Newsletter – Railfanning.org

A Chat GPT pencil sketch portrays the 1918 Hammond Circus train wreck.

When the Circus Train Met Disaster: The 1918 Ivanhoe Collision

On a warm June night in 1918, the sleepy community of Ivanhoe, Indiana, was the backdrop of one of the deadliest railroad disasters in the county’s history: The Hammond circus train wreck.

A graphic of the Rockmart, Georgia, Royal Palm train wreck, including newspaper images.

Dec. 3, 1926: 19 Killed in Rockmart, Georgia, Train Collision

A head-on collision between two Southern Railway passenger trains, the Royal Palm and the Ponce de Leon, near Rockmart, Georgia, on Dec. 3, 1926.

A Chat GPT sketch with a newspaper clip superimposed.

The Time Saboteurs Derailed a Western & Atlantic Train

On a November evening in 1891, tragedy struck when a Western & Atlantic passenger train was derailed between Atlanta and Smyrna, and sabotage was likely to blame for the wreck.

A view of the Kennesaw, Georgia, train depot.

A Look Back: Engineer Killed in 1923 Kennesaw Derailment

Shortly before Christmas in 1923, the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway’s southbound Dixie Limited passenger train derailed after passing the station in Kennesaw, Georgia.

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.

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.

Oddities on the Georgia Rails (Part I)

In mid-December, Todd DeFeo, publisher and editor of Railfaning.org, presented “Oddities on the Georgia Rails” to the Georgia Archives.

Survey: New Zealanders Want Rail-Enabled Cook Strait Ferries

Nearly half (48%) of New Zealanders want new ferries capable of taking roll-on, roll-off rail and road vehicles and passengers.

The Underground at London’s Stratford Station

Stratford station in the London Borough of Newham is Britain’s sixth busiest railway station and the busiest outside the London station group.