Railnews from Railfan & Railroad Magazine

Regular freight service resumed on an Idaho short line for the first time in seven years on September 10. The Washington, Idaho & Montana operates on 18 miles of track between Harvard, Idaho, and the Idaho-Washington border, where it interchanges with the Spokane, Spangle & Palouse. 

WI&M is actually the second railroad company to use the Washington, Idaho & Montana name. The Potlatch Lumber Company built the original line between 1905 and 1907 to connect eastern Washington with some of the best white pine stands in the Pacific Northwest. The WI&M ran 50 miles from a connection with the Northern Pacific in Palouse, Wash., to Bovill, Idaho, where it met the Milwaukee Road. In 1962, the WI&M became a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road. After Milwaukee abandoned its lines west of Miles City, Mont., in 1980, the line became part of Burlington Northern before being spun off as a short line in the 1990s. The previous operator, the Washington & Idaho, last ran in 2018. By then, there was only one customer on the line, Bennett Lumber Products in Potlatch. In a case of history repeating itself, in 2023, the lumber company purchased the remaining 18 miles of the WI&M from the Idaho border east to Harvard.

Since 2023, the “new” WI&M has been working to rehabilitate the line, and the railroad made its first run back in February. This summer, it brought in a cut of empty centerbeam cars using its recently acquired GP9, former Central Montana 1838. Railroad officials said they expect to operate as needed, but usually at least once a week. The railroad is actively seeking additional traffic. 

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The Norfolk & Western Business Car 300 Preservation Society announced in September that it had raised the $35,000 needed to acquire the last surviving N&W American Car & Foundry 12-4 sleeping car. The non-profit, which owns and operates a former N&W office car, plans to restore the car on the Hoosier Valley Railroad in Indiana. 

The car was built in January 1950 for the Wabash Railroad. It joined the N&W fleet in 1964 and was later assigned to the railroad’s business train in 1972. There, it received the name Hollins College. 

The non-profit is expected to take ownership of the car in January, when it will be moved west from its current home on the Morristown & Erie. The organization is presently raising money for that move.  For more information and to learn how to help, visit nw300.org.  

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

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by David Zeman/photos by the author

A few months back, I wrote about my experience using an AI-powered “denoise” program (my results were mixed). This month, Chicago-area photographer Dave Zeman shares how he’s using these new tools. I think you’ll be impressed. Now excuse me while I fire up my own computer to see what I can do with them in the camera bag… —J.A.F.

One could argue there has never been a better time to be a photographer than the present. Incredible mirrorless cameras with unprecedented low-light sensitivity produce clearer and more vibrant images than ever before. Plus, new lens technology has delivered the sharpest images ever seen at all focal lengths and apertures. But when it comes to nighttime photography, there is one new tool in the last two years I find revolutionary and transformative — Adobe Lightroom’s AI-powered “Denoise” tool.

As a longtime Speedlight user for photography after sunset, this new post-processing feature has completely transformed my approach. When there’s enough existing light and several other key factors are in my favor, I can shoot moving trains at night without needing to set up a bunch of flashes around the scene.

ABOVE: WAMX SD40-2 4173 leads a westbound Wisconsin & Southern manifest train through Rondout, Ill. Locomotive 4173 is the only PTC-equipped SD40-2 on Wisconsin & Southern’s roster, making the locomotive a special treat for Chicago-area railfans when the locomotive leads a train to or from Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard.

Denoise is the third item in a trifecta of the most important pieces of my camera gear. For two years, I have been shooting with my Nikon Z 6ii, a 24.5mp, full-frame, mirrorless camera. My two go-to lenses for almost all of my low-light night photography are my Nikkor Z 50mm ƒ/1.8 S prime lens, and my Tamron 28–75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III VXD G2. The 50mm offers incredible exposure speed, along with a very shallow depth of field when set to ƒ/1.8, making it perfect for capturing a moving subject with an inherent artsy or dramatic effect. The 28–75mm is the quintessential walk-around zoom lens for any low-light situation and works well for certain situations where trains are moving slowly through well-lit areas.

