The magazine primarily covers railroad happenings in the United States and Canada, but has some articles on railroading elsewhere.

It was founded as Trains in 1940 by publisher Al C. Kalmbach and editorial director Linn Westcott.

From October 1951 to March 1954, the magazine was named Trains and Travel.

[2] Jim Wrinn, a former reporter and editor at the Charlotte Observer, served as editor from 2004 until his death in 2022.

[4] Trains was long among the 11 magazines published by Kalmbach Media, based in Waukesha, Wisconsin.