HINTON, Alta. — Twenty-five years to the day after one of Canada’s deadliest train crashes, the Edmonton Sun published the account of one of the heroes of the day. Ken Cuttle saved himself and two passengers by breaking the glass of a dome car and escaping before the car exploded in fire. On Feb. 8, […]
Section: News Wire
Jim Boyd, railroad book author and Railfan Railroad editor emeritus, dies NEWSWIRE
NEWTON, N.J. — Jim Boyd, an influential railroad photographer, book author, and longtime editor of Railfan & Railroad magazine, died Dec. 31, 2010. Boyd was born in Dixon, Ill., in 1941, and grew up watching steam engines on the nearby Illinois Central. He attended the University of Illinois and the Layton School of Art in […]
CSX decommissions last of ex-Monon semaphore signals NEWSWIRE
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — CSX has removed the last semaphore signals from service on its Monon Subdivision in northwestern Indiana. The line was one of the final bastions for the signals anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. The final “blade” to fall, located at milepost 147.1 at North Crawfordsville, came down Tuesday. CSX is replacing the […]
New Commonwealth Railway line set to open NEWSWIRE
PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Double-stack trains will begin rolling next week on the Commonwealth Railway. The railroad, owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming, had operated a line through urban neighborhoods in Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Va., which has 14 grade crossings. To replace the crossing-riddled line, a new route has been constructed that will enable double-stack […]
Army-Navy game train ‘Liberty Limited’ returns to the rails NEWSWIRE
The Philadelphia-bound Liberty Limited passes Bowie, Md., with 19 cars enroute to the Army-Navy game. Alex Mayes WASHINGTON — Wounded veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars rode a classic passenger train to the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia Saturday. The “Liberty Limited” operated this year following a year off owing to a death in […]
Trinity Railway Express receives upgraded F59PHs NEWSWIRE
IRVING, Texas — The Trinity Railway Express fleet of F59PHs has begun returning to the Dallas-area commuter agency following upgrades at shops in Iowa and Pennsylvania. The units, jointly owned by Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, are being overhauled to meet Environmental Protection Agency Tier 2 standards. The entire seven-unit […]
Museum of Transportation unveils restored Missouri Pacific observation car NEWSWIRE
Missouri Pacific observation car No. 750. Museum of Transportation ST. LOUIS — The Museum of Transportation has unveiled its cosmetically restored Missouri Pacific observation car No. 750. Built in 1940 by American Car & Foundry, it was mainly used on MP’s Missouri River Eagle. The car boasted air conditioning, a public address system, private dining […]
Union Pacific steam guru Steve Lee to retire NEWSWIRE
Union Pacific steam program director Steve Lee. David Hoge CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific steam program boss Steve Lee will retire at the end of this year after 22 years in his position. Lee has become synonymous with the program during his tenure. Lee went railroading in January 1972 as a student fireman on the […]
Ohio Governor-elect: “That train is dead” NEWSWIRE
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In his first news conference as governor-elect, John Kasich shot down the proposed passenger train corridor linking Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Kasich told reporters: “That train is dead. I said it during the campaign. It is dead. Passenger rail is not in Ohio’s future.” Kasich went on to say that he supports […]
Amtrak terminates William Crosbie, chief operating officer; abolishes position NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Today Amtrak announced the elimination of the position of chief operating officer, saying in an internal advisory to employees that current COO Bill Crosbie “will be leaving Amtrak” today, Oct. 22. The directive added that operating vice presidents previously reporting to Crosbie would now report to president Joseph Boardman. “Bill has made important […]
Illinois city celebrates station upgrades NEWSWIRE
MATTOON, Ill. – A four-year, $3 million project to stabilize and then improve the three-story former railroad office building and passenger station in Mattoon was celebrated last week by Amtrak and Illinois DOT. Six daily Amtrak trains use the station, which is sited about 130 miles northeast of St. Louis. The Coles County Historical Society […]
Santa Fe Southern purchased by Australian high-tech company NEWSWIRE
Santa Fe Southern GP16 93 pauses at the Santa Fe, N.M., station. The railroad has two EMD road-switchers and several vintage railroad cars for its excursions to Lamy. Freight traffic has been limited to inbound loads of lumber, a beer distributor, and pipe for a natural gas line. David Lustig SANTA FE, N.M. – STI-Global, […]