In many cases, I find my typical settings for capturing moving trains at well-lit Chicago Metra stations to be around 1/320th second shutter speed, ƒ/1.8 aperture, and ISO 8,000. Some situations have required increasing the ISO even further, sometimes up to 10,000 or 20,000 in rare cases of very dark scenes or faster-moving subjects. While my Z 6ii generally has enough power to capture most of the detail at these ultra-high ISO levels, there is usually a significant amount of noise (the digital equivalent of grain in film) visible throughout the RAW images from the camera. This is when I turn to Denoise during editing…

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This month is Railfan & Railroad’s annual homage to the diesels of the American Locomotive Company. Founded as a steam locomotive manufacturer, Alco entered the diesel-electric market in the 1920s and its achievements were many. Long before its rivals, Alco produced turbocharger-equipped locomotives, starting with the HH-900 switcher in 1937. The company pioneered the concept of the “road switcher” with the 1941 introduction of the RS-1. Its PA-1 passenger locomotive was an Art Deco masterpiece designed by Ray Patten — as a result, these were widely regarded as one of the most beautiful streamlined passenger locomotives of all time.

Yet Alco has been gone for more than a half-century, its U.S. operations closed in 1969. Its Canadian counterpart, Montreal Locomotive Works, persisted a little longer, with its designs produced by Bombardier until 1985. With this closure, the lifespan of the surviving Alcos shortened radically due to the lack of parts and trained service technicians.

In the railroad world, the lack of parts was a serious problem. It often resulted in the wholesale retirement of Alcos, even the newest, youngest examples. For example, Southern Pacific leased out its big C-628 and C-630 units in 1970 and converted some of them to lower-rated yard power units by the mid-1970s, before scrapping most of them by the end of the decade. Union Pacific, meanwhile, sold its big C-630s by 1974, not even 10 years old. The buyer, in this case, was Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range, a regional ore hauler.

They spent only a few years at Missabe, filling in as emergency stand-ins while waiting for newer, younger power to arrive.
Another possibility was to keep using Alco power for as long as the existing parts supply could hold out. Burlington Northern helped extend the longevity of its fleet by consolidating Alco power to Vancouver, Wash. This was formerly the main shops of Spokane, Portland & Seattle, which operated the largest fleet of Alco-powered locomotives in the Northwest, and its personnel were intimately familiar with keeping these smoke-belchers running. Yet, it was parts as much as personnel that drove this decision; by consolidating BN’s Alco power to a single maintenance base, the dwindling parts supply could be consolidated as well, maximizing the odds that an engine could be successfully maintained or repaired. As a result, BN managed to keep much of its Alco fleet in operation for another decade.

The recession of the early 1980s proved to be the last straw for many Alco fleets. With dwindling traffic, most railroads chose to sideline older, less reliable, or less economical locomotives — and the Alcos were at the top of the list. Most went to the scrapper’s torch. Some railroads chose to rebuild their Alcos with EMD prime movers and electrical cabinets, but this only prolonged the inevitable. Many of these oddballs met their demise in the 1980s and 1990s.

On smaller regionals and short lines, Alcos fared a little better, but often, these lines bought more power than they actually needed to maintain a sort of in-house junkyard source of parts. And, for those roads that still roster Alcos, this often remains the case, for there are few pragmatic alternatives. In many cases, scrap-line parts donors are the only reason any locomotives still survive in operating condition.

What might the future hold after there are no more donors to part out? In the automotive world, vehicles produced by long-gone marques continue to be viable because there are enough sentimental owners to support third-party parts suppliers. It is doubtful that there are enough Alcos left, much less sentiment in the railroad industry, to see something similar occur, especially as the government incentivizes more efficient diesels that meet stringent emissions standards. These programs often call for the destruction of the older, inefficient diesels in trade. Time will tell, but unless there is some drastic change in pollution policy, we may see the last few Alcos turn a wheel in revenue service within the coming decade.

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

The post The Longevity of Alco appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Ted Benson/photos by Ted Benson and Dave Stanley

“Play, guitar, play,
Take me back to yesterday…”
—“Play, Guitar, Play,” Conway Twitty, 1977

Monday, November 14, 1977
Sunlight fades fast on an autumn afternoon, shadows stealing across the high desert as a silver Ford van skirts the Pequop Mountains south of Wells, Nev. It’s day three in a week-long photographic exploration of railroading’s “outlaw” state and the trip has locked into the “company notch,” capitalizing on short days rich in eloquent light.

