Railnews from Railfan & Railroad Magazine

Calgary-based CPKC has become the first Class I railroad to unveil a specially painted unit in tribute to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 

KCS Tier 4 ET44AC 1776 was unveiled on March 2, after being constructed by Wabtec in Fort Worth, Tex. (while the engine is lettered for CPKC, it had KCS reporting marks under the cab window because “CPKC” is not an official reporting mark. Most of CPKC’s new Tier 4 units have arrived with CP reporting marks). CPKC officials said KCS 1776 would be the first of five units to celebrate the Semiquincentennial. 

“This locomotive, built and painted in Fort Worth, Texas, honors the remarkable and proud history of America as we prepare to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and Chief Executive Officer. “As a U.S. Army veteran, I am proud to join my 6,000 fellow railroaders living and working across America in celebrating the contributions of all Americans throughout our history. Together, we join the nation in looking forward with vision and hope to the accomplishments of generations yet to come.”

Union Pacific and Canadian National have either painted or announced plans to paint engines to celebrate the anniversary, but neither railroad has actually released one. Norfolk Southern and BNSF Railway have both been mum about their plans to paint special units. Numerous short lines and regionals have painted engines in advance of the anniversary.

—Justin Franz 

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The era of the bi-level, long-distance passenger car is coming to a close. Or at least it will be within the next decade. That’s according to Amtrak, which announced on February 26 that it plans to switch to a universal single-level fleet, replacing the current mix of bi-level and single-level cars. Amtrak had previously indicated it wanted to keep using bi-level equipment, like the Superliners, as it currently does on some routes, especially in the west.

In a press release, Amtrak stated that standardizing everything to a single-level fleet would boost competition among manufacturers and speed up the replacement process. Amtrak has indicated it plans to replace the Superliners and other long-distance equipment in the early 2030s. Officials said they decided not to purchase the bi-levels after receiving feedback from various car makers.

“This new approach will deliver a more consistent and accessible customer experience across the Amtrak network while maintaining our commitment to introduce the first new long-distance cars in the early 2030s,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris. “Thanks to support from FRA Administrator David Fink and the entire Federal Railroad Administration team, Amtrak’s long-distance fleet replacement is moving forward more effectively and efficiently than originally planned.” 

Amtrak officials said they would soon issue a formal request for proposal for the new single-level cars. 

—Justin Franz 

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Reading Company 4-8-4 2100 successfully passed a steam test observed by the Federal Railroad Administration on February 26 and 27 in Cleveland, Ohio. The stationary steam test, which saw the engine brought up to its full operating steam pressure of 240 psi, is yet another major leap forward for the restoration by the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association. 

ASRPA officials said that, with the steam test now out of the way, they’ll turn their attention to finishing running gear work and reassembling the locomotive. Once the engine is fully restored, it will be renumbered 250 and painted into the American Freedom Train livery worn by sister locomotive 2101 in the 1970s. 

The safety valve on Reading 2100 pops off during a steam test on the weekend of February 26. Photo by Nick Martin. 

Reading 2100 was built in the railroad’s own shops in September 1945 by essentially expanding an existing Baldwin 2-8-0. The locomotive ran into the 1960s. In 1975, it and its sister locomotive, 2101, were purchased by Ross Rowland. Locomotive 2101 was restored for the American Freedom Train, while 2100 served as a parts source. Locomotive 2100 was briefly restored in the 1980s, then moved to Ontario and Washington State, where it ran briefly in the 2000s. In 2015, the locomotive was moved to Ohio for restoration by ASRPA. 

Donations can be mailed to the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association, 2800 W. 3rd St, Cleveland, OH 44113, or made online at www.americansteamrailroad.org.

—Justin Franz 

American Steam Railroad Preservation Association crew members pose with Reading 2100 following the steam test. Photo by Nick Martin. 

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by Justin Franz

No tool has changed railroad photography more since the advent of the telephoto lens than the drone. Sure, you could argue that digital cameras were a big deal, but they ultimately didn’t change the “look” of railroad photography as much as telephoto lenses did starting in the 1960s or drones in the 2010s. In both instances, entirely new compositions became available to photographers.

