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In rail transport, a train is a vehicle or (more frequently) a string of vehicles capable of being moved along a continuous line of rails or other guideway for the purpose of conveying freight or passengers between points on a predetermined route. The train may be hauled or propelled by one or more vehicles designed exclusively for that purpose (locomotives) or may be driven by a number of motors incorporated in all or several of the vehicles (multiple units).

As of 2018^[update], there are approximately 1,052,000 kilometres (654,000 mi) of railway track in use worldwide. (World Bank (via Archive.org))

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Selected article of the week

The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR/GNoSR) was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. Formed in 1845, it carried its first passengers the 39 miles (63 km) from Kittybrewster, in Aberdeen, to Huntly on 20 September 1854. By 1867 it owned 226+1⁄4 route miles (364.1 km) of line and operated over a further 61 miles (98 km). The early expansion was followed by a period of forced economy, but in the 1880s the railway was refurbished, express services began to run and by the end of that decade there was a suburban service in Aberdeen. The railway operated its main line between Aberdeen and Keith and two routes west to Elgin, connections could be made at both Keith and Elgin for Highland Railway services to Inverness. There were other junctions with the Highland Railway at Boat of Garten and Portessie, and at Aberdeen connections for journeys south over the Caledonian and North British Railways. Its eventual area encompassed the three Scottish counties of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire and Moray, with short lengths of line in Inverness-shire and Kincardineshire. Fish from the North Sea ports and whisky from the distilleries of Speyside became important goods traffic. The Royal Family used the Deeside Line for travel to and from Balmoral Castle and when they were residence a daily special 'Messenger Train' ran from Aberdeen; for most of the railway's life this was its only Sunday service. The company ran three hotels, and a network of feeder bus services was developed in the early 20th century. In 1923, it became part of the London and North Eastern Railway as its Northern Scottish area, passing on 333+1⁄2 miles (536.7 km) of line and 122 steam locomotives, most of them 4-4-0 tender locomotives. Although the railway had several branches, its remoteness has resulted in only its main line remaining today as part of the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.

Recently selected: Stapleton Road railway station - Holborn tube station - Indian Pacific

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London and North Eastern Railway D16 "Super Claud" class 4-4-0 locomotive number 62530 pulls a local stopping train out of March railway station in England in 1958. March was an immensely busy junction of important main lines, especially for freight to/from Whitemoor. None of the famous "Claud Hamilton" locomotives were preserved.

Recently selected: RENFE class 730 - TGM40 shunting locomotive - Aliwal North–Barkly East line

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Did you know...

...that the opening ceremonies of the Galway to Clifden railway were very sparsely attended because the event date was a strict church holiday and was reserved for attending church services?
...that following heavy damage to the Galveston Island Trolley track and cars from Hurricane Ike in 2008, substitute service with replica buses was operated until service resumed in October 2021?
...that although the former Santa Fe Railway's Galesburg station was demolished after regular passenger service to the station ended in 1996, the site is still used if derailments cause trains to use the Chillicothe Subdivision instead of the Mendota Subdivision?
...that the Fuzhou–Xiamen railway, which opened in 2010, was so heavily used that it reached capacity in 2015, spurring construction on the parallel Fuzhou–Xiamen high-speed railway for CRH passenger train services?

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Selected anniversaries

January 21

1873 – The New York, Boston and Montreal Railway is organized as a renaming of the New York, Boston and Northern Railway.
1910 – Canadian Pacific Railway's westbound Soo Express passenger train derails as it crosses the bridge over the Spanish River in Northern Ontario, Canada, killing 44 people. See: Spanish River derailment.
1946 – The Hull Electric Railway in Ottawa is fined C$50 for violating a local law against moving freight on the city streets between midnight and 5:00 AM when it was delivering loads to oil companies along Laurier Avenue.
2003 – The first segment of High Speed 1 (pictured) is completed.

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Train News

Santa Fe No. 2926 at Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 24, 2021 – Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe No. 2926, a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944, moves under its own power for the first time since Christmas Eve of 1953, after nearly twenty-two years of being rebuilt by volunteers. The locomotive will be put into mainline excursion service. (NMSL&RHS, Trains Magazine on Facebook)
Big Boy No. 4012 at Steamtown National Historic Site
May 5, 2021 – Steamtown National Historic Site completes thorough cosmetic overhaul on Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4012, which is moved back on static display before National Train Day. (NEPA Scene)
The derailed Taroko Express trainset, as seen from outside the entrance to the tunnel
April 2, 2021 – 2021 Hualien train derailment – A Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derails at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing 49 people and injuring at least 200 others. North of Hualien City a construction truck had fallen down a slope onto the tracks. The eight-carriage train derailed after colliding with the truck, and then came to a rest in the tunnel, with severe damage and many casualties. (Bloomberg, CNN, CNA, New York Times, Financial Times)

The preserved C&O 1309 at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in October 2009

December 31, 2020 – Following a complete restoration, Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, a 2-6-6-2 Mallet locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949, the last steam locomotive built by Baldwin for the North American market, is operated under its own power for test runs. When returned to service on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, it will be the largest steam locomotive in regular scheduled service in the United States and take 2-8-0 No. 734’s place as the largest active steam locomotive in the state of Maryland. (Trains.com Newswire)

An Avelia Liberty train on a test run in Delaware in May 2020

September 28, 2020 – Amtrak operates a test run using one of the 28 new Avelia Liberty trains manufactured by Alstom along the full length of the Northeast Corridor to Boston South Station. Previous test runs had occurred from Washington, D.C., only as far north as New Jersey and Delaware. Barring any problems, the trains are expected to enter regular service on the route in 2021. (Universal Hub)

