Prototype News

A cosmetic restoration of a Northern Pacific S-4 class 4-6-0 is underway in Missoula, Mont. Locomotive 1356 has been on display next to the former NP (now BNSF Railway) yard near downtown Missoula since the 1950s, and now a local group is spearheading an effort to freshen the locomotive up. 

Locomotive 1356 was one of 40 S-4 class 4-6-0s that the NP purchased in 1902 from Baldwin. The engine was assigned to the Rocky Mountain Division and worked everything from express passenger trains to log trains. The engine was also used to rescue people during the infamous Big Burn of 1910, a wildfire that tore through eastern Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana, scorching 4,700 square miles and killing at least 87 people. 

The locomotive was retired in June 1954, after working as a helper over Evaro Hill west of Missoula. The engine was later sent to Tacoma, Wash., where it was nearly scrapped before being selected to be put on display in Missoula. Local railroaders tasked with finding a locomotive for the city were quick to select 1356, and one of them, roundhouse forman Harry Larson, later recalled that the 4-6-0 was the “best doggone engine for her size that ever worked out of Missoula.”

Over the years, the engine had received some cosmetic work to maintain its appearance. But a few years ago, a local group called Friends of the 1356 was organized to help protect the engine for the future. Presently, the group is working towards rebuilding the locomotive’s cab and making repairs to the tender. Eventually, they would like to have an informational kiosk and allow visitors to look into the cab (the engine is presently gated off). For more information, visit missoula1356.org. 

Locomotive 1356 is not the only one of her class that is receiving attention this year. Last month, the Northern Pacific Railroad Museum in Toppenish, Wash., fired up sister locomotive 1364 for the first time in 73 years. 

—Justin Franz 

The post Cosmetic Restoration of NP 4-6-0 Underway in Montana appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Total U.S. rail traffic for the weeks ending Feb. 21, 2026, and Feb. 14, 2026, rose 10.7% and 6.2%, respectively.

U.S. Class I railroads moved 516,729 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Feb. 28, 2026, AAR reported March 4. Total carloads came in at 238,131, up 6.9%, and intermodal volume was 278,598 containers and trailers, down 2.5% from the same week last year.

For the week ending Feb. 28, 2026, eight of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included grain, up 4,210 carloads, to 25,210; coal, up 3,864 carloads, to 63,950; and chemicals, up 2,900 carloads, to 36,642. Commodity groups that posted declines were forest products, down 427 carloads, to 7,905; and miscellaneous carloads, down 302 carloads, to 8,599.

For the first eight weeks of 2026, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,762,504 carloads, a 5.5% increase from the prior-year period; and 2,191,101 intermodal units, a 1.0% fall-off from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first eight weeks of 2026 was 3,953,605 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% compared with last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending Feb. 28, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 345,406 carloads, up 4.1% from the same week last year, and 366,411 intermodal units, down 0.1% from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 711,817 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.9%. North American rail volume for the first eight weeks of this year was 5,442,179 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5% from 2025.

Canadian railroads reported 93,668 carloads for the week ending Feb. 28, 2026, rising 2.5%, and 74,256 intermodal units, climbing 11.3% compared with the same week last year. For the first eight weeks of 2026, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,274,116 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.5%.

Mexican railroads reported 13,607 carloads for the week ending Feb. 28, 2026, dropping 22.5% from the same point last year, and 13,557 intermodal units, dipping 4.5%. Their cumulative volume for the first eight weeks of this year came in at 214,458 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, increasing 17.0% from the same point last year.

The post Rail Traffic Up for Third Consecutive Week appeared first on Railway Age.