A Griswold mechanical stop signal in Minneapolis. Nick Benson MINNEAPOLIS — The last mechanically operable stop signs on a Griswold crossing signal were removed in late October, having protected a BNSF Railway grade crossing in northeast Minneapolis, just 2.5 miles from where they were manufactured by the Griswold Signal Company. While the stop signs are […]
Section: News Wire
Florida East Coast engine to steam again NEWSWIRE
Florida East Coast No. 148 heads east on a Union Pacific train near Commerce City, Colo., on Oct. 18. Chip Sherman Florida East Coast Pacific-type 4-6-2 No. 147 is a sister locomotive to No. 148 shown in this undated photograph. Workers at ALCO Richmond, in Richmond, Va., built both locomotives for passenger service. C.W. Witbeck […]
More than 20 charged with drug smuggling on the ‘Southwest Chief’ NEWSWIRE
CHICAGO — Federal prosecutors have accused 24 people of using Amtrak’s Southwest Chief to move cocaine and heroin from California to Chicago, the Associated Press reports. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago says the charges were the result of a multi-year investigation called “Operation Derail.” According to court documents, the suspects would often hide the […]
VIDEO: Connecticut becomes first New England state with grade crossing horns NEWSWIRE
MERIDEN, Conn. — On Monday, the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced that Connecticut would become the first state in New England to install automated horn systems, commonly known as wayside horns, at various rail at-grade crossings. Installed as part of the department’s noise mitigation efforts along the CTrail Hartford Line, the first horn became operational […]
CSX idles portion of EK Subdivision, Dante terminal to close in Virginia NEWSWIRE
A loaded CSX coal train spans Pool Point trestle en route to Erwin, Tenn., from Shelby Yard in Pikeville, Ky. Chase Gunnoe Eastern Kentucky rail lines and Interstate highways Federal Railroad Administration Safety Map PIKEVILLE, Ky. — As U.S. coal traffic continues to slide, CSX Transportation is cutting further into its vast Appalachian rail network, […]
UPDATED: New short line to take over NS’s Delmarva Secondary NEWSWIRE
Delmarva Peninsula Google Maps WASHINGTON — Rumors you may have heard are true: Norfolk Southern will lease 162 miles of its Delmarva Secondary line in Delaware and Maryland to short line operator Carload Express. The new railroad, the Delmarva Central will be the fourth Carload Express short line, and doubles the mileage under the company’s […]
EMD Tier 4 demonstration locomotives assigned to Twin Cities-Twin Ports service NEWSWIRE
Progress Rail’s EMD Tier 4 emission compliant locomotives Nos. 1603 and 1604 are seen near Andover, Minn., moving south to Minneapolis on a daily train. BNSF Railway is helping to test the units. Steve Glischinski MINNEAPOLIS — Progress Rail and BNSF Railway have assigned two SD70ACeP4-T4 demonstrator locomotives to trains linking Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., and […]
Jim McClellan, an architect of modern North American railroading, dies NEWSWIRE
Jim McClellan Trains file photo VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Jim McClellan, a primary architect of North America’s modern railroad landscape, has died. McClellan was a life-long rail enthusiast who leveraged his passions for the benefit of the industry in the bankruptcy-riddled 1970s. Executives and planners relied on his knowledge of railroading and interpretations of maps […]
Crashing car leaps trains into BNSF’s Belen yard NEWSWIRE
BELEN, N.M. — A driver speeding down a city street hit an embankment Thursday morning launching himself over three BNSF Railway trains parked for fueling before falling onto vacant track in the Belen Yard. The driver of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, identified as Anthony Sanchez of Belen, survived his estimated 150-foot flight and remains in […]
Milwaukee Road steam tender now a work of art NEWSWIRE
An artist has transformed a former Milwaukee Road steam locomotive tender and ex-snow plow into a mural in Montevideo, Minn. Montevideo Arts Project MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — A one-time locomotive tender and snow plow officially welcomes its news role as public art this week outside the former Milwaukee Road station in Montevideo, Minn. The Montevideo Arts […]
Founder of CEDCo calendar company found dead in Thailand NEWSWIRE
BANGKOK, Thailand — The body of Charles E. Ditlefsen, whose CEDCo Publishing Co. calendars featured a variety of railroad subjects, was found dismembered in a freezer in Thailand. He disappeared in 2008. Ditlefsen, who was born in Hungary, was a transportation planner in Marin County, Calif. News reports from Thailand say Ditlefsen may have been […]
What happens when you crash-test a tank car NEWSWIRE
FULL SCREEN Kathi L. Kube The DOT-117 tank car is in position against the impact wall at the Transportation Technology Center. The trucks have been removed and the car is supported on skids. Above the car is a high-speed camera, which researchers will use to evaluate subtle details during the impact. The markers and grid […]