Trains is sponsoring the 20 th annual Wheel Rail Interaction conference. As official media partner for this event, we want to start our coverage by offering five really good reasons for attending: 1.) Wheels and rails are important. Train wheels...

After departing Bulls Gap, Tenn., train 976 swings through an S curve on the east side of town with Southern 2-8-0 No. 630 leading a public passenger excursion part of Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program on April 6, 2014. Photo by Samuel Phillips...

Federal Railroad Administration announced today its intent to regulate crew sizes of both freight and passenger trains. In October 2011, a Union Pacific freight locomotive assisted Amtrak passenger locomotives pulling train No. 5, the California Zephyr...

I've had many people inquire about locations and chasing information regarding the 21st Century Steam excursions powered by Southern 2-8-0 No. 630 in Grundy, Va., this weekend, and figured a blog post containing information might be helpful to many of...

We're looking at the backhead of the locomotive with the engineer's seat on the right, the fireman's seat on the left, and the open firedoor in the middle. HARTFORD, Wis. – The back of antique automobile museum is about as ironic of a place as...

Union Pacific steam crew pulls Big Boy No. 4014 out of its museum berth and into the parking lot at the Los Angles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif. On Nov. 14, 2013. The next step for the locomotive: A trip in April from southern California to the...

“And so the narrow gauge gets in the blood and will not out,” wrote Trains Editor David P. Morgan in the October 1969 edition that served as a heartfelt tribute to the Colorado narrow gauge. His statement applies to so many of us to this very...

St. Marys GP16 switches freight cars. Paul Pleasant photo . It’s the time of year when I start thinking about getting out more often and exploring railroads across America. At Trains , we just finished our annual tourist railroads and railroad...

The 2014 Trains staff, from left, Editor Jim Wrinn, Associate Editor Steve Sweeney, Assistant Editor Brian Schmidt, Editorial Assistant Diane Laska-Swanke, Production Editor Angela Pusztai-Pasternak, and Senior Editor Matt Van Hattem. This is a post...

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...