Steel belts humming on the asphalt of U.S. Route 93, stone-cold country music rises above the eight-cylinder purr of the year-old Club Wagon’s 351 Windsor, Conway Twitty’s rich baritone flowing out of the tape deck in spare, plaintive verse.

“…Let me hear my mama callin’
Look a-yonder, y’all who’s comin’
Down the road, he’s comin’ home
But they know I never will”

ABOVE: The following morning, after picking up the interchange from Southern Pacific at Cobre, RS-2 101 returns south, again passing through the small village of Currie. The local will end its day 75 miles south at East Ely. —Dave Stanley photo

Describing the journey as a homecoming would be a stretch for two shaggy 20-somethings rolling into the Goshute Valley this chilly Indian Summer’s eve. Dave Stanley and I are a long way from our central California homes, the distance growing greater and the sky growing darker with every note of Twitty’s Telecaster-driven melodies.

Following an itinerary devoted to paired main lines and copper mines, we’re well past the limit of Bobby Bare’s “500 Miles Away From Home.” With Ely another 75 miles away and Nevada Northern’s twice-weekly local freight headed in our direction, our sights are set on Currie for tonight’s food and lodging. Two-plus hours lie between us and the train bound for transcontinental connections at Shafter and Cobre. There’s plenty of time to set up a night shot at the old railroad depot.

As twilight turns to dusk, the only visible sign of civilization is a handful of lights flickering by the highway where 93 intersects the NN tracks 63 rail miles south of Cobre. Resting at 5,800 feet above sea level, the hamlet of Currie is the brightest thing on the horizon — at least for the time being.

ABOVE: The 750-foot-tall smokestack at Kennecott’s McGill smelter towers over Alcos 102 and 103 passing Hiline milepost H-6 with a train of empties on November 16, 1977. KCC smelter emissions were a major source of regulatory misery for the company’s Nevada operations in the late 1970s. —Ted Benson photo

It’s been 36 years since a passenger train called at Currie, though you’d never know it. With fresh yellow paint, white trim, and train order signal intact, the building looks much the same as it did between 1906 and 1941, when an estimated 4.5 million people passed through on NN passenger trains. In 1977, the structure serves as a section house.

Acquiescing to our request in broken English, the section foreman grants permission to string wire and reflectors around his home. With 550 feet of lamp cord and six No.2 flashbulbs lighting the scene, a simple composition comes together in the usual 90 minutes. Now it’s time to don jackets, pour some coffee from the thermos, and have a seat in the truck as the temperature drops into the high 20s.

Shortly after 6:00pm, a glow appears to the south, its intensity growing with each passing minute. Dave is a newcomer to The Ely Route, and I’ve been priming him for the moment when Nevada Northern’s handsome SD7 rolls onto center stage. Dressed in an EMD-styled “Desert Warbonnet” of cream, red, and black, 401 has to be the prettiest Cadillac to ever roll out of LaGrange. An earlier phone call to Chief Dispatcher Jack Whitehurst in East Ely has alerted the train crew to expect some excitement at Currie. There’ll be no surprise aboard the 401 when night turns to day a few hundred feet north of Highway 93. The real surprise has been saved for the photographers waiting outside the depot.

ABOVE: On November 17, 1977, the northbound Nevada Northern local with KCC RS-2 101 clears the main at East Ely, to allow the westbound KCC shuttle train to pass, bound for the mines south of East Ely. For two young railfans from California, this rural outpost in the Silver State was a little slice of Alco-powered heaven. —Dave Stanley photos

Anticipating the rhythmic chant of an Electro-Motive 567 prime mover coming through the night, we soon realize that whatever’s chugging our way is no graduate of Dick Dilworth’s drawing board. The single-bell air horn calling for the crossing is clearly not the mellow Hancock air chime of the 401. A few lumen seconds later, Kennecott Copper 101 fills our viewfinders in a solid orange flash. Are you kidding? What’s an Alco doing here?