But now, the future of drone railroad photography in the U.S. is threatened by a government ban on the sale of new foreign-made drones.

DJI Drone Ban
The last time we talked about drones in Camera Bag was in July 2025. At that time, drone enthusiasts were still processing the impacts of the National Defense Authorization Act, a massive military spending bill that passed a few months earlier. Deep in the text was a provision that called for the federal government to conduct a security audit on drones produced by DJI, the Chinese-based manufacturer that dominates the consumer drone market. If the government didn’t conduct such an audit, DJI would be added to the Federal Communications Commission’s “Covered List,” which includes companies the government believes “pose an unacceptable risk to national security.” In layman’s terms, being added to the list means that DJI would no longer be able to release and sell new drones in the U.S. For its part, DJI said it welcomed the security audit and was confident that its products did not pose a threat to U.S. security or the privacy and security of its users. But unfortunately for DJI and U.S. drone users, that security audit never happened, and the FCC added DJI to the naughty list a few days before Christmas. But that wasn’t all; the FCC went a step further, announcing on December 22 that it was banning all foreign drone companies from selling new products in the U.S. Considering DJI controls 70 to 80 percent of the consumer drone market worldwide, for all intents and purposes, it’s still mostly just a DJI ban.

Previously, opponents of DJI have alleged that the company’s drones pose a threat to Americans due to data collection. But this time around, the argument against it was more about physical threats. In its public notice announcing the ban, the FCC said that foreign-made drones posed a threat to U.S. safety and security for several reasons, including the possibility that they could be used by cartels to smuggle drugs across the border (although there was no mention that a U.S.-made drone could also do that, or by one of the tens of thousands of automobiles that cross the border every day; but I digress). The FCC also argued that foreign-made drones could pose a threat to large gatherings, like sporting events or parades (although, again, so could the aforementioned U.S.-made drone or automobile).

You really didn’t have to read much between the lines of the press releases to find the real reason why the government was doing this — it’s trying to put the thumb on the scale on the side of the U.S.’s still-minuscule drone industry. Citing an executive order from the middle of last year, the FCC noted that “ensuring a strong and resilient drone industrial base is an economic and national security priority.”

As with everything in American life these days, there’s a political angle — although in this rare instance, it appears both parties are aligned in their dislike of DJI. After all, it was President Joe Biden who signed the 2024 defense act into law, and it was President Donald Trump’s FCC that sealed the deal and banned new products from DJI.

What Does It Mean?
So what about the American drone industry? Unfortunately, at this time, it’s predominantly focused on commercial users, meaning the drones that are made in the States can cost tens of thousands of dollars, usually out of the price range of even the most serious railroad photographer. The consumer-grade ones, those priced around $1,000 or less, simply don’t compare in quality to what DJI is putting out. And the few companies that were focusing on building consumer drones in the U.S.? Sadly, some of them have gone out of business. Perhaps the government’s handicapping of DJI in the U.S. will lead to more American-made options in the years ahead, but I don’t think that will happen before your next railfan outing.

So What Does This Mean for Me?
If you’re like me and you use a DJI drone (I’m flying an Air 2S), what does this mean? For now, we’re okay. Government agents aren’t about to kick down your door and take your camera. From what I’ve read, the FCC ban only affects new products, not those already certified to fly in the U.S. That means you should also still be able to do software updates as needed. It also means that you can still buy a new drone — at least for now. A quick look at B&H Photo’s website shows that models like the Air 3S or the Mini 4 Pro were in stock, although some bundles (which include an advanced controller and extra batteries) were backordered. One issue was that U.S. Customs had been holding some shipments of DJI drones, alleging that the company was violating the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Passed in 2021, that law prohibits the import of goods from the Xinjiang region of China, where forced labor among ethnic minorities has been reported. For its part, DJI says none of its products are made in that region.

As time goes on, it seems likely that buying new DJI drones will get harder and harder, and most of the newest models will not be available in the U.S. Of course, what drones are out there now are impressive and, in my opinion, pack more than enough technology needed to be useful for years to come (my rule of thumb is if I can take a photo and it’s good enough for a centerspread in print, then it’s good enough for me). But it’s unclear how much effort DJI will put into making new versions of “old” drones that have already gotten the green light from the federal government. In many ways, the advice I gave back in the July 2025 issue remains as relevant as ever — be extra careful and try not to send that drone into the trees.

