Railnews from Railfan & Railroad Magazine

After building 3.5 miles of track on the original right-of-way of one of Maine’s famed 2-foot gauge railroads, the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum is now planning to expand southward. In December, the museum announced its intention to build a quarter-mile of track extending south from its campus in Alna, Maine, in either 2027 or 2028. The new “Southern Gateway” will be part of a future two-mile extension that will bring the narrow gauge railroad closer to Wiscasset, a popular tourist destination along the coast. 

The original WW&F operated from 1895 until 1933. In the 1980s, Harry Percival started rebuilding a short section of track on his property at Shepscott Station, which is located 4.8 miles north of the original railroad’s southern terminus. In 1989, a nonprofit was established, and over the past 36 years, the museum has rebuilt 3.5 miles of main line, constructed a shop and roundhouse, four stations, a water tower, and restored two steam locomotives (with a third currently under construction from scratch). 

Museum leadership said they were able to accomplish so much over the last three decades through their slow-and-steady approach. When the current main line was completed to Alna (and the edge of a state highway) in 2022, the museum intentionally paused its expansion efforts to focus on revamping its track maintenance programs, ensuring it could keep what it had built in excellent condition. 

“We have learned to recognize the need for tempered, thoughtful growth which serves specific organizational needs. We established that our ultimate goal is sustainability, whereby we create an institution that becomes multi-generational, lasting well beyond our own time,” museum officials wrote. “As related to further expansion, understanding the end goal is paramount; the sum total of all the infrastructure we plan, including length of main track, maintenance and construction facilities, public facilities, etc., must generate the income necessary to comfortably maintain itself.”

Building south will require crossing a public road and entering a sensitive environmental area because it’s near a waterway. As a result, the museum will need to obtain permits and permissions from the Town of Alna, the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Crossing the road will also make the museum subject to the regulations of the Federal Railroad Administration. Knowing that could be an eventuality, the museum has long maintained stringent operating and safety practices that comply with FRA regulations. 

The museum plans to start fundraising in 2026 and hopes to begin construction in 2027 or 2028. The ultimate goal is to add two more miles of track and build a new station at the end. The museum has already begun acquiring property to achieve this goal. 

For more information, visit wwfry.org/southern-gateway/ 

—Justin Franz 

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TOYX, Inc., the nonprofit organization that over the past four years has attempted to establish a museum centered on the former Eire Railroad turntable in Port Jervis, N.Y., announced on December 3 that it was closing and withdrawing from the community. 

According to the non-profit, which includes a conglomerate of projects, most notably “Operation Toy Train,” the city informed leadership earlier this year that the museum site would be sold for redevelopment after an environmental cleanup. The city hopes to apply for grants from the State of New York to help cover the cost of that work. The decision to redevelop the site means TOYX needs to find a new place to store more than two dozen pieces of equipment, some of which are historic to Port Jervis. A boxcar museum operated by Tri-States Railway Preservation Society (also part of TOYX) will also have to move. TOYX President Rudy Garbely said the organization was disappointed by the city’s decision to sell the property. 

“This is where these artifacts belonged,” Garbely said. “The decisions of the City Council will result in these irreplaceable pieces of Port Jervis history being permanently removed. Unfortunately, it seems the history of the City of Port Jervis is best preserved outside the reach of City officials whose actions serve to erase the storied past of the community they represent.”

TOYX and its equipment must be off city-owned property on or before July 26, 2026. The group said it is presently looking for a new home and in the meantime has found a place to temporarily store some equipment, most notably those cares involved with Operation Toy Train. The toy collection train will be running as normal this year, but skipping its final planned stop in Port Jervis. 

—Justin Franz 

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BNSF Railway is urging federal regulators to examine the “harms” caused by the 1996 merger of Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. In a new filing with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, BNSF claimed that the UP has repeatedly violated decades-old conditions set by the government that were meant to maintain competition in the western U.S., when the region went from three major railroads to two. 

The November 28 filing comes as UP is expected to submit its merger application with Norfolk Southern, a deal that, if approved, would create the country’s largest rail network and its first true transcontinental system. However, attorneys for BNSF stated that the STB should consider the effects of the previous merger before granting approval to a new one. 

“In the nearly 30 years since the UP/SP merger, UP has engaged in a pattern of obstructive conduct that has diminished competitive options and harmed customers by delaying or preventing BNSF from fully replacing the competition that was lost through the UP/SP merger as the Board originally intended,” attorneys wrote. “Although BNSF has diligently worked to enforce the rights the Board entrusted to it through constant vigilance, extensive negotiations with UP, and numerous petitions to the Board, its efforts have faced repeated resistance and obstruction from UP.”

In 1996, the STB granted BNSF extensive trackage rights across the combined UP-SP network to give rail shippers options for moving freight. For example, BNSF was given access to former Rio Grande and Western Pacific routes across Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. But actually using those routes has never been easy, BNSF attorneys wrote. Earlier this year, BNSF had to ask the STB to force UP to allow it access to start a new intermodal service into Salt Lake City. It was one of more than a dozen petitions the railroad has filed over the years to force UP to grant what was supposed to be guaranteed access. 