Darkness reclaims the depot as 25 cars rumble by in the RS-2’s smoky wake. Simultaneously excited and mystified by the Alco’s appearance, we roll up the flash kit and retire to the warm tranquility of Tom and Donna’s Currie Store. Half-pound Currie burgers and cold beer satisfy our physical needs while the second half of Monday Night Football playing on a TV above the bar serves up succor to the soul for two long-suffering San Francisco 49er fans. Having no love lost for Dallas and the presumptive pretense of “America’s Team,” we revel in the St. Louis Cardinals handing the Cowboys their first loss in a 12-2 Super Bowl season. Judging by the reaction of Tom and Donna’s regular patrons, we’re not alone in our sentiments. Sleep in a cozy two-bed tourist cabin comes easy this evening…

The post Alcos in Indian Summer appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Justin Franz and Otto M. Vondrak/photos by the author

A saga that began 25 years ago in the Pacific Northwest came to a triumphant end in Scranton, Pa., this summer. On a warm July night beside Bridge 60 Tower, the sleek silhouette of an Alco PA stood gleaming in the floodlights, its blue and white paint recalling the glory days of mid-century Nickel Plate Road passenger trains. Almost a half-century since a PA led a passenger train in the U.S., NKP 190 was chomping at the bit to show everyone what it’s made of. But the road to its revival was not an easy one, making the improbable return all the more remarkable.

From Santa Fe to Scranton — Via Mexico
A total of 297 Alco PA and PB locomotives were built between 1946 and 1953. “Nickel Plate Road 190” was built as Santa Fe PA-1 62L in October 1948. For 20 years, 62L and its sister units led some of the Santa Fe’s finest trains before being retired in the late 1960s. The locomotive was headed for scrap when it received a new lease on life, thanks to Delaware & Hudson, which acquired four ex-Santa Fe PAs for passenger and excursion service. In 1975, the four units were rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho. During the rebuild, the locomotives had their 244 prime movers replaced with the more reliable 251 and were redesignated as PA-4s.

ABOVE: While mechanical and electrical assembly continued inside the body, McCormack completed the exterior in 2014 to get ready for the “Streamliners at Spencer” event in North Carolina. —Justin Franz photo 

The four units were removed from passenger service on D&H and briefly leased to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for commuter service in 1977. With a change in management at D&H, the four units were sold to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (FNM) for passenger service in Mexico in 1978. Two of the PA-4s, 17 and 19, eventually found their way into museums south of the border, where they remain today (one is reportedly even operational). However, the other two, 16 and 18, did not fare as well.

Within a few years of arriving in Mexico, both units were involved in accidents and were parked in the deadline at Empalme. Ultimately, they were parted out to keep other units operational. While little remained of the units beyond the skeletal frame, the FNM mechanical staff couldn’t bear to see them go, so they kept them hidden from management, who might have ordered them scrapped. Unwittingly, this was the first step toward the units being saved.

ABOVE: After a brief period of public display, NKP 190 was moved to GVT’s Von Storch Shops in the Green Ridge neighborhood of Scranton on June 21. Doyle shakes hands with Chief Mechanical Officer Bill Strein shortly after its arrival. —Otto M. Vondrak photo

Coming to America
Beginning in the 1990s, American preservationists started exploring ways to bring a PA home to the U.S. Mexican officials refused to part with the two locomotives already in museums, but were willing to send the remains of 16 and 18 back north to the right home. The effort to save one was led by the late Smithsonian Curator William Withuhn, who hoped Mexican officials would agree to send one of the units to a public museum. Negotiations dragged on for years, but Withuhn finally secured an agreement by 2000.

Unfortunately, by then funds allocated for such an acquisition were no longer available. Gulf & Ohio Railways CEO Pete Claussen, Steamtown National Historic Site Engineer Seth Corwin, and preservationist and railroader Doyle McCormack, who had been seeking a PA to restore for years, all contributed significant money to close the deal. The scarred frames were loaded onto flatcars and shipped north.

ABOVE: NKP 190 and recently restored Delaware & Hudson Alco RS-3 4098 power the initial run near Moscow, Pa., on July 11. —William Sternitzke photo

Meanwhile, McCormack (perhaps best known as the caretaker of Southern Pacific 4-8-4 4449) discovered two sets of A1A trucks necessary for eventual restoration that came from a Fairbanks-Morse “Erie-Built” passenger diesel that ended up powering a welded rail train in Canada. He offered Withuhn one set in exchange for one of the shells. Withuhn accepted, and McCormack became the proud owner of what remained of one of the most famous passenger locomotives ever built….

The post From Relic to Runner appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are not waiting to merge to find the benefits of increased collaboration. 

On September 15, the two railroads announced the launch of a new joint intermodal service connecting Louisville, Tenn., with multiple western cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Houston. The traffic will be interchanged between the two Class I railroads at Kansas City. 

