Crude oil loads from the Bakken oilfields of North Dakota roll through St. Albans, W.Va., enroute to Yorktown, Va., in April 2014. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON — A Transportation Research Board committee on Oct. 5 reported that results were “inconclusive” in a year-long study of the effectiveness of electronically controlled pneumatic brakes to reduce the risk […]
Section: News Wire
Man killed while standing on track to take train photos NEWSWIRE
ORO GRANDE, Calif. — A man killed when taking train photos earlier this week has been identified, according to a newspaper report. The Victor Valley News reports that officials have identified the victim as Teddy Domingo, 57, of Honolulu. The newspaper’s report says Domingo was standing on one of the mainline tracks taking photos of […]
Rio Tinto train completes first crewless trip
PERTH, Australia — Officials with Australian mining corporation Rio Tinto say they’ve successfully operated a driverless train on a 60-mile stretch of tracks in western Australia. In previous tests, Rio Tinto locomotives operated across the route in “autopilot mode,” but with a crew still present in the cab. This is the first test in which […]
VIA trims Manitoba service, will retrieve stranded train by ship NEWSWIRE
A Churchill-bound VIA Rail Canada train pushes snow aside at Thompson, Manitoba, on Oct. 10, 2016. Bob Johnston THOMPSON, MANITOBA —With track repairs tangled in ongoing negotiations between the Canadian government, rail owner Omnitrax, and two First Nations groups who have proposed taking over the flood-damaged railroad to Churchill, Man., VIA Rail Canada is restructuring […]
Locked and loaded: Polson Logging No. 2 heads west this week NEWSWIRE
NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — Skip Lichter’s Polson Lumber No. 2 is loaded, chained, and ready for a new home in Oregon. A volunteer crew of friends who wish the locomotive could have stayed in Wisconsin helped Lichter prepare the locomotive for loading along with a four-person team from the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, where No. […]
Progress Rail unveils new EMD Tier 4 switcher in California NEWSWIRE
Progress Rail officials unveiled their new Tier 4 emission standard-compliant EMD GP24B at Long Beach, Calif., on Monday. Charles Freericks LONG BEACH, Calif. – There is a new Tier 4 road switcher option for railroads now demonstrating on the Pacific Harbor Line in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Progress Rail, a wholly […]
Western Maryland diesel stands in for big steam this fall NEWSWIRE
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad workers pose on the nose of recently re-painted GP30 No. 501. Excursions pulled by the locomotive in the “circus” paint scheme will benefit continued restoration of Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309. Western Maryland Scenic Railroad CUMBERLAND, Md. — Western Maryland red, white, and black could mean green for the Western […]
FRA approves Atlanta high-speed route NEWSWIRE
Three Chattanooga, Tenn., to Atlanta high speed rail route alternatives. Federal Railroad Administration WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration today released a Tier I combined Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision for the High-Speed Ground Transportation project that will ultimately connect Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn. The decision marks the […]
Smartening the average bear NEWSWIRE
A bear along the Canadian Pacific main line in Banff National Park. Niels de Nijs BANFF, Alberta — Canadian Pacific, Parks Canada and a group of university researchers have teamed up to try and reduce the number of grizzly bear deaths along the railroad’s main line through Banff and Yoho National Parks. Now, after five […]
East Broad Top owner trying to sell railroad in one piece NEWSWIRE
INDIANA, Pa. — “The East Broad Top is sleeping,” Joe Kovalchick says. Indeed, it’s been five years since the legendary narrow gauge railroad has operated for the public. The famed narrow-gauge coal hauler’s modern-day owner, Kovalchick, says he’s trying to find someone, some group or agency to buy the 33-mile railroad. “I want to keep […]
METRA seeks to “break silence” on suicide by train NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO — Officials at Chicago’s Metra say it’s time to tackle a topic that many in the rail industry have long considered taboo: death by train. The commuter rail agency, in partnership with Amtrak and Chicago-area safety advocates, sponsored a daylong symposium entitled “Breaking the Silence.” The session Wednesday at Chicago Union Station was intended […]
NY judge sides with railroad in trail case NEWSWIRE
An Adirondack Scenic Railroad passenger train to Thendara, N.Y., prepares to depart the station at Big Moose, N.Y. The four-car train is powered by RS18 No. 1845, built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1958. This line was previously the New York Central’s Adirondack Division, and saw as many as 10 passenger trains a day. Alex […]