In another instance in Fruita, Colo., UP tried to force a customer to pay for upgrades to a spur after it tried to start shipping with BNSF, despite the fact that UP was already using that spur to serve other customers. 

In a statement to Railfan & Railroad, a UP spokesperson defended the railroad’s actions.

“Union Pacific has granted BNSF access on about 85 percent of their requests over the last 15 years, providing significant opportunities for competition, while ensuring customers have options. In the few cases taken to the Surface Transportation Board, BNSF was asking for more than was agreed upon,” the spokesperson wrote. 

—Justin Franz 

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The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has approved Fortress Investment Group’s $1.05 billion purchase of Wheeling & Lake Erie, the 982-mile regional railroad that operates through Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. 

The STB approved the acquisition application on November 26, and it will take effect on December 26. Wheeling will become part of Fortress’s Transtar operation, which runs seven different short lines across the country, including Union Railroad Company, which interchanges with W&LE. The transaction also includes the Akron Barberton Cluster Railway, which operates on 84 miles of track around Akron, Ohio. 

The Wheeling & Lake Erie was established in 1990 after acquiring former Norfolk Southern routes, some of which belonged to the original W&LE that operated from 1877 until it was leased to the Nickel Plate Road in 1949. The railroad maintains a fleet of EMD locomotives in a Denver & Rio Grande Western-inspired livery. 

In a press release announcing the approval, the STB stated that the regulator received no comments opposing the merger. The one customer served by both Union and Wheeling submitted a comment supporting the consolidation. 

—Justin Franz

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The Great Plains Transportation Museum has launched an effort to raise $50,000 to cover previously hidden damage to Santa Fe FP45 93, currently being restored at Mid-America Car. 

Earlier this year, the locomotive was sent from the museum in Wichita, Kan., to Kansas City, after the non-profit railroad museum had raised the money necessary to begin a cosmetic restoration. But once they started sandblasting the locomotive, they realized there was far more body damage than they had previously realized. According to the museum, it was common for body filler materials to be used to patch up rust spots when locomotives were rebuilt by the railroad, and that was the case with FP45 93. 

Rust damage on Santa Fe FP45 93. 

“This is common for older locomotives that come into our shops after spending decades outside in the elements,” explained Jordan Blanc, vice president of operations at Mid-America Car. “Santa Fe 93 has been sitting outside for 58 years, and now it’s our job to address the damage with the expertise of our skilled craftsmen. We do this routinely. It’s our expertise, and we are confident Santa Fe 93 will look great when the repairs are completed and new paint is applied.”

Locomotive 93 was built by EMD in 1967 and used in passenger service until 1971. It was then used in freight service on the Santa Fe and later BNSF Railway until 1998, when it was retired and donated to the Wichita museum. 

“GPTM truly appreciates all of the support and encouragement we’ve received since we announced the Santa Fe 93 cosmetic restoration project in 2023,” stated Heather Gatton, GPTM president. “It’s the largest restoration project we’ve undertaken, and many people and organizations have encouraged us and are excited in anticipation of 93’s return in a fresh coat of Santa Fe’s iconic red and silver Super Fleet ‘Warbonnet’ scheme.

Donations can be made at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-santafe93.

—Justin Franz

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Railroading Heritage of Midwest America, the non-profit restoring two Union Pacific steam locomotives at the former Rock Island shop in Silvis, Ill., has broken ground on a new roundhouse and turntable. The six-stall roundhouse is on the footprint of the Rock Island’s original facility and will feature a former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy turntable that was donated to the group by BNSF Railway. 

Steve Sandberg, president and chief operating officer of RRHMA, said the 135-foot turntable, which was once used at the Q’s Clyde Yard (now Cicero), is large enough to spin UP 4-6-6-4 3985, currently being restored. The turntable will be the largest operating one in the United States once installed. 

“This project takes our organization to a whole new level,” said Steve Sandberg, President and Chief Operating Officer of RRHMA. “We are thrilled to break ground on the turntable and roundhouse … Our vision is to make Silvis a national hub of living railroad history – a place where we can preserve and operate vintage trains and share that

experience with the public for generations to come.”

The roundhouse will serve as a museum and storage space for RRHMA, clearing up room in the restoration shop for heavier work. The non-profit is presently raising $2.5 million for the project. Donations can be made online at rrhma.com/roundhouse-project/.

—Justin Franz 

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Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225 has returned to service just in time to lead the 2025 edition of the Steam Railroading Institute’s North Pole Express excursions. 

In 2024, just as the North Pole Express season was getting underway, the N-1 Class Berkshire had to be taken out of service because an issue was discovered with the locomotive’s superheaters. The superheaters — which pipe pressurized steam back through the hot gases of the fire a second time to add more heat and thus more power — are located deep in the boiler, making a quick repair impossible. The North Pole Express ran as planned, but behind diesels. 

