When news reports revealed no CSX representatives accompanied the Midnight Rider film crew, railroad, and film professionals knew immediately the film crew was trying to steal a shot. When George Clooney's Leatherheads production worked on Norfolk Southern...

The former C&O mainline in West Virginia and its increasing crude oil business As a relatively young photographer in the hobby, I’ve watched and made pictures of trains for slightly less than ten years. One of my initial interests was studying...

In the 1930s, a lone switchman walks along the Illinois Central’s tracks near Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The First Regiment Armory appears in the background. John W. Barriger III Photo. John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, St. Louis...

I’m going to write about a plane crash that changed the way the aviation industry does an important part of its business. Why, you ask, am I writing about the loss of an aircraft in a blog meant for people are interested in railroads? The reason...

Photo by Paul Guercio. The staff and I are hard at work on our special magazine, “Big Boy on the road to restoration,” due out in early April. Writing and editing this 100-page tribute to Union Pacific’s largest steam locomotives...

We're looking at the front truck of a a Ten-Wheeler, the "4" in 4-6-0, but it is sitting under the rear of the frame where the cab goes in this shop view. All photos, Jim Wrinn. MIDDLETON, Wis. – I checked in on one of the Midwest’s most...

Much is made about the names—or lack thereof—for the railroads of the 21st century. Typically, the biggest target is Burlington Northern Santa Fe, err... I mean, BNSF Railway. Somewhere along the line, the full name fell out of favor and was...

A splash of fresh color has swept across Norfolk Southern in recent weeks, as foreign power has invaded Virginia and West Virginia. Everything from old and new, and BNSF to Canadian power, is roaming rails of the former Norfolk & Western and Virginian...

Weather predictions of light blowing snow and moderate temperatures led me to head out for winter night photography on the evening of Jan. 15, 2014. The light snow would provide a bright fresh covering without the dangers of a big storm. Care would still...

I'm working to make News Wire better this winter: more stories, more videos, more photos, more exclusives. But to make News Wire serve its readers the best it can, I want to hear from you, the News Wire readers. We've got some big ideas, but we want to...

The single biggest, most important question we get at Trains when working with Live Streaming Video is, "What does 'content unavailable' mean?" In short, it means the streaming video camera is not connected to our company's main computers and there...

A westbound baretable departs Summit, Calif., dawn Saturday. Jim Wrinn photo CAJON PASS, Calif. – I startle awake in my hotel room around 5 a.m. to a glowing green light on my smart phone lying next to the TV remote. I dismiss it as a late greeting...

An eastbound Union Pacific stack train climbs California's Beaumont Hill from Loma Linda to Beaumont, Calif., on Tuesday. It was followed closely by a merchandise train on the former Southern Pacific Sunset Route. Jim Wrinn photo PALM DESERT, Calif...

I'm neither a professional photographer nor an amateur photographer, but I know a well composed shot when I see one. My art background coupled with more than a decade of sifting through your train photos, I've come to know great photography. I recently...

Ever had a particular locomotive follow you around? Or have you ever made a trip and photograph unit, then see it in your home turf weeks later? I have, and that is Norfolk Southern's Central of New Jersey heritage unit, SD70ACe No. 1071. Starting with...

Above: Map and statistics from KiwiRail Annual Report 2013 Before my wife and I traveled to New Zealand for the first time in 2012, I had studied the online timetables of KiwiRail Scenic Journeys, the passenger arm of the country's national railway...

A Canadian Pacific train of empty tank cars heads west for reloading. The train is passing Hammond, Ind., on Norfolk Southern’s Chicago Line, over which CP has trackage rights. Photo by Paul Burgess The effects from the summer’s deadly...

Crude oil empties roll west through Western Springs, Ill., on BNSF Railway tracks in September 2013. Jim Wrinn photo All Class I railroads post weekly car-counts on their websites. The categories are straight from the Association of American Railroads’s...

Norfolk Southern's four executive cab units roll through Harrisburg, Pa., in August 2012. The units have seen substantial internal upgrades since their debut in 2007. Jim Wrinn photo ALTOONA, Pa. — We’ve all come to admire Norfolk Southern...

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. —...