A Radio Story in Search of a Point Wednesday, Dec. 4, 5:25 PM EST I’ve just finished listening to a feature story on National Public Radio's afternoon news program “All Things Considered.” It was about the boom in new oil traffic...

This post will end up with a hard-to-answer question. Eventually, I plan to write a string of posts about railroading in the 21st century, and what kinds of roles people fascinated by railroading might play in its dynamic and unpredictable future. Getting...

The leaves have fallen, cold temperatures are the norm, and white-stuff is beginning to fly: yes, Winter has arrived! We saw all of these conditions in Virginia within the last month and snow is actually falling as I write this. As I look out my window...

During this month of thankfulness, I can't help but think about what railroad I'm thankful for. As I rode into work this morning, I had plenty of time to think about it. At 5 mph on the highway, my mind wandered. My first thought? I'm thankful for...

It’s one thing to look down the list of commodities and carloads on the Association of American Railroads reports of weekly rail traffic; it’s something else to know what goes where and why. Let’s take the recent Week 42 report apart...

On the early afternoon of Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 2013, Leviathan ’s whistle blows for the Kirchner Road crossing on the north side of New Freedom, Pa., as the York follows closely behind. Photo by Brian Plant. NEW FREEDOM, Pa. —...

Last week I wrote about the problem that has brought a big piece of the costly process of installing Positive Train Control (PTC being collision-avoidance technology) on 60,000 miles of railroad to a grinding halt. That problem is the conflict between...

The crowd watches as the Big Boy is prepared for more movement on panel tracks. Jim Wrinn photo POMONA, Calif.- The emotions that Union Pacific’s newly repatriated Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014 stirs, even without it being restored and in...

I salute the Association of American Railroads for getting out in front of the issue of tank car safety today with recommendations for retrofitting most cars that haul hazardous materials, particularly crude oil. A spate of accidents involving spillage...

Throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday, we've noticed certain questions appearing regularly. We hope that posting answers will help some of our viewers enjoy the live streaming video even more. Frequently Asked Questions: Q: When will Big...

Big Boy No. 4014 spent her last night inside the Rail Giants Museum at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds Wednesday. Today, she begins her trip toward restoration. Jim Wrinn photo POMONA, Calif. – Steam locomotives, whether running all out at...

Like the federal government, Amtrak works on a fiscal year ending September 30, and on its web site it recently posted its financial and operational results, which I’d like to share with you. Top line. Revenues versus fiscal 2012 were up $115...

Distinguished observers like to point out that Big Boys only ever operated in revenue service on the Union Pacific in select mountain areas, mostly Utah and Wyoming. It was what they were designed to do – all they ever did. A kind of logic dictates...

POMONA, Calif. – Good morning. If you’re reading this on Wednesday morning, I am probably in a hotel room putting on my well-worn steel-toed boots, orange safety vest, and lime green hard hat, or more likely, I am already dressed and out witnessing...

Where is the National Transportation Safety Board when we need it? A critical collision has occurred in the railroad industry. It seems that the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 has broadsided the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008. For weeks...

Intermodal traffic and other freight sectors are up, but carload traffic is off, thus yielding a 2 percent railroad. A BNSF Railway intermodal train heads west out of Chicago through Western Springs, Ill., on Oct. 27, 2013. Jim Wrinn photo If you think...

Autumn is special time of year for me. When I starting taking pictures in 2002, autumn’s potential for photography was apparent for me. My dad and I started a tradition by attending the Bluefield, W.Va., model train show when I was just five and...

We’re on Platform 7 at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Nov 3. In front of us is one of the biggest Amtrak trains I’ve ever seen: 16 cars -- four Amfleet and nine Horizon coaches plus two cafe cars and office car No...

Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 is being worked on by Union Pacific crews to ready it for a ride to Cheyenne, Wyo., in the near future. Photo by Steve Sweeney. The Southern California Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society was the...

Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 rounds a curve near Largo, Ind., on Oct. 27, 2013. Jim Wrinn photo FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Riding behind Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 last Saturday from Fort Wayne to Lafayette, Ind., and then chasing the westbound...

HINTON, W.VA. — Celebrating its 47 th consecutive year of New River Train excursions, the Collis P. Huntington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society runs this Amtrak-sponsored consist on CSX rails between Huntington, W.Va., and Hinton...

Railroad preservation can be a pretty thankless pursuit, especially if you try to practice it on a grand scale. Americans are oblivious to our industrial and mechanical heritage anyway, except perhaps when it comes to warplanes and warships. When you...

Emily Ellis at work on the railroad. I’ll admit I wasn’t born liking trains. I didn’t grow up always wanting to take the train, and I would roll my eyes when my dad took my family chasing. To me, railroads were just a mode of transportation...

I have long been an advocate of teaching in the public schools all of the many ways railroading set the tone for many aspects of modern life. The concepts of time zones, the organization of big businesses, and modern diet (thanks to refrigerator cars...

When it comes to railroads, I never met a state I didn’t like. They’re all interesting, and for you, that’s especially true of the one you call home. Trains magazine has acknowledged as much a number of times, with special issues...