BERLIN – I despise QR codes, those square boxes with ink arranged like it came out of an old-fashioned dot matrix printer. It’s supposed to lead your smart phone to further information with the press of a button. I’ve never used one...

Like ants flocking to their hill, visitors to InnoTrans flood into the fairgrounds at Berlin for the world's largest railway trade and technology show. Photo by Jim Wrinn Here's a typical exhibit booth with plenty of people, big-time graphics, and...

We’re looking at the seating area of a former German railways dome car under restoration by RailAdventure, a Munich-based company. Jim Wrinn photo RailAdventure, a Munich, Germany-based company, is rebuilding this dome car into a private car...

Here's a unique rail vehicle on display at InnoTrans, a portable work station, where the rolling stock moves into place, opens up like a camper, and the track crew can work in a sheltered environment with tools and gear within easy reach. Photo by Jim...

] Workers repair a wood passenger car at the Furka Pass shop in Aarau, Switzerland. Jim Wrinn photo The boilers and frames for the Furka Pass 0-8-0s rest in the shop at Chur. Jim Wrinn photo The boilers and frames for the Furka Pass 0-8-0s rest...

I am on the way to the world’s largest railroad trade and technology show, InnoTrans, held every other year in Berlin. I am taking the long way to the show, via one of Europe’s most spectacular steam-powered tourist railroads and some incredible...

Oil remains the stand-alone star for railcar loadings, according to monthly figures released Friday by the Association of American Railroads. At 54,755 total U.S. carloads in August, shipments of “petroleum & petroleum products” represent...