Extra Board
Welcome to Railfan & Railroad Extra Board, a monthly exploration of the passion for trains from many perspectives. Extra Board welcomes your submissions. We’re looking for about 1500 words accompanied by two or three photos. Each photo should be no smaller than 14 inches (or 1024 pixels) across at 72 dpi (no verticals, please). Brief caption information must accompany each photo. Please send your inquiries to the Webmaster for consideration.
February 15, 2026
Yakima Valley Trolley Finale?
Washington state’s iconic preserved interurban line faces an uncertain future in the wake of Yakima’s city budget crisis.
February 15, 2026
BNSF Along the Clark Fork River
It may no longer be Montana Rail Link, but BNSF’s former Northern Pacific line in western Montana is still a magical railroad.
January 20, 2026
Lake States Remembered
For a brief moment in 1987, Soo Line turned back the clock on its original main lines with classic EMD power.
January 20, 2026
Today’s RF&P: Still Linking North and South
The former Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac remains a busy corridor for freight and passengers under CSX.
December 15, 2025
Transitions on the Annie
Changing times in Michigan as Watco acquires Great Lakes Central and reunites it with the former Ann Arbor Railroad.
December 15, 2025
Farewell to CSX Indiana Sub CPLs
Looking back at the last days of classic Baltimore & Ohio color-position light signals along CSX’s Indiana Sub.
November 13, 2025
Rocky Mountaineer: Still Climbing
Looking back at 35 years of operating luxury tour trains in the U.S. and Canada, Rocky Mountaineer has an eye toward expansion.
November 13, 2025
QLine: Moving Detroit
The first new rail transit in Detroit since streetcars vanished in 1956, the new QLine has found its way on Woodward Avenue.
October 15, 2025
The Pilbara: A Vast and Magic Land
Another adventure in Western Australia with iron ore — this time exploring each railroad’s ends at mines deep in the Pilbara.
October 15, 2025
Railroads’ Salute to Veterans
Since the 1990s, American railroads have painted and decorated a number of locomotives to honor our military veterans.
