RailNews
Your source for news compiled by the staff of Railfan & Railroad magazine. Please contact us if you have a story to share!
January 20, 2026
WW&F Makes Progress on New-Build 2-4-4T
Maine’s Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington is making steady progress with its effort to build a brand new 2-foot gauge 2-4-4T locomotive.
January 19, 2026
Steamtown to Restore Shay Locomotive to Operation
Meadow River Lumber Company 1 is currently being restored to operating condition at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pa.
January 17, 2026
UP Vows to Press On In Effort to Acquire NS
In a brief statement to Railfan & Railroad late Friday night, a spokesperson for UP simply wrote, “Union Pacific will provide the additional information requested by the Surface Transportation Board.”
January 16, 2026
STB: UP-NS Merger Application is ‘Incomplete’
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has rejected Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s initial merger application as “incomplete.”
January 16, 2026
G&W Takes Central New England Track
On January 1, 2026, Genesee & Wyoming’s Connecticut Southern Railroad assumed control of the state-owned Armory Branch.
January 15, 2026
Northern Pacific 4-6-0 Fired up in Washington
NP 1364 has been the marquee restoration project of the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, Wash., for over a decade.
January 14, 2026
City Council to Discuss Fate of Famed Yakima Interurban
The fate of Yakima, Washington’s famed interurban railroad will be the subject of a city council meeting on January 20.
January 13, 2026
Restored American Freedom Train 4-8-4 Makes Debut at B&O Museum
On January 12, the B&O Railroad Museum held a ribbon-cutting to mark the conclusion of the cosmetic restoration of American Freedom Train No. 1.
January 12, 2026
Rivals Take Aim at UP-NS Merger Application
For their part, UP has said the other Class I railroads are simply trying to delay the merger because it will force them to work harder against the competition.
January 9, 2026
KC Streetcar Ridership Surges
KC Streetcar ridership has surged to record-breaking levels following the October 24, opening of the Main Street Extension.
