SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — An Illinois lawmaker has introduced legislation opposing the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, saying the merger’s projected traffic increases “presents far too many risks” to lineside communities. State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) represents one of the eight communities in the Coalition to Stop CPKC. Those communities, along the Metra Milwaukee West route […]
Zone & Region: Midwest
Northstar ends service to Minnesota Twins games
MINNEAPOLIS — Commuter rail operator Northstar is ending dedicated service for Minnesota Twins home games this season, citing a withdrawal of funding by one of the three counties involved in the service. KARE-TV reports Metro Transit, the parent agency for Northstar, as well as light rail and bus service in the Twin Cities area, said […]
Illinois grain elevator acquires ex-C&NW GP50
DEWEY, Ill. — Premier Cooperative in Dewey, in east central Illinois, has purchased a former D&I Railway GP50 to serve its large grain elevator. GP50 No. 2512 was built for the Chicago & North Western as its No. 5054 in May 1980, spending most of its early life speeding “Falcon Service” piggyback trains between Chicago […]
EJ&E center-cab Baldwin near West Chicago
In a 1958 view from a car headed east on Roosevelt Road near West Chicago, Ill., an Elgin, Joliet & Eastern 2,000 h.p. Baldwin center-cab diesel crosses with a northbound freight train. Russ Porter photo […]
C&O 2700 near Catlettsburg, Ky.
Chesapeake & Ohio 2700, first of the road’s 2-8-4 Kanawha types, heads west with coal hoppers near Catlettsburg, Ky., in 1952. This engine survives on display at Dennison, Ohio. Edward Theisinger photo […]
Union Pacific train derails in northern Iowa
ROCKWELL, Iowa — Thirty-five cars of a Union Pacific grain train derailed in Iowa’s Cerro Gordo County, KIMT-TV reports. No injuries were reported. A Union Pacific representative told the station on Friday that the locomotives and railcars involved in the Thursday derailment had been cleared from the right-of-way, and track repairs were in progress. Restoration […]
Equipment run-through a factor in return of Texas Eagle-Capitol Limited daily service: Analysis
CHICAGO — Shared trainsets, running through between Washington D.C. and San Antonio, Texas, via Chicago, are part of the plan when the Texas Eagle and Capitol Limited resume daily operation on Monday, March 28. This will end a reduction to five-day-a-week departures that began in January. The Eagle, between Chicago and San Antonio, and the […]
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad adjusts plans for excursions with Nickel Plate No. 765
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Ongoing riverbank-stabilization work in Cuyahoga Valley National Park is leading to some changes in departure locations for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s “Steam in the Valley” excursions set for May. The excursions, featuring the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society’s Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765, are set for May 13-15 and May […]
Santa Fe’s Chicago coach yard
Santa Fe 2401, a 1937 Electro-Motive model NW, switches heavyweight tourist sleepers in the road’s coach yard in Chicago. Special signs on their sides indicate the cars are assigned to the Chicago–Los Angeles Scout, which ceased to operate as a Chicago train in 1949. Classic Trains coll. […]
CP asks federal regulators to resolve key CN Chicago interchange question
WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific has asked federal regulators to determine whether the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard is a reasonable location to interchange traffic with Canadian National. It’s the latest twist in the Canadian railways’ long-running dispute over where to exchange traffic in Chicago. The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in December vacated […]
Federal judge allows BNSF suit over Cicero sewer rates to proceed
CHICAGO — A federal judge has brushed off efforts by Cicero, Ill., to block a BNSF Railway lawsuit over a $1 million increase in sewer rates, saying the ordinance targeted at the railroad’s yard “does not simply impact railroads — it effectively holds them hostage.” The Cook County Record reports that U.S. District Judge Steven […]
Amtrak sued over fatal onboard shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The family of a man shot and killed aboard an Amtrak train is suing the passenger railroad and the suspect in the killing for at least $100 million, the Kansas City Star reports. Richie Terell Aaron Jr., 30, was shot aboard the Missouri River Runner on Jan. 14, 2022. His family […]