Durango & Silverton 2-8-2 No. 482 climbs the hill at Hermosa, Colo. Jim Wrinn photo Is the Colorado narrow gauge on your bucket list? If not, it should be. It’s still the easiest way to experience 1920s steam railroading without having to...

Yes, I know, it took a while. Some even said we'd never get it done. But this month Trains Magazine's new and improved Rochelle Railroad Park webcam in Illinois is up and running. Yes, I said it: New and improved! The new Rochelle webcam provides a...

Looking for lots of steam? Head to the southwestern corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico. This is the Durango & Silverton roundhouse in Durango, Colo., at night. Jim Wrinn photo OK, so you had your heart set on riding or photographing Southern...

Trains Magazine could not be the magazine that it is without the wonderful photo submissions we receive from readers. We have recently updated our online photo submission guidelines to better reflect the magazine's needs and workflow. There had been a...

After providing two night photo sessions at Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association’s annual Cass Railfan Weekend in early May, our volunteer photography work force reconvened in Spencer for the duration of the North Carolina...

For the past three years, my wife Marcia and I have spent a month each winter volunteering at Yellowstone National Park's Heritage and Research Center in Gardiner, Montana. Why do this in the winter, you ask? The short answer is: because that's when we...

For the past several days, I have enjoyed visiting and photographing Southern California’s exciting railroad operations, ranging from the famous Tehachapi Loops, iconic Cajon Pass, and the sunny Amtrak Pacific Surfline. This is my third visit to...

NS 6169 led the Peach State Whistle Stop Safety Train , and we see it here after arrival in Dalton, Georgia. Look between the ditch lights, and you'll see the lens hood of the camera mounted on the front. All photos by David Lester. Growing up in Southern...

Sometimes we luck into amazing images that aren't planned because half of success is just being trackside at the right time. On other occasions, an awesome shot may have required a great deal of waiting,patience, and persistence. This blog will be...

As the weekend festivities continue to unfold at Spencer’s historic gathering of over two dozen cab units and ceremonial start to the restoration of N&W J-Class 611, I’m now able to comprehend the reality of this exclusive gathering and...

It’s an exciting time for railroad history, the beginning of a host of ever expanding recognitions of the importance of railroading in American life. Big locomotives seem to get the headlines, but much is happening across the country. “Streamliners...

Soo Line FP7 2500, N&W 611, and UP E9 get attention at the Spencer turntable. SPENCER, N.C. – Of all the engines to be the last one to arrive. It had to be the FT demonstrator, the first streamlined freight diesel that General Motors built...

There once lived a man named Eric Lomax. He lived in Scotland, fought in World War II, and survived torture at the hands of Japanese captors only to lead a troubled adult life in Britain. He died in 2012. For Trains readers, his life story is poignant...

SPENCER, N.C. – I kept finding myself uttering strange phrases Tuesday during the preparatory work for Streamliners at Spencer, the cab unit festival at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, where I’ve volunteered since 1986. Among the...

School children and residents watch No. 4014's train pass under the pedestrian walkway over the yard in Laramie, Wyo. No. 4014's train eases out of the twin Hermosa Tunnels for photographs for Trains. Cheyenne, Wyo. – I wonder what No. 4014...

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- What is as loud as a chainsaw, seemingly random, and bothers neighbors in Australia? Did you guess right? Squeaky wheels on a freight train. It is the random nature of this noise that caused an Aussie acoustical engineer to...

UP 4014 departs Rock Springs, Wyo. for Thursday's trip to Laramie, Wyo. LARAMIE, Wyo. – We arrived here last night after a day that included blowing snow, lightning, rain, and not far away, tornadoes. Fortunately, everyone and everything got...

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Officially, the Wednesday and Thursday sessions at the Wheel-Rail Interaction conference come under the title "heavy haul." They should rename the two days to just plain "heavy" and get it over with. Here are three good reasons:...

A Utah Front Runner commuter train soars across a flyover in Ogden as No. 4014's train walks out to the main line. ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 returned to home turf on Tuesday on its journey between southern California...

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Squeeeeeeak. Squeeeeeeak. Wrummmmmmp. Wrummmp. Wrmpp. Pup. Pup. Pup. "Not the squeak, it's the low frequency noise we're talking about," says one research engineer from a Class I railroad talking about the "wrummmmp." This engineer...

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - An old saying goes, "Every time you point a finger, three more are pointing right back at you." So it goes that before blaming other railroad departments, an agency, or a contractor, engineers at the Wheel-Rail Interaction conference...

Visitors crowd No. 4014 while on display Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah. OGDEN, Utah – We’re back in traditional Big Boy territory with Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 No. 4014 continuing to dazzle onlookers as it makes its way in tow to the restoration...

No. 4014's train near Caliente, Nev. CALIENTE, Nev. – It’s late, and I’ve just gotten into my motel in Milford, Utah, and I should be sleeping, but before I do, I’m going to jot down a few things about Thursday’s hospital...

Having witnessed the steam excursions originating this spring in Bristol, Va., and Grundy, Va., only one word comes to mind when describing them: awesome! Norfolk Southern and the Tennessee Valley Rail Museum went above and beyond to put on a fabulous...

I was in Boston late last week to give an after dinner talk for the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts, and my friend and club Secretary Bill Crawford picked me up at the airport and took me to Chelsea, Mass., for train watching. Our aim was to view MBTA commuter...