Hollywood Round windows marked the 1941 City of Los Angeles’s swank lounge car Hollywood. The train operated over Union Pacific and Chicago & North Western between its namesake city and Chicago. Classic Trains collection […]
‘Hollywood’
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Wood-burning steam locomotive special event
Wood-burning steam locomotive event in 2021 Wood-burning steam locomotive trains were the highlight of a September 2021 celebration of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad that is automatically a step back in time to the 1920s. With the inclusion of the older locomotives, the clock turned back further, to about 1900. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed […]
CSX to serve new Ford electric vehicle and battery plants in Tennessee, Kentucky
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation will be in the driver’s seat for rail traffic related to Ford Motor Co.’s massive new electric vehicle and battery plants planned for sites in Tennessee and Kentucky. This week Ford announced it would develop a 3,600-acre mega campus called Blue Oval City northeast of Memphis. The facility will build […]
Unions begin legal action against Norfolk Southern
CLEVELAND — Two major rail unions have begun legal action against Norfolk Southern, saying the railroad has been forcing locomotive engineers to work conductor positions, which is prohibited by their labor agreements with the railroad. The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Art, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and Brotherhood of Locomotive […]
CN defends record, fires back at activist investor’s ‘misleading claims’
MONTREAL – Canadian National has fired back at activist investor TCI Fund Management, which has called for a management shakeup at the railway. CN today said TCI has made numerous “false or misleading” claims about CN’s financial performance and the risks related to the railway’s failed pursuit of Kansas City Southern. CN says TCI has not […]
Southern Rail Commission awards grants for stations
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Birmingham and three Mississippi communities will receive Federal Railroad Administration funds from the Southern Rail Commission for station work in preparation for the resumption of Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. Birmingham will receive $250,000, while Gulfport, Miss., will receive $246,500; Bay St. Louis, Miss., will receive $270,000; and Pascagoula, […]
Pop Up Metro aims to provide affordable passenger operation
ROCKHILL, Pa. — Rail entrepreneur Henry Posner wants to make passenger service more affordable and more available. He calls it Pop Up Metro, and to do it, he’s betting on batteries, remanufactured British multiple unit cars, and a bold business model to reduce the risk to potential rail operators. If it were anyone but Posner, […]
B&O Museum launches new website
BALTIMORE — The B&O Railroad Museum has launched a new website, borail.org, giving the Baltimore museum the first update of its online presence in more than a decade. Designed in conjunction with marketing firm Mission, the new site offers highlights from the museum’s collection, access to its digital archives, virtual tours, and other features. “The […]
Hell Gate Bridge
Hell Gate Bridge Having just crossed the 1,017-foot Hell Gate Bridge, Penn Central GG1 4913 begins the long descent to ground level with a Boston-bound Amtrak train in February 1973. Diesels will take over at New Haven. Victor Hand photo […]
STB reaffirms approval of CP-KCS voting trust
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has reaffirmed its previous approval of a voting trust for the proposed merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, saying the approval granted for CP’s original bid for KCS applies to the amended notice of the companies’ intent to merge. In May, the STB approved the planned use […]
Analysis: STB chairman flags railroad growth problem
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman ruffled some feathers this month when he said railroads’ drive for ever-increasing profits resulted in a loss of market share to trucks over the past 15 years and continues to restrain growth today. Oberman cited STB figures that show a decline in rail traffic between 2006 and 2019 […]
NTSB calls on FRA, Amtrak to take advantage of PTC safety features (updated)
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is renewing a call for Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration to end the practice of using watchmen to notify track worker of approaching trains in areas where positive train control offers additional safety features. The recommendation comes in a report issued Thursday on the NTSB’s investigation of […]
