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With Canadian National seeking to abandon part of its former BC Rail route between Squamish and 100 Mile House, B.C., Rocky Mountaineer has announced that 2026 will likely be the last season for its Rainforest to Gold Rush route.

Ever since CN first announced last year that it was considering discontinuing service on the line, many have assumed that Rocky Mountaineer would also suspend its run between Vancouver and Jasper via Prince George. However, Rocky Mountaineer officials had not formally commented on the matter until now.

The specific routes in question include the Squamish Subdivision from MP 43.0 at Thompson, B.C., to MP 157.6 at Lillooet, and the Lillooet Subdivision from MP 157.6 to MP 257.0, north of Edmond, B.C. In April 2020, CN abolished freight service on the Lillooet Subdivision, between Williams Lake and Lillooet, and the Squamish Subdivision between Lillooet and Squamish. The remaining traffic in Williams Lake and points north, destined for the Vancouver area, is routed via CN’s main line from Prince George. The seasonal Rainforest to Gold Rush is the only remaining through train on the line.

Rocky Mountaineer has operated on the line since 2006, two years after CN purchased the former BCR. What began as two routes — the one-day Whistler Sea to Sky Climb between North Vancouver and Whistler, and the two-day Fraser Discovery Route between Whistler and Jasper with an overnight stay in Quesnel — was combined into the three-day Rainforest to Gold Rush route in 2016.

“We are incredibly grateful to the partners, business owners, and residents in the communities of Whistler and Quesnel for welcoming our guests over the past 20 years,” said Tristan Armstrong, CEO of Armstrong Collective, which operates Rocky Mountaineer. “The Rainforest to Gold Rush route has been a majestic part of our company’s history, and we would be happy to return to the route if a long-term operator can be found to maintain the rail line. In the meantime, our team will ensure the welcoming spirit and warm hospitality of Rainforest to Gold Rush lives on through our other train journeys in Western Canada and in the American Southwest.”

Rocky Mountaineer was founded in 1990 and offers tour trains in the U.S. and Canada.

—Justin Franz 

The post Rocky Mountaineer to End Run on Former BC Rail This Year appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

On April 18, 2026, Portland’s TriMet held a “Goodbye MAX Type 1” farewell event to celebrate the retirement of the last of the Type 1 light rail vehicles (LRV) at Holladay Park in Portland. The LRVs were the first cars purchased for the TriMet MAX System when the original line opened in 1986. Now, nearly 40 years later, many parts for these cars are no longer commercially manufactured, and TriMet has been making parts in-house or scavenging them from out-of-service cars to keep others operating. With the arrival of the newest Type 6 cars in the past couple of years, it was time to retire the Type 1s.

Over 3,000 people gathered at Holiday Park in Portland to say farewell to the TriMet MAX Type 1 LRV. Photo by Randall Pratt.

From the late 1800s into the 1940s, Portland and the surrounding metropolitan region had numerous trolley lines and interurbans connecting Portland in all directions. With the advent of buses and car culture in the 1950s, nearly all of those services were eliminated. In 1977, planning began for the first step toward reconnecting Portland by rail to communities like Gresham, Hillsboro and Clackamas. Construction began in Gresham in 1983 and continued west into Portland until opening day on September 5, 1986. MAX was the second light rail system on the West Coast, behind San Diego, and one of only a handful in the United States, Canada and Mexico when it was built. Twenty-six Type 1 LRVs were purchased from Bombardier to operate on the original line. In the nearly 40 years since their arrival, each car has put on more than 1 million miles in service to the Rose City.

Over 3000 people gathered to send MAX car 124 off in style. Attendees were able to sign the outside of car 124 and had a chance to sit in the cab for a photo. TriMet hosted a few displays, including the history of the Type 1 cars, some Lego models that a fan had built and an opportunity to order exclusive merchandise celebrating the Type 1 cars. There was a costume contest, and the winner took home a piece of one of the cars. 

While the Type 1s are no longer in service in Portland, one car has been preserved at the Oregon Electric Railway Museum in Brooks, about 45 minutes south of Portland.

—Randall Pratt

Signatures, cartoons, stickers and farewell messages cover the outside of Train Car 124. Photos by Randall Pratt.

Many creative costumes were on display. The most creative won a piece of a Type 1 LRV. Photo by Randall Pratt.

Final movement: Type 1 LRV 124 departs Gateway Transit Center and is about to duck under NE Glisan St. Photo by Gianni Pulone.

The post Photo Line: Farewell to Portland’s ‘Trailblazer’ appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The Friends of the East Broad Top and the East Broad Top Foundation announced on May 3 that they would partner to rebuild the narrow gauge railroad water tank at Saltillo, Pa.

The enclosed Saltillo water tank was a signature structure on the famed coal-hauler established in the 1870s to move coal from the Broad Top fields to market. The line was operated until the 1950s, and then ran as a tourist railroad from the 1960s until 2011. Since 2020, the nonprofit EBT Foundation has been working to restore and operate the historic railroad.

The Saltillo water tank was built in 1912 to fill tenders with water before locomotives faced the steep climb to the mines at Robertsdale. The structure remained in place after the original railroad shut down, but was destroyed in a fire in 1986.

During the first tourist railroad era, trains only operated between Orbisonia and Colgate Grove. But during this most recent restoration, the track has been restored south toward Pogue. The group hopes to eventually run trains all the way down to Saltillo and beyond, and the water tank will be a key part of that effort. The group is also rebuilding the station at Saltillo.

Nearly all of the 33-mile narrow gauge railroad is owned by the EBT Foundation, except for a short section near Mt. Union. That 4.7-mile stretch is currently the subject of an ongoing legal battle between the nonprofit and its owner. 

—Justin Franz 

The post East Broad Top Water Tank to be Rebuilt appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.