Throughout 2025, SRI crews worked tirelessly to get the engine back running, and on November 20, it made a brief test run near its home base in Owosso, Mich. 

PM 1225 was built by Lima in October 1941. The locomotive is perhaps best known as the inspiration for the engine in the 2004 film “Polar Express.”

—Justin Franz 

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A Cook County, Ill., jury has ordered Union Pacific to pay Metra $19.3 million after the freight railroad, which has previously operated commuter trains under contract, refused to have conductors walk trains and collect fares during the early part of the Covid-19 pandemic. The verdict was announced on November 12, according to the Daily Herald. The legal battle is just one of the ongoing conflicts between the Chicagoland commuter operator and the Class I. 

Beginning in March 2020, as pandemic restrictions started to take effect, Metra and its freight contractors, UP and BNSF Railway, stopped having conductors collect fares to minimize face-to-face contact. A few months later, as restrictions eased and more was understood about the virus, Metra and BNSF resumed having conductors walk through the trains. However, UP waited until May 2021 to have conductors walk the trains and collect fares again. Metra reported that during this period, passengers complained about the difficulty of finding a conductor when issues came up onboard. They also mentioned that UP conductors shut off some cars, making it harder to socially distance from other passengers. Union Pacific plans to appeal the decision. 

Meanwhile, UP and Metra are still negotiating over how much the commuter agency will pay to use UP tracks. In spring 2025, after years of debate about UP no longer wanting to provide passenger service, Metra took over all services on the former Chicago & North Western lines. As part of that, hundreds of UP employees moved to Metra. But the payment issue remains unresolved. As this story went to press, both sides were still seeking a solution.

—Justin Franz

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The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association needs to raise $15,000 to replace the rod brasses on Reading Company 4-8-4 2100, a vital part of the locomotive’s ongoing restoration. 

The locomotive has been under restoration in Cleveland for nearly a decade, and volunteers are hopeful it will run in 2026. When it does, it’s expected to wear a red, white, and blue livery inspired by sister engine 2101, which led the American Freedom Train in the 1970s. The 2100 will also be renumbered 250. The locomotive was steamed up for the first time following extensive boiler work in April 2025.

“With 2026 approaching and work on the locomotive’s boiler nearing completion, it is time to shift focus on the running gear,” said volunteer Nick Martin. “This $15,000 goal for the rod brasses is the first of additional goals to come in the Making Moves campaign, and if we continue to meet those goals, 250 could make its first moves under steam as soon as spring of 2026.”

Reading 2100 was built in the railroad’s own shops in September 1945 by essentially expanding an existing Baldwin 2-8-0. The locomotive ran into the 1960s. In 1975, it and its sister locomotive, 2101, were purchased by Ross Rowland. Locomotive 2101 was restored for the American Freedom Train while 2100 served as a parts source. Locomotive 2100 was briefly restored in the 1980s before moving to Ontario and then Washington State, where it briefly ran in the 2000s. In 2015, the locomotive was moved to Ohio to be restored by ASRPA. 

Donations can be mailed to the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association, 2800 W. 3rd St, Cleveland, OH 44113, or made online at www.americansteamrailroad.org.

—Justin Franz 

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CSX and the CREATE program reached a major milestone on October 15, 2025, when the first train crossed the new Forest Hill Flyover. This structure, located southeast of where 74th Street and Western Avenue intersect in Chicago, carries CSX trackage over lines of Belt Railway of Chicago, Metra, and Norfolk Southern. The investment eliminates a long-standing bottleneck where an average of 30 SouthWest Service Metra trains and 35 freight trains intersect daily. As part of CREATE’s $380 million, 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, the Forest Hill Flyover was funded by federal, state and local governments, along with the involved railroads. The on-time completion of this project during October concluded construction that began in 2022. While the first train ran in October, a ribbon-cutting wasn’t held until November 14. 

The reduction in delays at this former at-grade crossing benefits some of CSX’s most competitive intermodal traffic in the Chicago market, as this former B&O Chicago Terminal, double-track route is used by all trains in and out of the 59th Street intermodal terminal. This includes Trains I135 (Suffolk, Va.-Chicago) and counterpart I136, plus Trains I168 (Chicago-Port Newark, N.J.) and counterpart I169. Also using this route are several run-through trains that operate between the western roads at Chicago and CSX’s Northwest Ohio Intermodal Container Transfer Facility in North Baltimore, Ohio. These include Trains I171/I172 with the BNSF and Trains I191/I192 with Union Pacific. The flyover also handles ethanol, oil, and grain from both UP and BNSF, plus coal trains from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin destined to West Olive, Mich., when they do not use normal routing via the Belt Railway of Chicago.