Union Opposition
There’s one more bit of drone-related news that flying railfans should be made aware of. One of the nation’s largest railroad unions is calling for drones to be grounded at rail yards and along main lines. Last fall, the National Safety and Legislative Department of SMART-TD sent a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration “demanding a full prohibition on the use of drones by railroad managers, or anyone else, in active rail yards and along main lines where trains are moving.” The filing came as an increasing number of railroads are using drones to inspect infrastructure, but to also stealthily keep an eye on crews.

“Our rail yards are not laboratories or surveillance zones. They’re our offices,” said Jared Cassity, SMART-TD National Safety and Legislative Director. “When a drone flies overhead, it’s not just a nuisance; it’s a distraction in one of the most dangerous work environments in America. And make no mistake; if something goes wrong, it won’t be the manager behind the joystick who gets hurt. It’ll be one of our members. There is nothing cute, cool, or futuristic about any of that.”

It’s unclear whether the FAA will act on the union’s request, and it’s also uncertain how feasible it is to ban drones near rail lines. Most commercially available drones require FAA approval to operate in restricted areas near airports, so the system could potentially be expanded to include rail lines. However, given the extensive size of the rail network, expanding such a system would be a monumental task. There’s also the question of how far from the right-of-way these restrictions would apply.

The only sure thing is this: If you do enjoy railfanning with a drone, go out and get those unique views while you can!

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Two rare-mileage excursions on New York’s Finger Lakes Railway will help raise money for planned upgrades to a historic New York Central observation car now cared for by the United Railroad Historical Society of NJ. The “Auburn Road Special” will run on April 18 and 19, between Solvay and Seneca Falls, N.Y., a section of the railroad that rarely sees passenger trains. 

The weekend excursions will also kick off the second season for URHS’s successful Finger Lakes Rail Experience, which debuted last year to great fanfare. URHS and Finger Lakes are partnering with FMW Solutions to run the excursions across New York’s Ontario, Seneca, and Cayuga counties. 

The April excursions will be limited to 78 people and will feature three historic NYC passenger cars: Hickory Creek, Tavern-Lounge No. 43, and the Swift Stream. Proceeds from the excursion will go toward making improvements on Hickory Creek later this year. When the car was restored, certain key historical details were missing, most notably the correct carpet pattern and the identity of the painting that originally hung on the lounge wall. However, in recent years, those important details have finally been rediscovered. URHS plans to add these elements this year, at last, to bring the car even closer to its historically original character and prestige.

Tickets for the excursion go on sale on February 27. Visit URHS.org/aburnroadspecial for more. —Justin Franz 

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Cando Rail & Terminals will acquire Savage Enterprises in a deal that will add 36 railcar storage and transload facilities, three short line railroads, and 80 first and last mile rail service operations to the rapidly-growing Canadian switching and terminal railroad. The transaction requires regulatory approval, though, as Cando and Savage mention, there is no overlap in their current networks. 

Savage Rail is Cando’s fourth major acquisition in just two years, and follows its recent purchase of Channelview Terminal in Houston. 

“The industrial rail environment is fundamentally different than a decade ago – customer supply chains are increasingly continental, and they choose partners that can support their evolving needs with greater reach and efficiency. Bringing Cando and Savage Rail together will create the leading integrated rail terminal and infrastructure company in North America to meet these needs and beyond,” said Brian Cornick, President & CEO of Cando Rail & Terminals. “By combining two highly complementary teams and capabilities with Cando’s strong financial profile, we’re creating a stronger, more resilient platform to support our customers, team members, and communities today and invest for the long term. We are excited to welcome the Savage Rail team to the Cando family.”

Perhaps the most notable part of the acquisition is Savage’s Utah short lines, including the Savage Bingham & Garfield Railroad Company and Savage Tooele Railroad. 

