail service for far too long,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “General Manager Eng and his team aren’t kicking the can down the road – they’re delivering. We’re thrilled to launch South Coast Rail service, which will make it easier for South Coast residents to get around the state, reduce congestion, and spur economic development.” 

There will be 15 trips on the Fall River line and 17 on the New Bedford Line, for a total of 32 trips between South Station and East Taunton during the week and 26 on the weekends. MBTA anticipates trains running every 70 minutes on weekdays and every 2 hours on weekends. —Justin Franz

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New Jersey’s “Merci Train” boxcar, thought to have been lost and destroyed for over 60 years, has been found and will soon return to the Garden State. The United Railroad Historical Society of NJ announced on March 24 that the car was recently discovered in a warehouse in Kansas City and has been donated to the organization. URHS plans to restore the car and use it as a traveling exhibit and memorial, honoring the sacrifices of soldiers and civilians during both World Wars. 

The “Merci Train” comprised 49 boxcars from France gifted to the United States as a thank-you for the country’s aid during World War II. These cars, constructed in the 1890s and previously used to transport troops in World War I, were filled with gifts from French citizens. The 49 boxcars (one for each state, plus the then-Territory of Hawaii) were shipped to New York Harbor in 1949 and unloaded at Weehawken, N.J., before being distributed across the nation. New Jersey’s car was carried to Trenton, where it was formally presented to the state at a ceremony that attracted more than 20,000 attendees. 

After the car was unloaded, it was entrusted to the American Legion to serve as a monument and exhibit. However, by 1958, the car’s whereabouts were unknown, and historians believed it was lost for good. In 1993, a similar boxcar was found in a field in Tennessee by the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The owner intended to scrap it, but the WWI museum rescued it and put it in storage in Kansas City, where it remained for the next 30 years. In 2024, the curator of the WWI museum, Dr. Chris Juergens, aimed to uncover the history of the boxcar with assistance from Merci Train historian David Knutson. 

New Jersey’s “Merci Train” boxcar as it appeared in 1949. Courtesy Photo. 

“Purely by accident, I saw pictures of an old boxcar posted on Facebook and was able to determine it was New Jersey’s missing boxcar,” Knutson said. “When I realized the Museum and Memorial actually had the car in their possession, I was thrilled. Now, thanks to URHS, it will return to New Jersey and be properly restored for future generations to appreciate.”

URHS Executive Director Kevin Phalon stated that the historical significance of the car cannot be overstated. 

“For rail historians, this is like finding buried treasure,” Phalon said. “We would have never expected to see this car again, so we are incredibly grateful to the National WWI Museum and Memorial for saving it. We are honored to be entrusted with its restoration and return to New Jersey.” 

Once the car returns to New Jersey it will be restored at URHS’ facility in Boonton. Phalon said he hopes to have the car completed by Memorial Day 2027. The group has already secured its first sponsor, a company called Boxcar, a New Jersey-based commuting, parking and services app. URHS is looking for additional sponsors to help fund the restoration. For more information, visit URHS.org/MerciTrain. —Justin Franz 

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The City of Boise, Idaho, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its depot this year. The milestone will be marked with a series of celebrations from April 13 to 16, coinciding with the anniversary of the first Union Pacific passenger train arriving in the city in 1925. 

While UP’s Oregon Short Line was constructed through southern Idaho in the early 1880s, it missed the state capital by 20 or so miles. One of the reasons for avoiding the capital was that it was located in a valley. Rail service finally arrived in Boise in 1887, when a branch line from Nampa was constructed. Civic leaders continued to lobby the UP to relocate its main line through the city so that it would no longer suffer the “frustration and embarrassment of being an ‘isolated capital.’” Finally, in 1922, the Boise Chamber of Commerce secured a deal with UP to build a bypass into the city. Construction began in 1923 and was completed the following year. In 1924, UP broke ground on a new Boise depot built on “the bench” above downtown. The station was designed by the New York firm Carrere, Hastings, Shreve & Lamb, and replicated the Spanish style that was popular in the city at the time. The station was completed on April 1, 1925, and the first passenger train arrived just over two weeks later. 

On March 2, a visitor walks through the main hall of the Boise Depot during a weekend tour. Photo by Justin Franz. 

UP passenger trains called upon the station until 1971, when the final Portland Rose pulled out of town. Six years later, in 1977, passenger service returned in the form of Amtrak’s Pioneer between Salt Lake City and Seattle. The Pioneer continued to run until 1997, when it was canceled. By then, the station had been refurbished and sold to the city. Today, it is maintained by the Boise Parks & Recreation Department and is available for special events. 

After the last Pioneer, service on the east end of the Boise Cutoff was suspended. In 2009, the line between Nampa and Boise was sold to Watco, which operates it as the Boise Valley Railroad. While UP no longer directly serves Boise, it still brought 4-8-4 844 to the city back in 2017. 

The four-day celebration will feature tours of the depot, musical performances and food vendors. More information can be found online. —Justin Franz 

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On March 14, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board ruled that Norfolk Southern’s proposed acquisition of Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad Company — a Class III terminal railroad jointly owned with CSX Transportation — would be considered a “significant” transaction. The designation means the deal will receive extra security from the federal regulator.

NPBL is a terminal railroad that operates approximately 36 miles of track from Portsmouth to Norfolk, Va., and approximately 27 miles of trackage rights over NS from the City of Chesapeake to the City of Norfolk, Va. The trackage rights facilitate NPBL’s access to the Norfolk International Terminal, one of two primary container terminals at the Port of Virginia.  The short line is jointly owned by NS (57.14 percent) and CSX (42.86 percent), a split that dates back to the 1980s. The short line was created in 1896 by eight different railroads. Through various mergers and acquisitions, NS eventually became the majority owner. 

In 2018, CSX sued NS and the short line, alleging they had a monopoly on traffic in and out of the Norfolk International Terminal by basically boxing the competitor out of the facility. Later, the STB determined that while NS was the majority shareholder in the 1980s, federal regulators never formally permitted the railroad to control it. In hopes of resolving the issue once and for all, NS filed paperwork earlier this year to acquire formal control of NPBL. While NS suggested it was a minor transaction, the STB disagreed. The STB stated that NS’ application for a minor transaction would be considered its “prefiling notification” and that the railroad could file its formal application this summer. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

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