Prototype News

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, a 3-foot gauge railroad located in Colorado and New Mexico that operates over one of the most spectacular sections of the former Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge, is introducing a shorter and more affordable excursion option this spring.  

The new train will run from Chama, N.M., to the summit of Cumbres Pass at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, giving visitors a brief taste of the dramatic mountain railroad. Upon reaching Cumbres Pass, passengers will take a 20-minute bus ride back to Chama. The total journey lasts just two hours.  

“Chama to Cumbres is a brand new option that only takes two hours, perfect for families and those short on time,” said Ed Beaudette, C&TSRR general manager. “It offers a taste of the thrill of steam railroading at our most affordable price ever.”  

While C&TS is offering a shorter excursion, passengers still have the opportunity to ride the entire 64-mile route from Chama to Antonito, Colo. The railroad’s regular season begins on May 31 and runs through October 25. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

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The Illinois Railway Museum announced recently that St. Louis–San Francisco Railway 2-10-0 1630, one of only two operating Decapods in the U.S., will be taken out of service early for a federally mandated overhaul. 

IRM had hoped to run the locomotive this year, but while preparing it for the season, an unforeseen mechanical issue was discovered. Instead of repairing that issue now, the museum decided to initiate its 15-year overhaul earlier than scheduled, which was supposed to begin next year. While 1630 is out of service, IRM plans on using J. Neils Lumber Co. Shay 5.

Frisco 1630 was built by Baldwin in 1918 for use in Russia, but it remained in the U.S. after the Bolshevik government could not pay for it. The engine was regauged and briefly leased to the Pennsylvania Railroad before being sold to the Frisco in 1920. Frisco later sold it to Eagle-Picher Mining, where it operated until the 1960s, when it was donated to IRM.

IRM is presently raising money to fund the 1630s restoration. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

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Union Pacific announced on Tuesday that 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy” 4014 will travel from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Denver and back in July. This brief trip will be the locomotive’s only public outing this year, but the railroad promised it would “return to the rails in a big way in 2026 to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.”

The locomotive will be joined by UP 1616, the recently painted SD70 that pays tribute to President Abraham Lincoln. The excursion will depart from Cheyenne, Wyo., at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 17, and stop in Greeley, Colo., at approximately 11:30 a.m. The train will layover in Denver on Friday before returning north on Saturday, July 19. It will again stop in Greeley between 8:30 and 8:50 a.m. There will be no public access to the locomotive in Cheyenne or Denver. 

The railroad is also auctioning four cab rides aboard the locomotive to benefit the Union Pacific Museum. For more information, visit rareauctions.com/upm. —Justin Franz

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Maine’s Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum seeks to raise $120,000 to complete the construction of a brand new 2-foot gauge passenger car modeled after one built for the original railroad in 1894. 

Construction of coach 9 began in 2017 with a $100,000 donation from one of the WW&F’s benefactors. Since that time, WW&F volunteers have completed the superstructure of the car and finished interior details, including the walls, trim, roof, ceilings, and windows. That original donation has now been exhausted, and the WW&F is working to raise enough money to complete the car. Among the items that need to be finished on the car are the platforms and couplings, as well as additional interior details. 

The new coach 9 is based on one constructed by Jackson & Sharp in 1894 for the WW&F predecessor, Wiscasset & Quebec. Once this new car is completed, the museum’s original W&Q coach, car 3, will go into the restoration shop for a rebuild. That effort will be supported by tooling and patterns produced for the new coach. Eventually, when coaches 3 and 9 are both in service, the railroad will have an authentic WW&F passenger train from the late 19th and early 20th century. For more information and to donate, visit wwfry.org/coach9. —Justin Franz 

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A Swedish locomotive loaned to Amtrak, which led to the eventual creation of the AEM-7 electric, has been restored to its mid-1970s appearance in Europe. 

Electric locomotive Rc4 1166 was sent to the U.S. and used on the Northeast Corridor in 1976 and 1977. After a successful series of test runs, Amtrak decided to order an electric locomotive similar to the Rc4. Between 1978 and 1988, General Motors Electro-Motive Division and Allmanna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget built 65 AEM-7 locomotives, 54 for Amtrak and 11 for MARC and SEPTA. The locomotives remained in service well into the 2010s. The locomotives earned the nickname “Swedish Meatballs.” 

The demonstrator, X995, returned to Sweden in the late 1970s and eventually ended up with the locomotive leaser Nordic Refinance. Recently, a Nordic Refinance employee recognized the importance of the locomotive’s history, and the company decided to repaint it in Amtrak colors as it appeared in the 1970s. While the lettering isn’t entirely correct and it lacks an American knuckle coupler, X995 looks nearly identical to how it appeared on the Northeast Corridor. European outlet Rail Color News was the first to report on the repaint. —Justin Franz 

X995 is seen leading a train on the Northeast Corridor in the late 1970s. Photo by Jim Boyd. 

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The Baltimore Streetcar Museum has hired its first-ever full-time employee: executive director Matthew W. Nawn. Nawn will help the museum grow as a cultural institution that shares the fascinating history of transit in and around Baltimore.

Nawn brings 25 years of experience in the public sector to his new position. Most recently, he served in a leadership role at the Federal Transit Administration as the Chief of Technical Services. He is also a long-time BSM volunteer and a lifelong streetcar enthusiast who grew up just a stone’s throw from the Red Arrow Lines near Philadelphia.