The announcement follows UP and NS competitors, particularly CSX Transportation, launching several new partnerships to enhance transcontinental service and demonstrate to stakeholders that another merger isn’t necessary. UP and NS announced in July that they planned to merge, putting pressure on other railroads to respond. 

“Our customers want easier, more reliable freight solutions that they can depend on, and our robust service delivers that,” said Kenny Rocker, Executive Vice President – Marketing and Sales at Union Pacific. “Enhancements to the newly expanded Kansas City Intermodal Terminal and Norfolk Southern investments in Louisville allow us to compete with trucks, removing thousands from the nation’s congested highways.”

—Justin Franz 

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The Finger Lakes Rail Experience, which started earlier this year on the Finger Lakes Railway, is extending its season into fall with a series of trips from Waterloo, N.Y. The 90-minute rides are scheduled to run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting September 19 and ending October 19 (excluding the first weekend of October). 

“This special excursion celebrates everything there is to love about fall in the Finger Lakes,” said Chris Homco, General Manager of the Finger Lakes Rail Experience. “It’s a relaxing, nostalgic journey perfect for couples, families, and groups looking to make new memories.”

The excursion features five vintage passenger cars provided by URHS, some of which became available when Amtrak cancelled charters out of New York Penn Station earlier this year due to an extensive tunnel repair project affecting the schedule. The cars include observation-lounge Hickory Creek (Pullman, 1948, the tail car from New York Central’s famed 20th Century Limited), tavern-lounge NYC 43 (Budd, 1947), and NYC sleeper-buffet-lounge Swift Stream (Budd, 1949). To support this expanded service schedule, URHS also refurbished tavern-lounge NYC 37 (Budd, 1947) and Pennsylvania Railroad coach 1547 (Budd, 1949, ex-PRR sleeper Cambridge Inn). The trains are led by Finger Lakes locomotives (usually one of the road’s B23-7s). 

Tickets are on sale now. For detailed schedules and reservation information, please visit the FLX Rail Experience website.

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

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Steam has returned to the slopes of the Northeast’s highest peak. On August 29, the Mount Washington Cog Railway resumed its regular steam operations, almost four months after announcing that both of its steam locomotives needed repairs.

From 1869 to 2008, steam power dominated the west slope of Mount Washington. Built in the 1860s, the Mount Washington Cog Railway was the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway. However, in the late 2000s, diesel locomotives started replacing most steam engines. For a few years, only the first run of the day up the hill used steam. Recently, the railroad has offered a few trips to the summit using steam, as well as a Mid Mountain Steam Special that goes about halfway up the hill. 

Two steam locomotives are currently on the railroad’s active roster: Locomotive 2 Ammonoosuc, built in 1875, and 9 Waumbek, built in 1908. Both locomotives were built by the Manchester Locomotive Works, which later became part of the American Locomotive Company. Earlier this year, pre-season preparations showed that the two locomotives could not operate at full pressure until further repairs were completed. Repairs have now been made on one of the locomotives, and it will be pushing (not leading) regular runs halfway up the mountain on Thursdays through Sundays until mid-October, departing at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.

The railroad says it remains dedicated to steam and has two new boilers on order to ensure that the locomotives can operate for decades to come. 

—Justin Franz 

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A popular handcar tour on a former Southern Pacific branch line in California came to an end on September 1, after four years of operation. 

A planned four-mile bus route will replace part of the historic Monterey Branch, built in 1879 as the Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad. After being acquired by Southern Pacific, the Monterey Branch connected to the Coast Line at nearby Castroville and once linked San Francisco to Pebble Beach, hosting famous trains like the Del Monte. Following a long decline, the 16-mile branch was abandoned in 1999, three years after the Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger. It was purchased in 2003 by the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC). 

The agency’s current plans for a four-mile express bus line mark the end of the family-owned handcar operation, which featured both rail bike-style vehicles and electric-assisted hand pump cars. The electric hand pump cars were designed by Mason Clark (Mason’s father, Todd, owns the long-running railfan website, Trainorders.com). The Clarks are seeking a new location in California to offer excursions. 

—Elrond Lawrance 

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When Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern announced plans to merge this summer, all eyes turned to the other five Class I railroads to see how they would respond — especially CSX Transportation, NS’s main rival in the East. However, while it has faced intense pressure to join with another railroad to form a transcontinental line that would rival a combined UP-NS, including from some of its own shareholders, CSX has chosen a different path.