Berryessa/North San José station on the first day of service

June 13, 2020 – The Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley BART extension opened its stations in Milpitas and North San Jose. (San Jose Spotlight, SF Gate)

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General images

The following are images from various train-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A Metropolitan line S8 Stock at Amersham in London (from Railroad car)
Image 2The New Orleans Streetcar System is one of the oldest in the world. (from Train)
Image 3This map of Cedar Hill Yard in Connecticut shows a variety of different facilities, including receiving yards, departure yards, classification yards, and a repair yard. (from Rail yard)
Image 4Schedule of train departure times in Indonesia stations (from Train)
Image 5The first useful diesel locomotive (a diesel–electric) for long distances, the SŽD Eel2, 1924 in Kyiv (from Locomotive)
Image 6A prototype of a Ganz AC electric locomotive in Valtellina, Italy, 1901 (from Locomotive)
Image 7Various types of railroad cars in a classification yard in the United States (from Train)
Image 8Inside a modern-day car from Finland (from Railroad car)
Image 9China operates an extensive high speed rail network. (from Train)
Image 10The EMD FT set the stage for diesel locomotives to take over from steam. (from Train)
Image 11Variety of rolling stock in rail yard (from Rolling stock)
Image 12British Rail Mark 3 coach, an all-steel car from the 1970s (from Railroad car)
Image 13A preserved armored train (from Train)
Image 14A large Amtrak and Metra coach yard just south of Chicago Union Station. About 25 percent of all rail traffic in the United States travels through the Chicago area. (from Rail yard)
Image 15Armored train Hurban located in Zvolen, Slovakia (from Railroad car)
Image 16Electric train on Djursholmsbanan in Stockholm in the 1890s. (from Train)
Image 17A gas turbine locomotive operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (from Train)
Image 18An interior of a Circle line S7 Stock in London (from Railroad car)
Image 19Trains carrying hazardous materials display information identifying their cargo and hazards. This tank car carrying chlorine displays, among other markings, a U.S. DOT placard showing a UN number that identifies the hazardous substance. (from Train)
Image 20This cab car includes a horn (top), a bell (top right), headlights (above the door), classification lights (red lights on side), and ditch lights (white lights on side). (from Train)
Image 21The Union Pacific Big Boy locomotives represented the pinnacle of steam locomotive technology and power. (from Train)
Image 22A Tokyo Monorail train (from Train)
Image 23A number of maintenance vehicles at work on Metro-North Railroad (from Train)
Image 24The Japanese 0 Series Shinkansen pioneered high speed rail service. (from Train)
Image 25Restored clerestory cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin (from Railroad car)
Image 26The ESS 200 electric locomotive was introduced in 1925 in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. (from Locomotive)
Image 27A freight car (boxcar type) for the South Australian Railways, 1926 (from Railroad car)
Image 28Stockton and Darlington special inaugural train 1825: six wagons of coal, directors coach, then people in wagons. (from Train)
Image 29Second-class compartment of a China Railways CRH1A-A train (from Train)
Image 30A Union Pacific freight train; high clearances enable double-stacked containers to be carried in well cars. (from Train)
Image 31A British Rail Class 150 in the United Kingdom (from Railroad car)
Image 32A coach yard in Shanghai, China (from Rail yard)
Image 33Yard for Amtrak equipment, located next to the Los Angeles River. The two tracks on the left are the mainline. (from Rail yard)
Image 34A China Railways HXD1D electric locomotive in China (from Locomotive)
Image 35A Victorian Railways R class steam locomotive in Australia (from Locomotive)
Image 36US-style railroad truck (bogie) with journal bearings (from Train)
Image 37Soviet RT-23 Molodets ICBM launch train, in the St Petersburg museum (from Railroad car)
Image 38Typical American extended vision caboose (from Railroad car)
Image 39Garratt locomotives in Zimbabwe (from Train)
Image 40The "hump" of a hump yard. Railcars travel past retarders, which control their speed, and are directed onto tracks to be assembled into new trains. The control tower operates the retarders. (from Rail yard)
Image 41Most derailments, such as this one in Switzerland, are minor and do not cause injuries or damage. (from Train)
Image 42Pacific National diesel locomotives in Australia showing three body types, cab unit (front), hood unit (middle) and box cab (rear) (from Locomotive)
Image 43The 1887 Daimler draisine (from Locomotive)
Image 44Workington stabling point in 1981, with locomotives from Classes 25, 40 and 47 parked between duties. (from Rail yard)
Image 45Bombardier ALP-45DP, at the Innotrans convention in Berlin (from Locomotive)
Image 46A narrow-gauge battery–electric locomotive used for mining (from Locomotive)
Image 47Southern Railway (UK) 20002 was equipped with both a pantograph and contact shoes. (from Locomotive)
Image 48A narrow gauge train in Austria (from Train)
Image 49Baltimore & Ohio electric engine, 1895 (from Locomotive)
Image 50Škoda Artic light rail train near the cathedral in Tampere, Finland (from Train)
Image 51A wooden toy train set from Swedish manufacturer Brio (from Train)
Image 52Werner von Siemens experimental DC electric train, 1879 (from Locomotive)
Image 53A London Underground battery–electric locomotive used for hauling engineers' trains, at West Ham station (from Locomotive)
Image 54Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, by Claude Monet, 1877, Art Institute of Chicago (from Train)