This thread is dead but let me just say anyway, Railway Age and Progressive are similar in approach but carry different articles. Railway Age has the building mapped but Progressive has visibility as well. Trains is a desk drawer rag while Railway Age and Progressive are strewn around desktops and shelves. That's not to say Trains isn't a quality magazine because it is but is seen more as a foamer read, of which there are many working for railroads.
One poster indicated the promotional aspect of railroad publishing. Maybe so. They also carry the occasional controversial column or article that definitely raise the ire of their public so give them some credit. There was a very negative and misleading article several years ago that ensured I would give a pass to the annual conference the author holds. As Larry says, one has to think about what is published and consider the potential outcome.