Todd DeFeo

Get Ready: Eating and Drinking the Western & Atlantic is Coming!

To appreciate the Western & Atlantic is to appreciate the local communities where the rail line runs, delving into the people and the places that made — and make — the line unique.

Take the A-Train from Denton

The 21-mile-long A-train opened on June 20, 2011, operating on a former Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad right-of-way.

Let’s start by defining what constitutes a railroad oddity

I’ve been thinking about what oddities happened on the rails — and how to define oddity. In all the talks that I’ve given, something interesting has emerged.

Remembering the Great Locomotive Chase 163 years later

It was a rainy Saturday morning — April 12, 1862 — when a group of suspicious men boarded a northbound Western & Atlantic train at Marietta, Georgia. The men held tickets to varying points along the line, trying to make it seem as though they were not a part of one large group.

A historic image showing the Western & Atlantic facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.

A look at the Western & Atlantic built locomotives

On the eve of the Civil War, the Western & Atlantic Railroad had more than 45 locomotives on its active roster.

A video still of the Kingston Flyer in Kingston, New Zealand.

‘Fanning Friday: April 4, 2025: The Kingston Flyer

‘Fanning Friday is a new feature where we share videos and photos new and old. Today’s video of The Kingston Flyer was filmed last month in Kingston, New Zealand.

People & Places of the Western & Atlantic: The intro remarks never given

I’m excited to highlight the people and places that made the Western & Atlantic Railroad the truly historic road that it is.

Blowing Smoke in Kingston, New Zealand

Just across Lake Whakatipu, the Kingston Flyer steams back and forth along a section of the former Kingston Branch, now disconnected from the rest of New Zealand’s rail network.

Have Grade Crossings Always Been a Problem?

The Federal Railroad Administration recently announced more than $1.1 billion in grants to help eliminate railroad crossings.

MARTA Unveils New Railcar Set to Enter Service This Year

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) unveiled the first of its new rail cars last week.