DANBURY, Conn. — The Conrail Historical Society and Danbury (Ct.) Railway Museum have combined to preserve a “Flexi-Flo” hopper car built in 1966 for the New York Central by ACF Industries. One of 220 such cars, the order represented the first pressure differential cars constructed, which allowed easy unloading of the contents by applying air […]
VIA says operations will continue despite new travel restrictions While new restrictions on travel in and out of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec begin today, VIA Rail Canada says in a notice on its website that it will “continue all scheduled services,” adding, “Passengers are responsible to comply with provincial restrictions.” The CBC reports […]
Chicago & North Western Historical Society archives bound for IRM The archives of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society are bound for the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. The archives will be located at a new building, to be formally known as the C&NWHS Archives Research Center, to be located on the museum’s […]
Wide open spaces Great Northern 2-8-2 No. 3117 is westbound at Richmond, Minn., in 1955. The railroad’s territory was sparsely populated, with one city over 100,000 between its endpoints. Photo by James Kreuzberger; Steve Glischinski collection […]
NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum will restore a Monon SW1 which was badly damaged while being moved by truck in 2018. The museum will restore Monon DS-50, which had its cab destroyed when it hit a low bridge in Logansport, Ind. [see “Monon’s first diesel decapitated …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. […]
WAUKESHA, Wis. — It’s mid-April and the second-annual Walthers National Model Railroad Build-off is well-underway. Across the country, modelers are hard at work on their layouts. With four different categories and hundreds of contestants, the judges are sure to see no shortage of talent from this year’s submissions. “Open class” contestant Domenic Joseph Arlia, otherwise known […]
Around 1940, give or take a little, I was firing Southern Railway Ps-4 Pacifics heading the eastern leg of the Carolina Special between Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. This little rural train served towns like Mocksville, Cooleemee Junction, Woodleaf, Bear Poplar, Davidson, Mooresville, and the tobacco center of Winston-Salem. We met the Special’s Asheville connection at […]
WASHINGTON – Support is pouring in for Canadian National’s proposed sale of former Wisconsin Central branches to shortline operator Watco. A major shipper group, a current shipper, railroad associations in Wisconsin and Michigan, a county economic development agency, and the Badger State’s largest business group have all urged federal regulators to expedite review of the […]
From its launch in 1902, New York Central’s 20th Century Limited was arguably the most prestigious train in America. With its all-first-class passenger accommodations, the Century was the way to travel between New York and Chicago. By 1938 the train’s reputation was well established when it was completely re-equipped with new streamlined Alco locomotives and […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern’s first-quarter earnings dipped as volume fell because of harsh winter weather and the ongoing computer chip shortage that has curbed auto production in Mexico. KCS reported today that its operating income declined 12%, to $253 million, as revenue decreased 4%, to $706 million. Earnings per share, adjusted for […]
STB prepares for passenger rail oversight, will consider office, advisory group for passenger issues The Surface Transportation Board has created a staff working group to prepare the board for its oversight of passenger rail issues, board chairman Martin J. Oberman has announced. Under a recently enacted Federal Railroad Adminstration rule, the STB oversees standards for […]
Chicago RTA survey finds 20% of transit users may not return A survey by the Regional Transportation Authority, parent organization for Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Pace bus service, indicates 20% of passengers who stopped using the Chicago area’s transit system during the COVID-19 pandemic may not return. Evanston Now reports the RTA surved […]