Cando headquarters will remain in Winnipeg, but it will establish a U.S. headquarters in Salt Lake City. —Justin Franz 

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Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4014 will travel from Wyoming to California and back over four weeks in late March and early April, according to a schedule released Tuesday. The trip is the first part of a highly anticipated coast-to-coast tour to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 

For the most part, this western leg will follow the same route the locomotive took back in 2024, when it last visited California. Again, the locomotive will travel via Western Pacific rails heading west and former Southern Pacific lines coming back east. The only difference from the 2024 tour is that this time it will skip a side trip into Idaho. The excursion will depart Cheyenne, Wyo., on March 29 and return on April 24. The full schedule is available online. 

While UP has not provided specific details about the East Coast portion of the tour, a recent filing with the Federal Railroad Administration has suggested a possible route via Norfolk Southern. UP and NS are requesting a waiver from the Federal Railroad Administration to operate the locomotive through cab signal territory. The filing indicates that the tour will traverse the Fort Wayne, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg lines sometime between May 25 and July 29.

UP-NS FRA Filing

—Justin Franz 

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A recently-restored Northern Pacific 4-6-0 was fired up and moved under its own power for the first time in 73 years in Washington on February 21. The Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, Wash., has been working on NP 1364 for over a decade and fired it up for the first time on New Year’s Day. 

Locomotive 1364 was one of 40 S-4 class 4-6-0s that the NP purchased in 1902 from Baldwin. NP 1364 was assigned to the Tacoma Division and spent most of its operating life in Washington State. It was retired in 1954 but was set aside for preservation and donated to the City of Tacoma. It was on display for several years before being moved to Nallys Valley for an ultimately unsuccessful restoration. Later, it was relocated to the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad. In 1994, it was moved to the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, and volunteers have been gradually working on it ever since. 

On February 21, the engine was moved back and forth on a short stretch of track at the museum. The museum said it would announce opportunities to see the engine under steam in the near future. For more information, visit nprymuseum.org.

—Justin Franz 

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A former Baltimore & Ohio GP30 is returning to Ohio thanks to a deal between the Cincinnati Scenic Railway and the Raritan Central Railway. On February 21, Cincinnati Scenic announced it was acquiring Raritan Central 5, originally B&O 6923. 

The GP30 locomotive was built in 1962 by EMD in La Grange, Ill., one of 948 built between 1961 and 1963. B&O owned 77 GP30s, and it’s likely that 5/6923 traveled through Ohio countless times during its time on the railroad. Later, it became part of the Chessie System and CSX, where it was eventually rebuilt into a GP30M with new components, new traction motors, and a reduced horsepower rating. In the 1990s, the engine was retired from the CSX roster and eventually ended up on the Raritan Central in New Jersey. 

Cincinnati Scenic, which offers excursion rides throughout Ohio, plans to paint the locomotive in a special scheme to celebrate America 250. Long-term plans call for it to be restored to its historic B&O “sunburst” livery.

—Justin Franz 

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The Huckleberry Railroad in Michigan is the recipient of a $1.3 million grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation that will cover the restoration of a Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge 2-8-2 locomotive that last ran in 2019. 

Rio Grande 464 is a K-27 type locomotive built by Baldwin in 1903. It is one of only two K-27 locomotives in existence, the other being 463 at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic. The engine was retired in the 1960s and sold to Knott’s Berry Farm in California. Unfortunately, the engine was too large for the park railroad, and it was sold to the Huckleberry Railroad. The railroad is owned and operated by the local parks department. Huckleberry presently has another steam engine in service, 4-6-0 152. The restoration of that locomotive was also supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. 

—Justin Franz 

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South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), operator of Tri-Rail commuter rail service, has ordered seven Siemens Chargers. The new Chargers will be used to replace the agency’s aging EMD GP49 diesels. The new units are Tier IV compatible and will be constructed at the Siemens facility in Sacramento, Calif.

The new units will help the system increase service reliability over its 73.5-mile corridor linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, as well as the additional 8-mile stretch on the Florida East Coast (FEC) Corridor to access MiamiCentral. The new Charger diesels are expected to enter service in 2029.

