A southbound ‘Hiawatha’ at Maple Street departing Milwaukee. Brian Schmidt MILWAUKEE – Amtrak will discontinue food service on the Hiawatha route effective July 1. The Hiawatha trains are not equipped with a cafe car; an employee provides snack service on a cart throughout the train on select trains, weekdays only. Peg Schmitt, with the Wisconsin Department […]
Minnesota Zoo monorail in operation Nick Benson APPLE VALLEY, Minn. – The Minnesota Zoo plans to dismantle the monorail that has carried visitors across the zoo’s grounds since 1979. Officials said the monorail is outdated, will cost too much to repair, and that rider interest has decreased. Elevated 18 feet above the ground, the train […]
CHICAGO – The first new EMD SD30C-ECO locomotives are en route to Canadian Pacific. Nos. 5003 and 5009 arrived in Chicago last night on Canadian National train M335. CN will deliver the locomotives to the Twin Cities for interchange to CP. CP has ordered 20 remanufactured locomotives from EMD, all of which are being constructed […]
DUBOIS, PA. — The East Broad Top Preservation Association has purchased its first section of the fabled East Broad Top Railroad, according to Association President Larry Salone. The first segment includes the standard gauge trackage from the Norfolk Southern main line to Route 522 in Mount Union, including the yard in Mount Union. Salone says […]
Auto racks on a derailed BNSF train near Walong, Calif. Phil Cornyn BNSF and UP locomotives involved in a collision near Walong, Calif. Phil Cornyn Cars derailed in a collision near Walong, Calif. Phil Cornyn BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Early this morning, a BNSF Railway train rear-ended a Union Pacific freight in Southern California, about 40 miles […]
CINCINNATI – CSX SD40-2 No. 8888, made famous by a runaway train incident was en route to Huntington, W. Va., rumored to be dismantled. Last week, the locomotive was dead-in-tow on train Q900 between Corbin, Ky., and Cincinnati. CSX spokesman Gary Sease tells Trains News Wire that the company has no comment on the matter. […]
Amtrak ACS-46 No. 600 at the Siemens plant in Sacramento. David Lustig Local and railroad officials speak before a crowd gathered at the Siemens plant. At the podium is Siemens Rail Systems Michael Cahill. To the right are: U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, Deputy Federal Railroad Administrator Karen Hedlund, and Amtrak President Joe Boardman. David Lustig […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Capstone Mining Corp. has entered into an agreement with BHP Copper Inc. to purchase its Pinto Valley copper mining operation and the associated San Manuel Arizona Railroad for $650 million. The Pinto Valley Mine is located in the Globe-Miami mining district in Ariz., about 50 miles east of Phoenix. It is […]
Empire Builder Darin D. Larabee GRAND FORKS, N.D. – A passenger on Amtrak’s Empire Builder was arrested April 3 for carrying $44,000 worth of high-quality marijuana while the train was stopped in Grand Forks, the Grand Forks Herald reports. According to Grand Forks County Sheriff Bob Rost, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol informed his […]
CHICAGO – Metra coaches may start looking a lot better now that the Chicago commuter railroad is hiring on 31 additional cleaning staff. The Daily Herald reports that the added positions are a direct result of recent fare increases on 10-ride passes. “As we indicated when we did the 10-ride increase or fare adjustment — […]
MINOT, N.D. – With extreme winter weather in North Dakota over the last two days closing roads and making for difficult travel conditions, BNSF Railway has resorted to moving crews using “snow coaches” – two unit light engine moves. The locomotives take the place of crew vans that normally shuttle crews to different locations. With no […]
Kristian Thompson SANTA FE, N.M. – The future for short line and tourist railroad Santa Fe Southern Railway appears bleak. The railroad’s General Manager Karl Ziebarth says the short line suspended operations on Oct. 17, 2012. The 18-mile line provides passenger and freight service between Santa Fe and a BNSF connection at Lamy, N.M. Ziebarth […]
