A Siemens Charger locomotive leads an Amtrak Cascades train over the Chambers Bay bridge in Steilacoom, Wash., on June 26, 2018. The agency which operates the San Diego-area Coaster commuter trains is buying five new Chargers. TRAINS: David Lassen OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The North County Transit District, which operates Coaster commuter trains in the San […]
Nickel Plate Road No. 765 returns to Cuyahoga Valley Scenic in September. This image was made in October 2013 on a Norfolk Southern excursion out of Fort Wayne, Ind. Trains: Jim Wrinn INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765’s September just got a little busier. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad says it will start […]
WASHINGTON — Watco is the winning bidder for CSX Transportation’s Decatur and Danville Secondary subdivisions in Illinois and Indiana. The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad will be the new name for the 126.7 miles of track that Watco will acquire from CSX as the Class I railroad seeks to prune its network of lower-density, non-core […]
ROME, N.Y. — Amtrak service to the Rome, N.Y., station has been temporarily suspended after a portion of the station ceiling collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, the Rome Sentinel reports. Only one person was in the station when the ceiling fell in about 3:15 p.m., the newspaper reports, and was not injured. The station has been […]
Named Class I Railroads; Bill Stephens NEW YORK — Five of the big six Class I railroads reported traffic gains in the first half of the year amid a strong economy, tight truck supply, and soaring truck rates. BNSF Railway led the industry in growth through June 30, with traffic up 5 percent overall, according […]
Nickel Plate Road 587’s boiler is set onto a truck at Noblesville, Ind., on Thursday. It will go to Kentucky for safe haven. Delay In Block/KSHC NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Triumph and tragedy are relative terms, but they seem appropriate for describing what’s happening this week in Noblesville’s leafy Forest Park, where preservation organizations are fighting […]
Canadian Pacific website Union Pacific via Twitter CHICAGO — You could be whistling “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” all the way to bank if you hire out with a Class I railroad that’s having a hard time finding new employees. As the job market tightens and rail traffic climbs, Union Pacific and BNSF Railway […]
“We are committed to making your dining service with us even better” says the menu perched on the seat of a westbound Lake Shore Limited roomette, departing Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y. on June 17, 2018. With that as the measuring stick, how does Amtrak’s new pre-prepared, cold-meal service measure up? FULL SCREEN Bob Johnston It was encouraging […]
A burned covered hopper and bridge on the San Luis & Rio Grande line at Sierra, 40 miles east of Alamosa, Colo. Contractors have been on-site since July 2 and hope to have the rails replaced and operational by July 6. Ed Ellis U.S. Drought Monitor: USDA/University of Nebraska-Lincoln Listed in 2014 by USA Today […]
Illinois Railway Museum Shay No. 5 is under steam today for the first time in 19 years. IRM Steam Team Facebook page UNION — For the second time in less than two weeks, Illinois Railway Museum volunteers have pulled off a major restoration coup. On Tuesday, they fired up J. Neills Lumber Co. three-truck Shay […]
Iowa Interstate QJ 2-10-2s Nos. 6988 and 7081 doublehead in Iowa in 2011. Trains: Jim Wrinn MITCHELLVILLE, Iowa — For the first time in six years, Iowa Interstate will operate Chinese-built QJ-type 2-10-2 No. 6988 on excursions. The trips benefit local fire departments in the central Iowa area and are scheduled for the weekend of […]
Here’s a rare chance to look at a Trains map before it appears in the magazine. This foldout map was originally scheduled to appear in the July issue, in time for the Baltimore & Ohio’s 190th anniversary, but as occasionally happens, outside forces intervened (in this case, short hospital stays for both the mapmaker and […]