—Bob Gallegos

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Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern informed the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on Feb. 17 that they intended to file a revised merger application on April 30. On January 16, the STB rejected the two railroads’ initial merger application for being “incomplete,” a major blow for what would be the largest rail merger in history. 

Among the issues the STB identified in the initial application was an incomplete market analysis. For example, UP and NS stated that it would take three years for the merger’s increased traffic benefits to be realized. However, the application did not provide an analysis of the traffic levels three years in; it only showed what they would be on the first day of the combination. Additionally, applicants are legally required to provide copies of “Any contract or other written instrument entered into, or proposed to be entered into, pertaining to the proposed transaction.” However, UP and NS included only the “Agreement and Plan of Merger,” not the full contract. 

The STB’s decision was a win for BNSF Railway, Canadian National, CPKC, and CSX Transportation, which have all been speaking out against the UP-NS combination. One of their chief complaints was that the merger application was incomplete, preventing a full evaluation. 

—Justin Franz 

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The Izaak Walton Inn, a historic railroad lodge at the edge of Glacier National Park in Montana, will close on March 1, as a result of “significant” financial issues for its Washington-based owner. 

The Flathead Beacon reports that LOGE Camps, which has owned the lodge since 2022, is shutting down all of its properties after its board of directors decided the company lacked enough funds to keep operating. Although the company hasn’t made any official statements about its situation, except to say that some properties would close, internal emails reviewed by the newspaper showed that the company was in serious financial trouble. 

The lodge is situated along BNSF Railway’s former Great Northern Railway main line through northwest Montana and has long been a favorite among railroad enthusiasts. The GN partnered with the Addison Miller Company to build the hotel in 1939 to accommodate the crews needed to keep its main line over Marias Pass open during winter. In recent years, the mountain hamlet has become a popular spot for cross-country skiers, although the railroad still houses crews at the inn to support winter operations. Along with the historic hotel, several cabooses and an EMD F45 have been converted into cabins on the grounds. Amtrak’s Empire Builder also stops near the inn.

After LOGE Camps bought the inn in 2022, it underwent a major renovation before reopening in late 2024. 

—Justin Franz 

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by David Honan/photos by the author

Maintenance Supervisor Russ Wentworth faced a daunting challenge — with little advance notice, the sole mechanic at Washington’s Yakima Valley Trolleys was tasked with preparing an ancient fleet of interurban vehicles for what could be their final main line runs. His expertise meant putting in long hours in an unheated carbarn with vehicles that hadn’t been on the street in years, but “Uncle Russ” unhesitatingly poured all his energy into the assignment.

Why the urgency for unanticipated wintertime operations? The trolley museum unexpectedly found coal in its stocking during the 2025 holiday season, when the Yakima City Council declined to approve a negotiated operating agreement for 2026 and ordered the volunteer-run organization to cease operation of the city-owned equipment and facilities on December 31. Acknowledging a stark possibility that this might be the last opportunity to operate its historic vehicles and street trackage, museum leadership swiftly organized an event to celebrate more than a century of electric railway operation in the city.

Yakima Valley Trolleys (YVT) is the preserved remnant of Yakima Valley Transportation Company (YVTC), which was founded in 1907. Starting as a streetcar line serving downtown Yakima, the company was acquired by Union Pacific predecessor Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company in 1909 with a goal of tapping the fertile agricultural resources of the region. Eventually, the system comprised more than 40 route-miles radiating into surrounding communities, providing interurban passenger service and feeding freight traffic to the national rail network. Regular passenger service ended in 1947, and the remaining streetcars were scrapped or sold. Freight service continued until Union Pacific filed for abandonment in 1985 due to declining traffic.

ABOVE: The carbarn’s machine shop tools are still driven by belts connected through a clutch system to the wall-mounted line shaft. Open doors on car 21 invite guests to tour the rare Brill model.

Aside from streetcars, YVTC acquired relatively few pieces of operating equipment over the years. Notable in the fleet were locomotive A, built in 1911 as a freight motor and subsequently converted to a line car for overhead wire maintenance; steeple cab 298, ordered from General Electric in 1922, and the line’s primary locomotive for more than 60 years; and three Brill Master Unit trolleys acquired in 1930. All five of these historic vehicles remain on the property today, though two of the trolleys have been relegated to parts donors.

