NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit has agreed to upgrade five of its stations to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey has announced. The settlement covers the New Brunswick, Newark Penn, Princeton Junction, Metropark, and Trenton stations. While all five are considered wheelchair […]
Zone & Region: Northeast
MRVP Insider: MRVP Underground with David Popp, Episode 7 – The Great New Haven Diner Hype
It’s no secret that David is a huge fan of nearly everything New Haven. So when Rapido Trains delivered their HO scale model of a New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad stainless-steel dining car to Wisconsin, you can bet that he’d take more than a quick minute to inspect all of the fine details. […]
Hitachi Rail shows design for new Maryland factory
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Hitachi Rail has released final designs for a $70 million factory to be built on a 41-acre site in Washington County, Md., which will begin operations by building a 256-car order for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The factory, projected to open in the first quarter of 2024, will employ up […]
Nine hurt when Metro-North train strikes truck
WATERBURY, Conn. — Nine passengers suffered minor injuries after a Metro-North train on the Waterbury Branch struck a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing late Monday morning, WTNH-TV reports. Thirty to 35 people were reported on the train when the accident occurred about 11 a.m. The driver of the tractor-trailer refused medical attention. Patch.com reports that […]
Western Maryland Scenic No. 1309 powers benefit train for Altoona museum
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Echoing off the walls of the Cumberland Narrows, a Pennsylvania Railroad three-chime passenger whistle symbolized a new preservation partnership between the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, Pa., and the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. An evening dinner train to benefit restoration of the museum’s PRR Class K4s 4-6-2 engine No. 1361 (Juniata Shops, […]
Locomotive loan allows Maine Narrow Gauge to keep operating
PORTLAND, Maine — When Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad’s GE diesel No. 1 came up lame last week, the railroad’s close relationship with the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum proved its value. Without another locomotive, Maine Narrow Gauge annulled its trains on Tuesday. Learning of the problem, the WW&F offered its Plymouth diesel No. 52 […]
FTA has no plans to take over MBTA, administrator says
BOSTON — The Federal Transit Administration has no plans to take over operations of the troubled Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said during a Friday hearing that also saw sharp criticism of MBTA management by Massachusetts’ two U.S. senators. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both Democrats, took part in the […]
Two workers killed when hit by PATCO train on bridge
CAMDEN, N.J. — Two construction workers were killed Friday night when stuck by a PATCO train on the Ben Franklin Bridge linking Philadelphia and Camden, the Camden Courier-Post reported. The workers were struck by a westbound train on the PATCO (Port Authority Transit Corp.) Speedline, which operates between Philadelphia and Lindenwold, N.J. A Delaware River […]
‘Friar Tuck’ and the East Broad Top
ROBERTSDALE, Pa. – “Little more, little more . . . Mush, you huskies! Ho!” With that chant, Gene Tucker urged his four-man volunteer crew at the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad to squeeze a 60-pound rail into alignment just enough to slip a J-shaped “hook bar” into place to force the track gauge back […]
Bangor & Aroostook locomotives remembered
Let’s celebrate the variety and color of Bangor & Aroostook locomotives! The Bangor & Aroostook didn’t purchase its first diesels (EMD F3s) until 1947, but dieselization then came quickly, with the last steam operations in 1949. The railroad kept its older diesels in good shape for a long time, supplanting them with GP38s in the […]
‘Delaware & Hudson: The Final Years, 1968 to 1991’ book review
Many railroads saw their definitive histories written in the mid-20th century. For the Delaware & Hudson, that was Jim Shaughnessy’s, published in 1967. Delaware & Hudson: The Final Years is a 416-page volume that picks up D&H history where the first one leaves off, taking it through the road’s January 1991 acquisition by Canadian Pacific. […]
News Photo: NJ Transit’s ‘Bluebird’ diesel
KEARNY, N.J. — NJ Transit has unveiled its newest heritage locomotive, GP40PH-2 No. 4101, repainted into the “Bluebird” paint scheme used by New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Commuter Operating Agency, a predecessor of the current transit agency. The locomotive is one of 13 3,000-hp EMD GP40P units specifically designed for the Central Railroad of New […]