The Baltimore Streetcar Museum was founded in 1966 by several members of the local National Railroad Historical Society chapter. It maintains and operates a fleet of historic streetcars. For more information, visit baltimorestreetcarmuseum.org. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

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Metra assumed operating responsibility of Union Pacific’s three Chicago-area commuter lines on May 16, following a years-long effort to transfer the operation from the Class I railroad to the public agency. The transition came with little fanfare and was announced on a blog post on Monday morning. 

“Didn’t notice the switch? Good, that’s what we intended,” wrote Metra officials. “When Union Pacific announced several years back that it wanted to stop operating passenger trains on its North, Northwest and West lines, both UP and Metra pushed for a transition that would not be noticeable to riders. So, your favorite conductor is still aboard – the only difference is, he or she is employed by Metra instead of the freight railroad.” 

UP has operated the lines to Waukegan, Harvard/McHenry, and Elburn since 1995, when it assumed control of the Chicago & North Western. Until last week, the trains utilized Metra equipment but were staffed with UP employees. Since 2019, the freight railroad has been trying to get out of its obligation to provide passenger service, but the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement on how much Metra would pay to use UP’s tracks (UP will still own the tracks and dispatch trains). Last year, UP mechanical and customer service employees were hired by Metra. Last week, they were joined by operating employees (conductors, engineers etc.). While that transition has occurred, the freight and passenger railroad have still not come to terms on what Metra will pay to use UP’s tracks. That dispute is now going before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which will hopefully resolve it before the current contract expires this summer. 

Like passengers, railfans will probably not notice a big difference trackside now that Metra is operating the three ex-C&NW lines. This leaves the BNSF Line (the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy “Racetrack” to Aurora), as the only freight-operated commuter line in the Chicago area. -Justin Franz

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GENEVA, N.Y. — A coalition of tourist rail professionals, nonprofit organizations, and more than a dozen local wineries and breweries has come together to launch the Finger Lakes Rail Experience (FLX Rail Experience)  a new heritage rail attraction debuting for the Summer 2025 season. Launching over Fourth of July weekend and continuing every weekend through the end of August, the FLX Rail Experience will offer a blend of family-friendly excursions and adults-only wine tasting trains, all set against the scenic backdrop of New York’s celebrated Finger Lakes region. Tickets go on sale June 6, 2025, and a complete schedule will be available at flxrailexperience.com.

“We were honored to be approached by Finger Lakes Railway (FGLK), a respected local freight carrier, about establishing a new tourist rail operation in the region,” said Kevin W. Sweat, Excursion Manager for the FLX Rail Experience. “By collaborating with the community, we’re thrilled to prototype this experience for the summer season, with our sights set on expansion in the future.”

The host railroad, Finger Lakes Railway, is a key short line freight carrier serving six counties in the region founded in 1995 after the acquisition of the “Geneva Cluster” of former New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Lehigh Valley branch lines from Conrail. Historically, FGLK maintained a small fleet of passenger cars to support local nonprofit organizations and tourism initiatives. However, a shift in business priorities led to the sale of that fleet in December 2024. Despite this transition, FGLK’s leadership remained committed to fostering regional tourism and sought new ways to leverage its 167-mile network to continue supporting economic and cultural development across the Finger Lakes.

“The key success of our freight railroad has been ensuring that the farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses in our region receive reliable freight service, but we acknowledge how important tourist rail operations are to attracting visitors to the Finger Lakes region,” explained FGLK President Eric Betke. “When considering a new tourist rail strategic partner, we immediately turned to the expertise of FMW Solutions to organize  a unique experience in the region.”

Interior of the Pullman observation-lounge Hickory Creek, which brought up the markers of New York Central’s famed 20th Century Limited from 1948 through 1967. It was completely restored and is now owned and operated by United Railroad Historical Society of NJ. —Courtesy FMW

FMW Solutions was approached by Finger Lakes Railway to develop a new tourist rail initiative. In response, FMW — through its operating division, FMW Rail Operations — has brought together a coalition of regional businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local stakeholders to help bring the FLX Rail Experience to life. The FLX Rail Experience will operate with a fleet of five vintage passenger cars belonging to the United Railroad Historical Society of NJ (URHS). These restored 1940s-era cars include several that also operate as part of URHS’s popular Hudson River Rail Excursions in New York City. The five historic cars coming to the Finger Lakes include New York Central Pullman observation-lounge Hickory Creek (which was one of the regular tail cars on New York Central’s 20th Century Limited from 1948 through 1967), NYC Pullman lounge Swift Stream (Budd, 1949), NYC tavern-lounges 37 and 43 (both Budd, 1947), and Pennsylvania Railroad coach 1547 (Budd, 1949, ex-PRR sleeper Cambridge Inn).

“Not only will the FLX Rail Experience introduce heritage rail to a new audience, but it will also support URHS’s efforts to expand our operational fleet of historic railroad cars,” said URHS Executive Director Kevin Phalon. “We’re proud to be working with partners who understand the value of tourism and support our nonprofit mission of preservation and education.”

The FLX Rail Experience will operate a five-car train with deluxe coach, premium, and first-class accommodations. This excursion rail service will include: family trains, wine trains, evening club trains, and brunch trains, with ticket prices starting at $30 per person. The train trips will range in length from one-hour to two-and-a-half hours roundtrip, and they will depart from Canandaigua, Geneva, and Seneca Falls on various weekends across the ten-week-long season. Supporting the FLX Rail Experience is the Seneca Lakes Wine Trail, more than a dozen local wineries and breweries, and multiple local not-for-profit organizations. Also supporting the organization is Operation Toy Train, which is providing a power baggage car to power the train.

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