—Scott Lindsey

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Adirondack Railway Preservation Society has acquired another historic locomotive for the growing fleet of Alco diesels operated by New York’s Adirondack Railroad. Former Louisville & Nashville FA-2 No. 309 will soon depart SMS Rail Services in New Jersey for its new home in Utica, N.Y., where it will join the railroad’s seasonal passenger excursions over the former New York Central Adirondack Division to Old Forge and Tupper Lake — one of the longest tourist railroad routes in the country at 108 miles.

Although the locomotive is not original to NYC, it spent decades in commuter service on Long Island (as LIRR 602) as a cab-control car and HEP generator before being sold to a private owner and moved to New Jersey. There, SMS, ALDAC Controls, and numerous volunteers completed extensive work to return its Alco 244 prime mover to operation. Adirondack Railroad expects to finish the remaining work and place the locomotive in service by late 2026, wearing a fresh rendition of the railroad’s gray-and-green paint scheme. “ARPS thanks previous owner Bobb Losse for this tremendous opportunity to preserve this historic locomotive and return it to regular service,” said Adirondack Railway Preservation Society President Luke Irvine.

The Adirondack Railroad roster already includes an impressive collection of Alco and Montreal Locomotive Works power, including C-424s, two former New York Central RS-3s, RS-18us, and three former New York Central C-430s.

—Otto M. Vondrak

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More than 34 million passengers climbed aboard Amtrak trains during Fiscal Year 2025, the railroad announced on November 18, a new record for “America’s Railroad” and a 5.1 percent increase over the previous year. 

Amtrak also reported an adjusted ticket revenue of $2.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2025, a 10.4 percent increase over 2024, and total operating revenue of $3.9 billion, up 9.1 percent from the previous year. The fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. 

While Amtrak reports revenue, it still relies on funding from state and federal partners, as do other transportation systems, such as highways and airports. However, this year’s rise in ticket sales has helped reduce the railroad’s annual losses. Amtrak officials praised the increase in revenue and ridership as a significant achievement for the government-supported railroad. 

“Amtrak’s operational success is not just about moving more people — it’s about moving them better,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris in a press release. “These results show what’s possible when we lead with purpose. By prioritizing reliability and the customer experience, we’re laying the foundation for the next generation of passenger rail in America.”

Amtrak also released route-specific ridership figures. Ridership on the Northeast Corridor grew by 8.1 percent, while state-supported services increased by 2.4 percent, and long-distance trains rose by 4.2 percent. 

—Justin Franz 

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Shareholders of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern overwhelmingly approved a plan to merge the two Class I railroads during a special meeting held on November 14. 

The shareholder meeting took place nearly four months after UP and NS announced their plans to merge and create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. The merger would make the largest railroad in U.S. history, but still needs approval from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. 

UP reported that 99.5 percent of its shareholders voted in favor of the transaction, while “nearly 99 percent” of NS shareholders approved of the deal. 

“We appreciate our shareholders’ support in reaching this important milestone on our path to building America’s first coast-to-coast railroad,” said Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena. “Our shareholders see the value and understand this merger will unlock new opportunities to enhance service, growth and innovation. We look forward to filing our application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and detailing how the transaction will provide seamless, single-line service across the country to improve transit times, safely increase reliability and strengthen the competitiveness of U.S rail.”

—Justin Franz 

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The Heber Valley Railroad in Utah has added two stainless steel dome cars to its growing fleet of passenger cars. In late October, the tourist railroad moved two domes — Chicago, Burlington & Quincy “Silver Scene” and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 503 — from storage near Salt Lake City to Heber City, where one was about to enter regular service as of this writing. At the same time, the railroad also moved a recently acquired buffet-lounge car, Denver & Rio Grande Western 1291 “Royal Gorge.”

The three cars join a growing fleet of passenger equipment on the Utah tourist railroad, with 20 cars presently in service and another 15 waiting in the wings. Over the last few years, the railroad has put together an impressive fleet of passenger equipment to meet the demands of growing ridership. 

The two dome cars are a first for the Heber Valley, which runs on a former Rio Grande branch in the Wasatch Mountains southeast of Salt Lake City. The “Silver Scene” was once used on the California Zephyr. The car was last used on the Montana Daylight and was recently refurbished in St. Louis. Santa Fe 503 was once used on the Super Chief and has spent the last few decades in private car service across the United States. The car was most recently based in California along with the “Royal Gorge.”

Heber Valley Chief Mechanical Officer Michael Manwiller said the two domes will serve the railroad well as it increases its premium excursion offerings. In recent years, the railroad has acquired several stainless steel cars and painted a few of them into a Rio Grande-inspired livery, giving the railroad a modern-day version of the D&RGW’s Prospector. 

—Justin Franz 

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by Justin Franz/photos as noted

If any railroad was going to exploit the scenic splendor of Moab, Utah, it would have been Denver & Rio Grande Western. After all, it was the Rio Grande that brought us icons like the Silverton, the Ski Train, and the Zephyr. But despite the awe-inspiring arches, deep canyons, and red rock spires it winds through, the Cane Creek Subdivision had never once seen a regularly scheduled passenger train.

