Prototype News

Canadian National 2-8-0 2141, the primary power for British Columbia’s Kamloops Heritage Railway, is expected to be fired up in the coming weeks for the first time since 2019. Earlier this week, the locomotive was operated with compressed air to test the boiler and other systems. 

Kamloops Heritage ran excursions from 2002 until 2019. Operations were suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic, and an increase in freight traffic on CN and Canadian Pacific in Kamloops prevented excursions from resuming. Since then, 2141 has been on display. However, earlier this year, KHR announced plans to resume operations sometime in 2026. 

Leader of Railway Development Jordan Popadynetz tells Raifan & Railroad that this week’s test went well and that a steam test is next. He said they hope to run the locomotive under its own power sometime this year. 

CN has offered to let KHR operate on 71 miles of the Okanagan Subdivision, between Campbell Creek and Vernon. Passengers will be bused from the KHR station in Kamloops to the train outside of town. There’s also a short stretch of track in Kamloops the engine can run on. 

CN 2141, an M-3-d class locomotive, was built by the Canadian Locomotive Co. in 1912 for CN predecessor Canadian Northern. The locomotive was used in Western Canada, including on Vancouver Island. It was acquired by the City of Kamloops in 1961 and put on display at a city park. In the 1990s, an effort was launched to put the locomotive back in service and in 2002 it ran for the first time since 1958. 

For more information and to learn how to help the effort to put 2141 back on the main line, visit kamrail.com. —Justin Franz 

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A historic neon sign that once stood atop the Denver & Rio Grande Western depot in Salt Lake City has been restored and is now on display at Utah’s Heber Valley Railroad. 

The sign was built in the 1950s and was part of the station until it was replaced by a newer version a few years ago. The original was then preserved and placed inside the Heber Valley’s shop in Heber City. Earlier this year, the railroad decided to restore it and paid for it to be trucked to an outside shop where it was refurbished. The sign was completed last month and then moved back to Heber City, where it was installed atop the shop earlier this week. Although the sign now features state-of-the-art LEDs, it illuminates just as it did in the 1950s. 

“We’re so glad to have this sign back on display so that people can really enjoy it,” said Heber Valley Chief Mechanical Officer Michael Manwiller. “This has been a very rewarding project.”

The sign is right at home since the Heber Valley operates excursions on a former Rio Grande branch between Heber City and Vivian Park, Utah. The railroad is also home to a number of pieces of historic Rio Grande equipment. —Justin Franz 

The sign being installed atop of the Heber Valley shop in Heber City, Utah, earlier this week. Photo by Michael Manwiller.

Heber Valley GP9 5926 (ex-Pan Am Railways Maine Central heritage unit 52) sits beneath the newly-installed sign at Heber City on June 4. Photo by Michael Manwiller.

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The Trump Administration’s 2026 budget proposes a 25 percent reduction in the Northeast Corridor’s funding, while slightly increasing the allocation for Amtrak’s long-distance network. The proposed budget would allocate $850 million to the Northeast Corridor, marking a 25 percent decrease from the $1.14 billion it received during Fiscal Year 2025.

The National Network, which includes state-supported trains and long-distance routes, is set to receive $1.58 billion, an increase from the $1.29 billion it received during Fiscal Year 2025, according to Bloomberg News reports.

In recent weeks, Amtrak has been tightening its budget in anticipation of what many believed would be significant cuts in funding from the government. —Justin Franz 

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Illinois lawmakers failed to pass legislation on May 31 that would prevent “doomsday” cuts to public transit in and around Chicago. The failure means that Metra, Chicago Transit Authority and Pace bus service will all have to make major cuts in the months ahead. 

The Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees the three agencies, is facing a $770 million deficit largely due to the end of federal funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although legislation to reform the RTA and provide funding passed through the state Senate, it failed to reach the House floor before the May 31 deadline. While it’s possible that the legislature could address the budget shortfall during an upcoming special session, the RTA is now starting the process of cutting its budget to the amount it anticipates receiving next year from the state. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that around 3,000 workers could be laid off in the coming months. 