Since mid-July, CSX has announced new partnerships with three different railroads, most recently Canadian National. On Tuesday, the two railroads revealed a plan to operate a connecting intermodal service from Canada’s West Coast to Nashville. CPKC and BNSF have announced similar partnerships. 

“At CSX, we’re committed to working with our interchange partners to create solutions that deliver mutual value and expand the options available to customers,” said Kevin Boone, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of CSX. “This new service with CN provides a faster and more sustainable all-rail option into Nashville, helping shippers strengthen their supply chains while reducing truck traffic on our highways.”

In August, hedge fund group Ancora Holdings told the CSX board of directors that the railroad should pursue a merger or fire its CEO, Joe Hinrichs. However, Hinrichs dismissed talk of a merger and stated the industry could better serve customers and the country by working together now instead of pursuing costly mergers that would take years to complete and could disrupt the network. This message is similar to the one promoted by CPKC CEO Keith Creel and BNSF owner Warren Buffett. 

While many in the rail industry oppose a UP-NS merger, the Trump administration clearly supports the idea. Last month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC that a merger could improve the efficiency of the rail network. Meanwhile, the Trump administration dismissed U.S. Surface Transportation Board member Robert E. Primus without cause or explanation, aside from the belief that he “did not align with the president’s America First agenda.” Primus was notable for being the only vote against the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger in 2023. It was the first time in the STB’s history (or its predecessor, the Interstate Commerce Commission) that a member was fired. Primus has stated that his termination was illegal and plans to challenge it. 

—Justin Franz

The post Amid Pressure to Merge, CSX Chooses Collaboration appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Each year, we ask our readers to submit their best shots for consideration in our annual Center Spread Contest. Our theme is the very broad category of “creative photography,” which presents challenges for photographers and judges alike. After sifting through hundreds of potential candidates, we narrowed it down to the few selections seen here. We think you’ll appreciate the creativity that our contributors have shown in capturing these exciting images.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! —The Editors 

Deep below the streets of Jersey City, NJ Transit trains rumble back and forth through the Bergen Tunnels, to and from Hoboken Terminal. The 4,200-foot-long tunnels cut through Bergen Hill, the southernmost end of the Hudson Palisades, with two large open-cut ventilation shafts along the way. GP40PH-2B 4208, the railroad’s Conrail heritage unit, is shoving non-revenue Train X132 through the north tunnel on Track 1 on June 12, 2025.

On November 6, 2024, an empty CPKC potash train crosses the Snake River over Union Pacific’s massive Joso High Bridge, located near Lyons Ferry, Wash. This train is returning to Canada and is handled by UP crews as part of the UP/CPKC alliance called the Pacific Can-Am Corridor.

After stopping at North Conway, N.H., Conway Scenic Extra 7470 is waiting for its conductor to finish getting instructions.  This scene was staged as part of the railroad’s September 2014 Railfan Weekend photo shoot.

Only on the longest days of summer, when the sun sets far to the north, does light burnish the north side of the century-old Bear Mountain Bridge and the trains that pass below. Metro-North recently painted P42 211 in heritage New York Central livery, which leads a northbound late afternoon express along the Hudson River near Fort Montgomery, N.Y., on June 19, 2025.

UP ES44AC 7942 leads the IG4SE-04 past the approach signal at mile 280.6 between Minidoka and Adelaide along the Nampa Subdivision in Southern Idaho. Snow covers the Deep Creek Mountains on this cold February 5, 2025, at 2:56 p.m.

Birds swoop as D&RGW Train 150, with a mix of Rio Grande, Burlington Northern, and Southern Pacific power, heads south (railroad east) near Leadville, Colo., at 6:25pm on June 15, 1989. Caboose 01425 does the honors on the marker end.

It’s hard to beat the view from Milwaukee Road’s Skytop observation car Cedar Rapids. The Friends of 261 had just wrapped up its first trip between Minneapolis and Duluth, Minn., on May 12, 2013, using Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 261 after a five-year hiatus while the locomotive underwent its required 15-year inspection.  Once the train returned to Minneapolis, the crew cut the locomotive from the head end and parked behind the train so offloading passengers could get one final look at the big Northern.