That is, until now, thanks to a Canadian company that over the past 35 years has ricocheted from the edge of bankruptcy to the top of the pack, becoming one of the most successful luxury railroad tour operators in North American history.

While some in the railroad world might dismiss it as “just another tour train,” the numbers prove that to be a mistaken view. After all, any railroad operating in two countries with more than 100 pieces of rolling stock, 1,000 employees, more than 2,000 route miles, and nearly 2.4 million satisfied passengers since its first season in 1990 is not just another tour train. In short, Rocky Mountaineer is in a league of its own. Which is why I find myself in Moab on a scorching August day. Inside the modern Hoodoo Hotel, a few blocks off Moab’s main drag, Rocky Mountaineer employees help check in last-minute arrivals. Before long, we’re gathered up to board a motorcoach for the short ride north of town to catch our train, the Rockies to the Red Rocks, which will take us east across the former Rio Grande to Denver — though, because we’re going from west to east, “Red Rocks to the Rockies” might be a more accurate moniker.

ABOVE: Sometimes, host railroads Canadian Pacific and Canadian National would have to lend a hand to the upstart Rocky Mountaineer. On September 17, 1995, the westbound First Passage to the West is seen with an RMRX B36-7 and a borrowed CP Rail GP38-2 at Ottertail, B.C., on CP’s Mountain Subdivision. —Steven J. Brown photo

Cruising through town along U.S. Route 191, our host (a Moab-based employee who will not be joining us on the rail portion of the journey) provides insightful commentary about the landscape and its cultural history. It’s a glimpse of the next 27 hours in the care of Rocky Mountaineer.

A few minutes later, a thin blue and white line appears against the red landscape. After arriving from Glenwood Springs, where the train had overnighted, the appropriately named Rockies to the Red Rocks discharged its passengers before its two GP40-3 locomotives (of Baltimore & Ohio and Seaboard Air Line heritage) ran around the consist in preparation for its eastbound trip. Our motorcoach pulls right up to the train, and we’re greeted as we walk across a red carpet embroidered with the name “Rocky Mountaineer” and onto the waiting train.

As I settle into seat 44 — checking out the food and drink menu and a newspaper that describes the journey ahead — a glass of champagne is placed on the seatback tray in front of me. After more than a decade in railroad journalism, having crawled around oily diesel shops and ridden filthy freight locomotives, I can safely say this is a first. With boarding complete, the train starts to roll north for the 21.3-mile trip to Brendel, where we’ll join the former Rio Grande (now Union Pacific) main line. As we depart, we’re introduced to the onboard crew — Train Manager Zach, Car Hosts Joey and Paul, Bartender Leigh, and Chef Carol — who lead us in a toast to the journey ahead. It’s a near-flawless introduction to how Rocky Mountaineer does business.

ABOVE: On August 29, 2024, Rocky Mountaineer’s Rainforest to Gold Rush exits a tunnel and crosses a bridge deep within in the Cheakamus Canyon at mile 55.70 on Canadian National’s Squamish Subdivision. The section of railroad was once operated by BC Rail. With CN planning to cease operations on this scenic part of its railroad in the coming years, the future of the train between Vancouver and Jasper via Prince George is uncertain. —Julien Boily photo

Big Scenery, Bigger Bet
But it wasn’t always this flawless. Rocky Mountaineer’s early years were marked by mismatched equipment, unpaid bills, and a hope that it would all work out. Luckily for the company and its backers, they had access to one of the most scenic pieces of railroad on earth.

Not long after completing the first transcontinental railroad across Canada, Canadian Pacific Railway realized it had more than just a connection to the West in its main line across the mountains of Alberta and British Columbia; it also had a way to bring people into the breathtaking beauty of the Canadian Rockies. The railroad quickly sought to exploit the scenery through which it traveled, building various amenities for tourists, most notably, the Banff Springs Hotel in 1888. In later years, the government-backed Canadian National Railway also contributed to the development of areas farther north near Jasper. Both railroads promoted their transcontinental trains as the best way to access the mountains. On CP, the most popular train was the Mountaineer, which traversed the most scenic parts of the railroad in daylight.

However, by the 1960s, as CP and CN started cutting back on their passenger services, the railroad’s remaining transcontinental trains traveled through the mountains of Alberta and British Columbia at night. This practice continued after VIA Rail took over passenger train services north of the border. In an effort to attract some of the passengers who had turned to scenic motorcoach tours, VIA launched a new train in 1988 called Canadian Rockies by Daylight. The train would depart from Vancouver in the morning and spend the night in Kamloops, where passengers would stay in a local hotel before continuing to either Banff on CP or Jasper on CN. The first train left Vancouver on June 5, 1988. Among the guests on that inaugural run was a young businessman named Peter Armstrong, who had the contract to bus passengers to and from their Vancouver hotels. No one knew then that it wouldn’t be the last time Armstrong would ride the train. In fact, as former Rocky Mountaineer executive and author Rick Antonson later wrote in his book Train Beyond the Mountain, “VIA’s management may have soon regretted the invitation.”