In 1974, recognizing the opportunity to establish a tourist attraction, the city of Yakima restarted passenger service using two streetcars purchased from
Oporto, Portugal. Running jointly with Union Pacific’s freight trains, train orders were posted in the carbarn, and trolley motormen had to obey them. The success of this operation led to Union Pacific donating the remaining YVTC trackage and equipment to the city upon cessation of freight service. The trolley barn and powerhouse were initially leased to the city, with outright purchase completed in 2008. The trackage remaining comprises approximately a half-mile along Pine Street, and three-and-a-half miles along 6th Avenue and across the Naches River into the city of Selah.

ABOVE: The crest of the hill is behind them as locomotive 298 and line car A rumble along Pine Street with cabs full of excited riders.

Since 2001, the interurban lines have been run by the nonprofit organization Yakima Valley Trolleys under an agreement to use the Yakima-owned facilities and equipment in exchange for providing both infrastructure and vehicle maintenance. The museum’s operations are primarily funded by ticket sales, private donations, and grants.

Challenges
Scott Neel has been volunteering on the trolleys for more than 40 years. He grew up a block from the YVTC main line in Selah and joined the museum to earn a Boy Scout merit badge. He explains the importance of the railroad in shaping the path of his life: “As a kid, I was inspired by a big yellow locomotive running down the middle of the street. Today, I’m not only the motorman on that same locomotive, but I’m also a licensed mechanical engineer, in part because of how my imagination was inspired by the YVT and the people who operated it.”

During his tenure at the museum, Neel has served in nearly every role that exists, from flagman to director, and has held a motorman qualification since 1990. There is no shortage of pride when he relates that the organization’s preservation efforts allow visitors to experience how interurban transportation functioned a century ago. He notes that despite being something of a shoestring organization, the museum consistently delivered results from funding opportunities. These long-term successes positioned it to secure a $499,000 grant for crucial work to stabilize and repair the carbarn…

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by Ken Edmier/photos by the author

French journalist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr coined the phrase, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” The ownership of one of the most beautiful subdivisions of any railroad may have changed on January 1, 2024, but the trains still run along the same towering mountains, cross rivers and streams on majestic bridges, and move freight through scenic vistas as they have for more than 140 years. Welcome to BNSF’s 4th Subdivision along the Clark Fork River in Western Montana.

Northern Pacific Heritage
The Clark Fork River runs almost 350 miles from Warm Springs, Mont., to Lake Pend Oreille, just west of the town of Clark Fork, Idaho. Northern Pacific construction crews arrived at Clark Fork in 1882 and built east along the Clark Fork River to Paradise, Mont. From Paradise, the line followed the Flathead and Jocko rivers and then down Evaro Hill, reaching Missoula, Mont., in summer 1883.

In 1891, NP built a branch line from Missoula to reach the mining town of Wallace, Idaho, following the Clark Fork River from Missoula to St. Regis, Mont. The 2.2 percent grade of Evaro Hill became a headache for NP, so a new connecting link between St. Regis and Paradise was surveyed. The new main line to Paradise via St. Regis was opened in 1909, often referred to as the river line.

ABOVE: A westbound manifest crosses the Clark Fork River near Donlan, Mont., on September 28, 2020. Additional support bridge members were added in 1990 to strengthen the bridge to handle increased railroad tonnage.

This new route was 20 miles longer, but excellent engineering limited the grade to 1 percent westbound and 0.5 percent eastbound. The new route also required five more crossings of the Clark Fork River, most through rugged mountain terrain. NP utilized the river line for most freight trains while still using the Evaro Hill line for passenger trains. The lines became part of Burlington Northern in 1970 and were leased to Dennis Washington in 1987 to become part of Montana Rail Link. In early 2022, BNSF and MRL announced the early termination of the lease agreement, bringing these lines under BNSF control in 2024.

