Extreme heat is taking its toll on rail transportation along the Northeast Corridor, with transit agencies and Amtrak all feeling the impact and taking operational measures. Here’s a rundown as of this evening (Tuesday, July 16): — NJ Transit says it is experiencing heat-related equipment issues affecting air condition and other electronic components, which could […]
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N scale Reading T-1 from Broadway Limited
An N scale Reading T-1 from Broadway Limited recently visited our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route layout. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he gives a short history of the full-size 4-8-4; points out the many separate, factory-applied details on the model; and demonstrates the light and sound functions on the Paragon4-equipped steam […]
N scale Reading T-1 from Broadway Limited
An N scale Reading T-1 from Broadway Limited recently visited our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route layout. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he gives a short history of the full-size 4-8-4; points out the many separate, factory-applied details on the model; and demonstrates the light and sound functions on the Paragon4-equipped steam […]
Railroads welcome opportunity to explain growth efforts to federal regulators
WASHINGTON — Class I railroads say they’re looking forward to explaining their growth strategies to federal regulators during a two-day hearing set for September. Independent rail analyst Anthony B. Hatch says the unprecedented Surface Transportation Board hearing will be political theater that will allow board members to use their bully pulpit. The STB has jurisdiction […]
Lack of equipment leads to cancellation of Southwest Chief round trip
CHICAGO — The lack of stand-by operational Superliners at Amtrak’s Chicago maintenance facility led to the cancellation of the westbound Southwest Chief on Monday, July 15, less than five hours before it was to depart, Trains News Wire has learned. With additional equipment unavailable on the West Coast, the eastbound Chief scheduled to leave Los […]
Behind the blue sign
Look closely anywhere a road or pedestrian walkway crosses railroad tracks in the U.S. and you’ll see a small rectangular blue and white sign attached to the nearest warning device. Officially dubbed an Emergency Notification System, or ENS, sign, it has two vital pieces of information: a U.S. Department of Transportation “National Inventory Number” unique […]
FRA encourages railroads to make better use of hot bearing detector data
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has updated its 2023 safety advisory that encourages railroads to make better use of data from wayside hot-bearing detectors. The second supplement to the advisory, issued in draft form on Friday, emphasizes the need for railroads to collect, analyze, and respond to data from hot-bearing detectors. The advisory initially […]
Locomotives We Love: Lionel No. 2245 Texas Special F3
Joe Algozzini, perhaps the preeminent expert on Lionel trains and accessories manufactured during the post-World War II era (1945-69) has been contributing deeply researched and thoughtfully written articles to Classic Toy Trains since its second issue hit newsstands in the spring of 1988. To be honest, Joe was laying the groundwork for what became the […]
FTA orders SEPTA to address safety issues
WASHINGTON — The Southeastern Pennyslvania Transportation Authority faces a series of deadlines to address issues regarding its “deteriorating safety record” after the Federal Transit Administration on Monday released its report on a six-month safety assessment of SEPTA practices, and issued a series of directives to both SEPTA and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The assessment […]
Railroads’ lumber business has weathered high interest rates; Fed interest rate cuts can only help: Analysis
WASHINGTON — Thirty-year-high mortgage rates and a double-digit decrease in U.S. housing starts from a year ago has only curbed Class I railroads’ lumber business by about 3,300 carloads, down just 1%, compared to July 2023. Now proposed Federal interest rate cuts could rejuvenate residential housing starts and give railroads’ lumber business a jolt. U.S. […]
Maya Train averaging about 1,200 passengers per day
The Maya Train project is averaging about 1,200 passengers per day since the first segment opened in December, the operation’s general director, Óscar David Lozano, said during the Monday press conference of Mexican President Andrés Manual López Obrador. In 205 days as of July 11, the train has carried 246,926 passengers. Lozano compared this to […]
Pennsylvania RR Trainphone antennas and how they worked
Q: What are the bars on top of Pennsylvania RR diesel locomotives for? Are they for radio? — Damien Bouchey A: Those aren’t for radio, though they served the same function — communication. Those are Pennsylvania RR Trainphone antennas. In the mid-1930s, the Pennsy was looking for a more efficient way for dispatchers and towermen […]