ABOVE: RMRX GP40-3s 8021 and 8020 lead the eastbound Rockies to the Red Rocks out of Tunnel 29 just east of Pinecliffe, Colo., on May 2, 2025. On this portion of the former Rio Grande, the train will pass through two dozen tunnels in just 13 miles. —Joe McMillan photo

The train usually consisted of an F40PH-2 and ex-CN coaches, running from June through October. In 1989, it was rebranded as Rocky Mountaineer, a tribute to the former CP train that was discontinued in the 1960s. While the weekly service did bring some passengers back to the rails, it couldn’t withstand the changing political landscape in Ottawa. In 1990, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s Conservative government cut VIA’s subsidies in half, resulting in the elimination of several trains, including the famous Canadian. The name of the former CP train would live on, running on the more northern CN route, but destinations like Banff and Lake Louise no longer had regular passenger service. Another casualty was the Rocky Mountaineer. However, instead of simply discontinuing the train, which had found a small but viable market, VIA chose to sell it.

Among the bidders was the Vancouver businessman who had taken the inaugural run a few years earlier. Armstrong told friends that he enjoyed the ride but saw many ways to improve the service. He also had experience running former government-operated services, having previously privatized a public bus system. In early 1990, Armstrong left the bus company and founded Mountain Vistas Railtour Services to bid on the train route. While multiple bidders threw their hats into the ring, Armstrong’s team emerged victorious. In April of that year, he acquired the rights to operate the train, the Rocky Mountaineer brand, two baggage cars, and a dozen ex-CN/VIA coaches. The new railroad, soon renamed Great Canadian Railtour Company, was just getting its feet under itself when it had to operate a previously scheduled media train in late April. The company had hardly any employees or motive power, but the train operated as planned, using borrowed VIA F40PH-2s, and Armstrong and his friends dressed in rented tuxedos as car hosts. They also supplied a well-stocked bar to compensate for any shortcomings of the hastily organized trip.

On May 27 and 28, 1990, Rocky Mountaineer launched its inaugural season with weekly trips from Vancouver to Calgary through Banff, called First Passage to the West, and Jasper, named Journey Through the Clouds. Similar to the VIA era, the train operated as one from Vancouver to the overnight stop in Kamloops, then split into two to continue to their respective destinations. For the first few years, the motive power consisted of a pair of leased ex-Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe B23-7 locomotives. During the initial season, the two locomotives (numbers 7488 and 7498) kept their previous owner’s “bluebonnet” livery before being repainted into a blue and white scheme with Rocky Mountaineer’s goat logo prominently displayed on the nose.

ABOVE: Host Joey Torres gives commentary about the history, geography, and geology of eastern Utah and western Colorado as the eastbound Rockies to the Red Rocks rolls through Ruby Canyon on the former Rio Grande Fifth Subdivision. Today, it’s Union Pacific’s Green River Subdivision. —Justin Franz photo

That first season was widely praised as a success, which was enough for the company to announce plans to expand its service for the 1991 season. However, inside Rocky Mountaineer, things were not going smoothly. When Armstrong bid on the train, VIA had claimed it already had advance bookings for 17,000 passengers during the 1990 season. But when Armstrong and his team actually got their hands on the books, it turned out to be only 7,500 passengers. Although Rocky Mountaineer was able to sell additional tickets, the numbers were still far below the company’s initial estimates. The company lost $1 million in its first year. Its troubles worsened when a two-part documentary series titled Last Train Across Canada aired on PBS in late 1990, highlighting the cuts to VIA Rail service, including the transcontinental Canadian. Suddenly, Rocky Mountaineer representatives had to reassure American travel agents that, despite the documentary’s title, passenger trains still operated in Canada.

The following year, the company lost $2.9 million, and by the end of its third season in 1992, the railroad was more than $7 million in the red. Hotels and other contractors were demanding full payment, and the outlook was bleak. “We’d leave the office wondering if creditors would have the doors locked up when we came to work the next morning,” an employee later said…

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Jack Stryker/photos by the author

It’s 7:15am on a quiet July morning in Detroit. While the city is still getting its day started, at the Roger Penske Technical Center (RPTC), the morning operations supervisor (acting as dispatcher for the day) is getting things in motion as the first streetcar pulls out of the terminal. The streetcar operator radios the dispatcher for clearance out of the wash bay out to the battery charge bar located at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Lothrop Street, confirming tracks are aligned, doors are open, and flaggers are in place.

Minutes later, at exactly 7:30am, SC 287 pulls down to West Grand Boulevard at the official north end of the QLine main line and boards passengers. “Carmen,” the automated female voice that does the PA announcements, greets the boarding passengers — “Grand Boulevard… Welcome to the QLine.”