Heading to St. Regis
Interstate 90 roughly follows the 4th Sub between Missoula and St. Regis. Leaving Missoula, the control point at DeSmet allows access over Evaro Hill via the 10th Subdivision. At Schilling, Mont., 13 miles west of Missoula, the remnants of a paper mill remain. Before closing in 2010, the mill was a major source of traffic for the railroad.

Continuing west, the railroad crosses the Clark Fork River at Huson, Mont., and follows the southern bank of the Clark Fork River until St. Regis. Of interest, the old roadbed of The Milwaukee Road’s Pacific Extension can be seen in many places along the north side of I-90. Located approximately 41 miles west of Missoula near Rivulet, Mont., the tracks cross over Fish Creek. This dramatic 576-foot-long trestle, located in the Fish Creek State Park, crosses over Fish Creek right before it flows into the Clark Fork River. Hiking the surrounding hillside affords spectacular views of the bridge and surrounding mountains.

ABOVE: On a wintry January 28, 2022, a westbound loaded coal train crosses over Big Beaver Creek as it flows into the Clark Fork River at Trout Creek.

At St. Regis, both the railroad and the Clark Fork River turn north, passing under I-90 and the old Milwaukee Road railroad bridge; this is where the new line to Paradise left the original branch line to Wallace. In 1933, NP abandoned its own branch line between St. Regis and Haugan, Mont., after flooding took out major portions of the line, in favor of trackage rights on the parallel Milwaukee Road, and a new connection was built at St. Regis. The branch line from St. Regis to Wallace was abandoned by BN on September 2, 1980.

New Line to Paradise
The new 21-mile line from St. Regis to Paradise travels through the Lolo National Forest and was designed to the highest engineering standards, featuring five bridges over the Clark Fork River, three tunnels, and a maximum grade of 0.5 percent. For westbound trains, the line actually heads geographically northeast to Paradise.

Montana State Highway 135 parallels much of the railroad, with numerous vistas and pull-offs to view the line. The Peninsula Dispersed Campground and Recreation Area allows water level viewing of two of the five bridges over the Clark Fork River. The Muchwater Campground and Recreation Area allows for camping along the Clark Fork River with the railroad located just across the riverbank.

ABOVE: On September 24, 2021, an eastbound empty coal train crosses the Trout Creek causeway on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Paradise is the junction of the 4th Subdivision via St. Regis with the 10th Subdivision via Evaro Hill. Trains enter the junction over the last of the five bridges over the Clark Fork River. Today, the station is used by maintenance-of-way crews and the small yard is used to store idle freight cars, usually empty tank and Boeing flatcars. Paradise was also home to a tie plant built by NP in 1910, which continued in operation until it was destroyed by fire in 1982…

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Although the first Siemens Airo trainset has been out and testing, first at the TTC Test Center in Pueblo, Colo., and more recently along the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak officially showcased the first new Airo train at Washington, D.C. Union Station in mid February. The event, open only to the press and invitees, was the first public look at the all-new cars. 

FRA Administrator David Fink speaks at a press event in Washington D.C. Photo Courtesy of Amtrak. 

Siemens Mobility is currently building 83 new trainsets – an entirely new generation of trains designed to elevate the customer experience and strengthen service across the national network. The sets are based on Siemens Venture equipment that is already in service on state-supported routes radiating from Chicago and on the Gold Runner routes (formerly the San Joaquins) in central California. 

The first Airo trainsets are slated to enter service on the Amtrak Cascades, serving the Pacific Northwest corridor between Vancouver, B.C., and Eugene, Ore. The Cascades will receive eight trainsets, replacing Talgo trains currently operating on the route. All eight Cascades trainsets are expected to be completed in 2026.

—Bob Gallegos

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California’s Fullerton Train Museum has preserved the first Metrolink F59PH locomotive. In January, the Southern California commuter operator delivered Metrolink 851 to a sidetrack in Fullerton. Plans call for the locomotive to eventually be displayed publicly and repainted in its original Metrolink livery. 

Built in 1992 by EMD, Metrolink 851 was the agency’s first locomotive and was part of the initial fleet of 35 F59PH and F59PHI units. These engines were later replaced by F125 models. Locomotive 851 was retired from regular service in 2024. 