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A former Nickel Plate Road GP9 is headed to an Ohio tourist railroad where it will be restored to operation. Last week, the Cincinnati Scenic Railway announced a deal with the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society to acquire NKP GP9 532. 

GP9 532 entered service on the NKP in 1959 and eventually joined the Norfolk & Western, which later became part of Norfolk Southern. It was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 1984 and was later acquired by the NRHS chapter in 2015. Cincinnati Scenic is currently raising funds at nkpohio.org to restore the locomotive to operation. 

“Cincinnati Scenic Railway is excited for the opportunity to return another piece of historic rolling stock to our collection. Thanks to our friends at the Roanoke Chapter, future generations will be able to ride behind 532 and witness it in operation,” said railroad president Ray Kammer Jr.

Meanwhile, another piece from the NRHS Roanoke Chapter collection found a new home last week. N&W Tool Car 1407 has been donated to VMT to be permanently reunited with 4-8-4 611. The car was originally built in 1927 as a mail storage car. In the 1980s, the car was converted into a tool car for N&W 611. It remained in that service until the end of the Norfolk Southern steam program in 1994. The car was then acquired by the NRHS chapter. When 611 returned to the main line in the 2010s, the tool car was again matched with the locomotive. 

“The Roanoke Chapter is pleased to form this partnership with the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Together we can highlight the historic role of the 611 and 1407, from the 1950s through today, ensuring both artifacts continue to be together as they were intended,” said Roanoke Chapter President Tim Witt. 

The Roanoke Chapter maintains a large collection of historic equipment, including a Norfolk & Western Alco T-6, a “Redbird” GP9, and over two dozen other pieces. Earlier this year, the group announced it would be constructing a new restoration facility.

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

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The National Capital Trolley Museum in Montgomery County, Maryland, has acquired a rare PCC car from the Netherlands, allowing the museum to “extend the narrative” about these significant streetcars. 

Built in 1952 as part of a series of 22 cars, The Hague Tramway Company 1006 served in revenue service until 1981. From 1983 to 2008, it was on display at the factory where it was manufactured, before being modified for narrow-gauge operation and used sporadically on the Belgian Coast line until 2014.

In May 2022, HTM 1006 was transferred to the Netherlands Transport Museum in Hoofddorp. Unfortunately, with the closure of the NTM announced last year, the future of 1006 was uncertain. As two cars of this series (1022 and 1024) are already preserved in the Netherlands, there was limited local interest in saving 1006. Wanting to be able to tell the story of how the PCC streetcars — developed in the United States in the late 1930s — were used all over the world, the National Capital Trolley Museum stepped in to save it. The car was recently relocated to another museum in the Netherlands, where it is being converted back to standard gauge. It is expected to arrive in the United States in 2026.

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

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A 30-inch gauge 0-6-2T saddle-tank steam locomotive has been restored in Hawaii. Hawaiian Sugar Company 3, named Kaipu, was built by Baldwin in 1925 and worked on the west side of Kauai. It was later sold to the Grove Farm Company, where it got its current name and number. The locomotive operated until 1957, when it was retired and stored.

In the 1980s, the locomotive was restored to operation, and it ran intermittently into the 2010s. In 2023, the Grove Farm Homestead Museum decided to put the locomotive back in service with the help of FMW Solutions. The locomotive was completed in the spring and was back under steam in July. The locomotive leads short excursions throughout the year. Visit www.grovefarm.org for more information. 

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

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The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has approved Watco’s acquisition of the Great Lakes Central Railroad.

Based out of Owosso, Mich., 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. Watco has been an equity investor in Great Lakes Central since 2013.

Watco announced its plans to purchase the railroad outright earlier this year, but the STB wanted more information on how the company would maintain service on the route. Watco also operates the nearby Ann Arbor and there was concerns that the company would divert traffic from GLC.

“The Great Lakes Central Railroad has been a vital part of Michigan’s transportation network and both my father, Louis P. Ferris, Jr., and I have been deeply passionate about its role in connecting industries and communities,” said Jennifer Ferris, President and CEO of the Great Lakes Central Railroad. “Thanks to our tremendous team, GLC has experienced remarkable growth over the years, strengthening our service and expanding our capabilities. With Watco as a long-time partner since 2013, we are confident they will honor the legacy we have built while continuing to serve Michigan’s industries and communities with the same dedication and excellence.”