Origins and Construction
The first street railways appeared in Detroit following an 1862 city ordinance allowing lines to be built along the main routes of the city including East Jefferson, Woodward, Michigan, Gratiot, Grand River, and West Fort. After a number of mergers and consolidations creating Detroit United Railway, the city took control in 1922 and formed Detroit Department of Street Railways (DSR). During the postwar era, the city began converting streetcar lines to bus operation as ridership declined. The formal end of streetcar operation in Detroit was marked with a special parade along Woodward Avenue on April 8, 1956. The slow-moving PCC streetcars all carried banners advertising the new bus service that would replace them.

ABOVE: QLine car 291 rests at one of the five parking setups in the storage yard behind the Roger Penske Technical Center in August 2021.

Trolleys made a brief return in 1976 with the opening of the Detroit Downtown Trolley. Originally planned to be a standard gauge line, the tracks were ultimately built to narrow gauge to take advantage of vintage cars available from Lisbon. Built along Washington Boulevard, the three-quarter-mile line was operated by Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT). In 1980, the line was extended another quarter mile to connect to the new Renaissance Center. By 2001, only one car out of seven remained in service, which resulted in slower hourly service; the trolley line closed in 2003.

In 2006, DDOT conducted a study of expanding mass transit options for Woodward Avenue. Meanwhile, a group of business leaders decided to provide matching private funds to develop a $125 million, 3.3-mile line through downtown Detroit that would be called the “M-1 Rail Line.” After extensive discussion between the investors and DDOT, the two groups adapted DDOT’s plan for a 9.3-mile line connecting the Rosa Parks Transit Center and Eight Mile Road where the State Fairgrounds are, using the Woodward Avenue route.
There would have been 19 stops served by 10 trains, with each train envisioned having two cars to carry up to 150 passengers. The trains would operate in a dedicated right-of-way in the median of Woodward Avenue between Adams Street at the north edge of Grand Circus Park north to Eight Mile Road. South of Adams Street, the trains would run with traffic along the sides of Woodward Avenue through the rest of downtown.

To cover the roughly $500 million projected cost, The Kresge Foundation provided $35 million in March 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) would provide $25 million in February 2010, and Detroit City Council approved the sale of $125 million in bonds on April 11, 2011. The Federal Transit Administration and the city of Detroit signed the environmental impact statement on July 1, 2011; the record of decision was signed on August 31, giving the project the green light.

ABOVE: With the ad-wrap color palette matching the sky above almost perfectly, streetcar 288 passes in front of the Detroit Institute of the Arts in the Midtown District in May 2025.

However, in December 2011, the federal government withdrew its support of the line in favor of a bus rapid transit system to serve the city and suburbs. Coupled with economic damage the recession had inflicted on Detroit and its industries, a determined group of corporate and philanthropic leaders stated it would continue developing the 3.3-mile line under their nonprofit M-1 RAIL Consortium.

With the new Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan created in 2012, the USDOT released the $25 million to M-1 RAIL. The project received its final environmental clearance from the federal government on April 26, 2013, with the construction contract awarded to Stacy & Witbeck on July 31 of the same year. Construction officially started on July 28, 2014, with USDOT kicking in an additional $12.2 million to complete the financing of the project.

At the same time right-of-way infrastructure construction was taking place, work began February 15, 2015, on the $6.9 million, 20,000-square-foot RPTC, which would be the center of operations and maintenance for the M-1 RAIL system. The system was later renamed “QLine” after Quicken Loans purchased the naming rights for $5 million on March 24, 2016; the actual operating organization would still be called M-1 RAIL, however, with Transdev North America hired under a five-year, $15.5 million contract on June 30, 2016, to handle the actual day-to-day functions of the streetcar system, including hiring and training of staff, managing and dispatching streetcar operations, maintenance of both vehicle and infrastructure, and more…

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This month, we join Scott Lothes on his journey to northern Japan, on the island of Hokkaido (page 44). At first blush, this may seem like a trip to someplace wildly different. From a North American perspective, Japan may seem to be a dense, deeply urban place, simultaneously futuristic yet ancient. To bring this to a more railfan-centric perspective, Japan is also knit together with a network of high-speed “bullet trains,” the likes of which we can only envy. Yet, as I think Scott’s story helps show, there are many ways that the Japanese railway landscape is surprisingly familiar.

One thing we must keep in mind is that Japan’s railways were heavily influenced by North American practice. Early Japanese railway projects were designed with the assistance of foreign consultants, most of whom came from either the United Kingdom or the U.S. The result is that the Japanese system exhibits certain telltale signs of both railway traditions, from the predominance of 42-inch gauge (typical of British colonies) but also of a dense, weblike network of lightly built branches more typical of North America. Early equipment was UK-built, but by the turn of the 20th century, the most powerful locomotives in the country had been built by America’s Baldwin. Later, domestically built equipment showed such hybrid roots, with proportions and aesthetics that recalled British equipment, but other spotting features — such as tenders, cylinders, and couplers — being distinctly North American.

