Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson Amtrak WASHINGTON — If railroads that host Amtrak passenger trains fail to meet Congress’ statutory requirement to have positive train control installed Dec. 31, 2018, Amtrak’s president says the company will drop service on lines that don’t comply. The move would significantly disrupt passenger service on virtually every Amtrak route in […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Helper locomotive crews
On Aug. 6, 2012, a single Illinois Central manned helper locomotive brings up the rear of a southbound Canadian National intermodal train working up Byron Hill on the Waukesha Subdivision near Byron, Wis. Tom Danneman Q How do locomotive engineers know they are doing equal work on trains equipped with manned helpers? – Robert A. […]
SEPTA begins ACS-64 locomotive testing NEWSWIRE
Siemens-made SEPTA ACS-64 No. 901 moves through Roslyn, Pa., on Feb. 10. Gary Pancavage PHILADELPHIA — Watch for sleek new power on lines in and around the City of Brotherly Love as the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority begins testing their first copy of Siemens’ ACS-64 electric locomotive. Railfans spotted SEPTA No. 901 at the intersection […]
Oldest Southern Railway passenger car gets a new home, new feet NEWSWIRE
Interstate office car No. 101 has been saved yet again in Big Stone Gap, Va. Ron Flanary BIG STONE GAP, Va. — For wooden Interstate Railroad office car No. 101, life is starting anew at age 148. The car, located in Big Stone Gap, Va., and now under restoration for the second time in the […]
Trains Presents: Harpers Ferry
Come along for a look at the historic town of Harper Ferry, W.Va.! You’ll see CSX Transportation freights along with Amtrak and MARC commuter action in this scenic city on the Potomac River. […]
Book Review: 50 Years-North American Railroads: Vol. 1-The Far West
50 Years-North American Railroads: Vol. 1-The Far West By Don Jocelyn Four Ways West, La Mirada, Calif.; 154 pages, hardcover, $69.95. fourwayswest.com Four Ways West has released the first volume in a new pictorial book series featuring a photographic retrospective of North American railroads during the past 50 years. Volume one looks at the railroads […]
Book Review: Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives
Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives By Jeff Wilson Kalmbach Books; 350 pages, 400+ photos, softcover, 8.25 x 10.75 inches; $27.99. www.kalmbachhobbystore.com Back in the late 1950s/early 1960s, many “old guard” railfans held the opinion that the hobby of train watching would gradually die out concurrently with the demise of steam. In 1963, Lucius Beebe, […]
BNSF upgrades to help clear the air in Montana tunnel NEWSWIRE
WHITEFISH, Mont. — BNSF Railway is spending $135 million on its Montana rail network in 2018, part of which will go toward upgrading the ventilation system at Flathead Tunnel, the second longest railroad portal in the United States. About 50 trains a day use the 7-mile long tunnel located 28 miles west of Whitefish, including […]
Large gathering of circus train cars headed to educational farm in Florida NEWSWIRE
Kanawha River Railroad crews switch out the entire consist of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Blue Unit circus train near Charleston, W.Va., in May 2017. A large number of the cars are slated to arrive at a new permanent home in north Florida on Feb. 24. Chase Gunnoe WILLISTON, Fla. — A Florida […]
Nickel Plate 765’s 15-year inspection is a prelude to 2018 operations NEWSWIRE
Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765, shown during a 2009 visit to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum at North Judson, Ind., will be steaming again in 2018 after its 1,472-day inspection is completed. Trains: Jim Wrinn FORT WAYNE, IND. — The excursion off-season gives railway presrvationists an opportunity to address repairs that can not be […]
Pan Am paints second GE locomotive NEWSWIRE
Freshly painted Pan Am Railway C40-8 No. 7635 rolls west in the consist of Waterville-to-Portland train WAPO on Feb. 10, 2018, near New Gloucester, Maine. Chris Guss WATERVILLE, Maine — Pan Am Railways’ second C40-8 rolled out of the paint booth last week. MEC No. 7635, formerly a CSX Transportation locomotive of the same road […]
Senate confirms Batory as FRA head NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Media outlets report that Ron Batory is now confirmed as the Federal Railroad Administration’s administrator. Washington media outlets Politico and the Hill report that the U.S. Senate confirmed Batory, the former Conrail Shared Assets head, along with two other nominees. U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., had held Batory’s nomination as […]