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

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On August 21, Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority voted to shift $74 million in discretionary funding from Metra and Pace (the region’s bus system) to the Chicago Transit Authority. While the money move won’t prevent the impending “doomsday” cuts, it will delay them until the middle of 2026. 

The RTA, 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 still address the budget shortfall during an upcoming special session, the RTA has begun cutting its budget to the amount it anticipates receiving next year from the state.

If the state does not come through with additional funding, drastic cuts are expected to impact bus, transit and commuter rail services in Chicagoland. 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.

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Just two years after completing a merger of its own, CPKC officials stated this week that they are not interested in further consolidation of the North American rail network. 

The announcement comes just days after a shareholder group at CSX told its CEO that the railroad should consider merging with either BNSF or CPKC in response to the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern deal. Earlier this week, BNSF owner Warren Buffett told CNBC that his company was also not interested in a merger. 

“We believe that a transcontinental merger would trigger permanent restructuring of the industry and result in a disproportionately large railway whose size and scope would require others to take action,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and CEO. “This will likely result in an unnecessary wave of railway mergers that today is not the best way to support American businesses nor the public interest, and has the potential to create more issues than it solves.”

Creel added that CPKC and other railroads should collaborate to find efficiencies without needing mergers. He specifically pointed out partnerships between his railroad and CSX, as well as with CSX and BNSF. 

The back-to-back announcements by BNSF and CPKC suggest that both railroads will vigorously oppose a UP-NS deal. 

—Justin Franz 

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After years of delays and anticipation, Amtrak’s new NextGen Acela entered revenue service on Wednesday morning with departures from Boston and Washington, D.C. 

Five of the NextGen trainsets (sometimes called Acela Avelia Liberty) are entering service this month. Amtrak hopes to have all 28 trains in operation by the end of 2027. Until then, high-speed service between Boston and Washington, D.C., will be provided by both the original Acela trains and the new ones. 

Amtrak said that weekday trains 2153, 2154, 2170 and 2173 will usually have the new trains. On Saturdays, trains 2250 and 2251 will have the NextGen sets and on Sundays it will be 2248, 2258, 2259 and 2271. The trains are marked with a unique tag on the Amtrak app and website to note it is a new train. 

“Acela is synonymous with American high-speed trains, and today marks a new era of next-generation service,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris. “On behalf of everyone at Amtrak, I’m proud to welcome you aboard NextGen Acela. The future of high-speed rail starts now.”

The Alstom-built trains were scheduled to start service in 2021, but delays occurred due to various mechanical and infrastructure problems, especially compatibility issues with the decades-old catenary on the route. Once those problems were fixed, testing of the trains has ramped up in recent weeks along the Northeast Corridor. The new trains can reach speeds up to 160 miles per hour and offer features like free high-speed internet, individual power outlets, and more. 

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it was taking control of Washington Union Station from Amtrak, alleging it had “fallen into disrepair.” The takeover comes as the Trump administration steps up federal law enforcement in Washington D.C., including deploying National Guard troops, despite the fact that crime rates have dropped in recent years.

—Justin Franz 

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Lake State Railway Company, a Michigan-based regional freight railroad, has rolled a freshly painted locomotive out of its Saginaw shops inspired by one of its antecedents, the Pere Marquette Railway.

Locomotive 6437, an ex-Union Pacific SD70M, was rechristened “Spirit of Pere Marquette,” with a tribute livery conceived by second-generation LSRC railroader Travis Vongrey, former conductor, engineer, yardmaster and now supervisor of yard operations. Vongrey’s concept art was based on E7 locomotives that pulled the Pere Marquettes, streamlined passenger trains that made daily trips between Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids. Vongrey’s designs were handed off to LSRC consultants who developed technical specifications based on historical research. Southern Pride Equipment Painting of Sharpsburg, Ga., performed the painting and detailing.

CEO Mike Stickel embraced Vongrey’s concept as a spirited tribute to LSRC’s history, remarking, “Travis has created something really special that reflects the pride and satisfaction all our people share in shaping the future of rail transportation in Michigan, while staying mindful of our rich heritage. We’re all thrilled to see his design come to life as part of our modern fleet.”

A significant portion of the LSRC network was built and operated by the Pere Marquette Railway, primarily segments of the original corridors between Saginaw, Midland and Ludington.

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