—Justin Franz 

Metrolink 851 on a test run in 1992. Photo by David Busse. 

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A three-truck narrow-gauge Shay engine is heading back to California. West Side Lumber Co. 12 was recently acquired by the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad from the Colorado Railroad Museum. 

The three-foot-gauge locomotive was built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1927 and operated for many years in California. During the preservation era, it moved east to Colorado, where it ran on the Georgetown Loop Railroad in the 1980s and 1990s. It eventually found a home at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. 

In February, the locomotive was loaded onto a truck in Golden for the trip west. The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad operates within Sierra National Forest south of Yosemite National Park. It has two other former West Side Shays, Nos. 10 and 15. The railroad said they hope to have the locomotive in service this year. 

—Justin Franz 

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Nevada Northern Railway 2-8-0 81 is returning to service after spending more than two and a half years in the shop. On February 3, the engine was fired up, and the following day it successfully ran in the East Ely yard. In the days that followed, the Nevada Northern’s crews worked to reassemble the locomotive, including reinstalling the headlight and pilot, before finally returning it to regular service. 

Locomotive 81 was built by Baldwin in 1917 and hauled iron ore on the NNRy until 1958. After being on display in town for decades, it was moved back to the rail yard in the 1990s, where it sat in the back shop, often overshadowed by the railroad’s two other steam engines, Baldwin 4-6-0 40 and Alco 2-8-0 93. 

In the late 2010s, the railroad began to work on locomotive 81. The plan was to have the engine in service before 4-6-0 40 received a major overhaul, including much-needed running gear work. Not only would 81 provide the railroad with another operating steam engine, but it would also give it a locomotive much better suited to current operations: the 2-8-0 is more powerful than 40 but slightly more efficient than the larger 93. In 2021, 81 was fired up and run for the first time in 63 years. The engine would be NNRy’s primary motive power for the 2022 and part of the 2023 season, but then issues emerged with the pilot truck. As the shop crew began addressing the pilot truck, additional issues arose. Over the next few years, crews replaced the boiler knuckle, boiler rivets, installed new safety valves and more. 

With locomotive 81 back in service, NNRy plans to refocus its efforts on returning 40 and 93 to the main line, with the goal of eventually having all three engines under steam simultaneously. 

—Justin Franz 

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A Minnesota-based nonprofit, formed more than a decade ago to determine whether a modern steam locomotive could be built, is now being reorganized to care for and maintain the Santa Fe 4-6-4 it planned to use as a testbed. 

The Coalition for Sustainable Rail is now the Kaw Valley Rail Heritage Conservancy, which is leading the cosmetic restoration of Santa Fe “Super Hudson” 3463 in Topeka, Kan. Built by Baldwin in 1937, locomotive 3463 was assigned to passenger service on the east end of the Santa Fe through the 1940s and into the 1950s. The Hudson and its sister locomotives were fast and powerful, and were often chosen to lead the railroad’s finest passenger trains. After it was retired, it was put on display in Topeka. 

In 2021, the Coalition for Sustainable Rail launched an effort to restore the engine to service and convert it to burn biofuel in an effort to find a more sustainable fuel for preserved steam engines. Unfortunately, that effort was derailed by an ownership dispute. While CSR’s ownership was ultimately affirmed, by the time the legal issues were resolved, the project no longer made sense. Now CSR is shifting its focus toward caring for the engine. The Kaw Valley Rail Heritage Conservancy is now seeking community involvement, partnerships, and donations to assist with ongoing cosmetic work, interpretive planning, and the development of a sustainable stewardship framework to ensure that 3463 remains a source of civic pride for generations to come.

“The Kaw Valley Rail Heritage Conservancy represents a grassroots continuation of CSR’s mission—focused now on historical preservation and community engagement,” said Mark Smelser, President of KVRHC. “Locomotive No. 3463, designed by Santa Fe’s own engineers here in Topeka, is a direct link to both Kansas’ railroading legacy and the nation’s industrial ingenuity. We are inviting the community to join us in supporting the continued cosmetic stabilization and, ultimately, a full cosmetic restoration of this last surviving ‘Super Hudson.’”

—Justin Franz 

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