Prototype News

CPKC released the schedule for its annual Holiday Train on Tuesday and will hit the rails on November 19, starting in Montreal West, Quebec. 

Two trains will run throughout the holiday season — one covering lines in Canada and the other in the U.S. Both are decked out in hundreds of thousands of lights and will make stops in 182 communities in both countries over 32 days. This year brings some new stops on former Kansas City Southern trackage in Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

The Holiday Train supports local food banks in the communities it serves, and every stop features live music from notable performers. The train is now in its 28th year, originally beginning with CPKC’s predecessor, Canadian Pacific. Since its inception, the program has raised more than $28.3 million and collected over 5.6 million pounds of food for community food banks in Canada and the U.S.

The full schedule can be found online. 

— Nick Stewart

The post CPKC Announces Schedule for 2026 Holiday Train appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The Nevada Northern Railway has acquired a unique boxcar known as the “Safety Powder Car,” bringing it back from a family-owned property just one block away from the railroad in Ely.

The Powder Car was transported from the nearby property to the railroad’s East Ely Yard, where it was unloaded.

The car is believed to have hauled blasting powder for the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, which owned the Nevada Northern until the early 1930s. Originally built as a refrigerator car, it was later repurposed for the copper mining operations along the Nevada Northern just west of Ely.

Its metal roof helps insulate it, and while the insulation was originally meant for perishable products, it worked the same way for blasting powder. The roof would also protect the blasting powder from cinders thrown off by steam locomotives and steam shovels.

It currently lacks a frame and trucks, but the railroad intends to restore it to its working appearance. Little is known about the car right now, but the railroad’s archive department is working to fill the gaps.

— Nick Stewart

The post Nevada Northern Acquires “Safety Powder Car” appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.