Earlier this spring, RTA outlined potential cuts. Four of the CTA’s eight rail lines could be suspended, resulting in the closure of 50 stations. Metra would need to reduce service by 40 percent, which would eliminate early-morning and late-night trains. Lines like the BNSF connecting downtown Chicago and Aurora might see a reduction, halving its 91-train schedule. Metra would also have to suspend service completely on the Metra Electric Blue Island Branch. —Justin Franz

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The U.S. Surface Transportation Board is seeking additional information about Watco’s proposed takeover of the Great Lakes Central Railroad. 

In March, Watco announced that it was acquiring Michigan’s Great Lakes Central and expressed hope for a swift approval from the federal regulator. However, the STB is now advising Watco to slow down, asserting that the transaction requires a more thorough review. Great Lakes Central operates approximately 400 miles of track in central and northern Michigan, including parts of the former Pennsylvania, New York Central, Grand Trunk Western, Pere Marquette, and Ann Arbor. Additionally, Great Lakes Central already interchanges with Watco’s Ann Arbor, which appears to be at the core of the STB’s concerns. 

In a decision posted on May 30, the board wanted assurances that Watco wasn’t going to divert traffic off of GLC and onto its existing routes, or vice-versa, as a way to save money while damaging service. 

“Watco will be directed to supplement its petition with additional evidence and argument explaining why regulation is not needed to protect shoppers from an abuse of market power, given the potential impact on GLC’s interchanges with carriers not owned by Watco,” the board wrote. 

The STB has asked Watco to address its concerns before June 20. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

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On May 29, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s decision that threatened to halt the construction of the proposed Uinta Basin Railway through eastern Utah. 

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board approved the construction of the Uinta Basin back in 2021. The proposed railroad would connect Utah’s oil-rich Uinta Basin with the national rail network at Kyune, Utah, on Union Pacific’s Provo Subdivision (the former Denver & Rio Grande Western over Soldier Summit). However, the project has drawn ire from environmental groups who sued the STB, alleging that the board did not consider the “downstream” impacts of oil trains going through sensitive environmental areas (like Glenwood Canyon in Colorado). In 2023, a U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., ruled in favor of the environmental groups, effectively stopping the project in its tracks. 

The STB appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in a unanimous 8-0 ruling, the court determined that the regulator had acted appropriately in its 2021 approval of the project. 

“Over the years, some have sought to abuse NEPA by unlawfully turning a procedural tool into an ideological weapon,” said Board Chairman Patrick Fuchs. “Today’s decision is a victory for common sense, economic growth, and meaningful environmental review. I strongly supported the Board’s approval decision and subsequent legal defense, and I am pleased the Supreme Court has upheld the diligent work of the agency for the benefit of the public.”

If the Uinta Basin’s backers are successful in building the railroad, it would be the first major railroad construction project in the U.S. in more than a generation (the last being the Chicago & North Western’s push into Wyoming’s Powder River Basin back in the 1980s). —Justin Franz 

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The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, a 3-foot gauge railroad located in Colorado and New Mexico that operates over one of the most spectacular sections of the former Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge, is introducing a shorter and more affordable excursion option this spring.  

The new train will run from Chama, N.M., to the summit of Cumbres Pass at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, giving visitors a brief taste of the dramatic mountain railroad. Upon reaching Cumbres Pass, passengers will take a 20-minute bus ride back to Chama. The total journey lasts just two hours.  

“Chama to Cumbres is a brand new option that only takes two hours, perfect for families and those short on time,” said Ed Beaudette, C&TSRR general manager. “It offers a taste of the thrill of steam railroading at our most affordable price ever.”  

While C&TS is offering a shorter excursion, passengers still have the opportunity to ride the entire 64-mile route from Chama to Antonito, Colo. The railroad’s regular season begins on May 31 and runs through October 25. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

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