Nor are these influences found only in the past. Today’s Japanese rail network in many ways echoes our own, especially at the margins. Like our continent, Japan experienced a wave of so-called “deindustrialization” starting in the 1970s, with industrial modernization and increased global trade radically changing the nature of the economy. As in the American “rust belt,” many steel mills, coal mines, and power plants shut down, and rural populations steadily relocated into larger cities. The northern island of Hokkaido, for example, was once one of the world’s most important coal-mining regions, but much like the Appalachian region of the U.S., it is a place that seems more and more hollowed out, steadily emptying of traffic and of life.

For the railways that served such regions, the options were few but also familiar. Many lines that once belonged to Japanese National Railways or its privatized successors were, in essence, “spun off” into what Japan calls “third-sector railways” — what we might label “short lines.” Some of those companies have survived by reducing service, cutting overhead costs, and chasing new markets, much as our own short lines do, and likewise, not all of them have met with sustained success. It is not unusual, for example, for a small third-sector railway to turn to tourism as a means to generate traffic, and it is not at all unusual to find dinner trains, beer trains, scenery-viewing trains, and sometimes even steam locomotives to attract those tourists to the rails.

And then there’s the railfan world. If you go to YouTube, and search for “Japanese train videos,” you will find plenty of results. One of the more amusing aspects is to watch, say, a beautiful shot of a distant steam-hauled train, and then hear the distinctive click-click-click of a camera motor drive from some other railfan standing just out of view. If anything, there are probably more railfans in Japan than in North America, and yet many of their conventions are ours, too — from the “photo line” to spotter’s guides to rare-mileage trips. Perhaps Japan is an ocean away, and certainly it has its own distinct geography, culture, and history, and yet the more I have learned about its railways, the more I am impressed not by the differences, but by what we share.

—Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a transportation historian, photographer, artist, and author.

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After a successful service expansion last year, Amtrak’s Winter Park Express is back for another big season, beginning on December 19, and making 57 roundtrips through March 29. 

The train is set to run December 19-21, 26-28 and January 2-4, before regular service begins on January 8, with four weekly roundtrips (Thursday through Sunday). Tickets start at $9. Last year, Amtrak worked with the Colorado Department of Transportation to lower ticket prices and the train saw a 150 percent ridership increase.

Like last year, passengers will be able to ride the train all the way to Fraser, just west of Winter Park (previously, the train laid over in Fraser during the day, but passengers had to get off at the ski area). 

The train departs Denver at 7 a.m. and arrives at the resort at 9:11 a.m. and in Fraser at 9:41 a.m. The return trip departs Fraser at 4:05 p.m. and Winter Park Resort at 4:35 p.m. and arrives in Denver at 7:05 p.m.

The ski train to Winter Park has been a Colorado institution since the early 20th century. The original train was canceled in 2009, but Amtrak brought it back as the Winter Park Express in 2017. 

—Justin Franz 

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Alaska Railroad 2-8-0 557 was fired up for the first time on November 8, following a decade-long restoration. Volunteers have been working on the S160 Class Consolidation in Wasilla since the early 2010s and hope to eventually run it on its home rails. 

Locomotive 557 was one of more than 2,000 S160 Class 2-8-0s built for the U.S. Army by Alco, Baldwin and Lima (557 was built by Baldwin). The locomotives were meant to be built quickly and deployed to war-torn Europe. The S160s would eventually go on to work on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. In 1944, a dozen S160s were sent to Alaska for use on the federally-owned railroad there, including 3523, which would soon be renumbered 557. Along with a new number, the locomotive got some improvements for service in Alaska, including a larger air compressor, a heated cab and a plow for seasonal use. The 557 initially burned coal but was later converted to oil. In the 1950s, the Alaska began to retire its steam locomotives but 557 was retained for use in Nenana where the rivers often flooded the right-of-way. The locomotive was also used for special events. In 1964, the locomotive was sold to private individuals and moved to Washington State where it was put on display. In 2011, the locomotive returned north for restoration. 

The non-profit Engine 557 Restoration Company announced its test fire on social media. Additional work will need to be done on the locomotive before it can run, but it’s clear that standard-gauge steam will soon return to the “Last Frontier.” 

—Justin Franz 

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BNSF Railway has installed Positive Train Control on the Canadian section of its New Westminster Subdivision between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., making it the first route in Canada to permanently implement the crash prevention technology. 

The New Westminster Sub features both BNSF freight and Amtrak Cascades trains running between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver. The first train to operate with PTC on this route was a BNSF freight on October 21. 

While BNSF claimed that the October 21 run was the first time PTC had been used in Canada, that isn’t entirely accurate. In 2023, CPKC briefly deployed PTC on its Aldersyde Subdivision between Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta, to test the technology it had installed on Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 H1b 2816, ahead of its tri-nation tour in 2024. 

—Justin Franz 

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