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[ July 10, 2026 ] GDC Board Approves Hudson River Ground Stabilization Project Change Order Amtrak
[ July 10, 2026 ] How Much Does Brightline Have in Common With 19th-Century Railroads? Commuter Rail
[ July 8, 2026 ] Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Submit First Round of Responses to STB’s Supplemental Information Request Norfolk Southern
[ July 8, 2026 ] Holzapfel Slams NJ Transit Bridge Closures, No Back-up Plan Commuter Rail
[ July 7, 2026 ] World’s Largest Steam Locomotive Travels to Philadelphia to Help Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary Norfolk Southern

The early operations of the Western & Atlantic Railroad

July 2, 2026 Todd DeFeo

While the first train operated over a portion of the Western & Atlantic Railroad on December 24, 1842, 20 miles of the line did not go into regular operation until September 15, 1845, the same day the Georgia Railroad completed its line between Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia.

Iron Horses and False Starts: The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad Begins to Run

June 13, 2026 Railfanning.org Digital Library

By late 1859, after years of surveys, grading, and frustrated waiting, the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad reached a long‑anticipated milestone: it began operating trains.

The Day the Meatballs Entered Service

May 9, 2026 Railfanning.org Digital Library

Friday, May 9, 1980, was a watershed day in Amtrak history.

Surveying the Woods: Engineering, Labor, and the Reality of Building the MC&L

May 6, 2026 Railfanning.org Digital Library

By the mid-1850s, the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad existed on paper — and little else.

The Night the Railroad Moved: Changing the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s Gauge

April 30, 2026 Railfanning.org Digital Library

The Western & Atlantic Railroad’s gauge did not change overnight by accident.

The Crash at Crush: The Day Thousands Turned Out to Watch a Train Wreck

April 23, 2026 The Turntable

On Sept. 15, 1896, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, better known as the Katy, staged a head-on collision between two uncrewed steam locomotives at a temporary event site called Crush, Texas.

Three Inches That Changed Everything

April 22, 2026 Railfanning.org Digital Library

Among the many changes to the Western & Atlantic Railroad since its inception, the change of the line’s gauge in 1886 ranks among the most significant — and also among the most misunderstood.

Three Inches, a Nation, and a Night of Change

April 15, 2026 Railfanning.org Digital Library

In early May, Railfanning.org Publisher and Editor Todd DeFeo will explore a chapter of railroad history that is often mentioned, but seldom fully examined.

Dreaming of Rails in a River Town: The Origins of the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad

April 13, 2026 The Turntable

In the middle of the nineteenth century, Clarksville, Tennessee, was a town shaped by water.

A Deadly Night on the Rails: The 1933 Louisville & Nashville Derailment Near Bartow, Georgia

March 30, 2026 Railfanning.org Digital Library

On the evening of April 17, 1933, a Louisville & Nashville passenger train derailed near Bartow, Georgia. Two railroad men and two trespassers lost their lives, and 11 others were hurt.