Drew Halverson flips the script when he heads to the Pacific Northwest for a little R&R. Of course, Charlie Conway hosts Drew around Northern Puget Sound, Seattle, Wash., and then a quick stop to catch the railroad action at BNSF’s Balmer Yard. […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Charlie’s Trackside Postcards – Columbia Gorge: Where East meets West
Charlie Conway and Tom Danneman launch into their exploration of the Columbia River Gorge. In addition to capturing images of spectacular scenery and engineering, the two find plenty of Union Pacific and BNSF freight trains snaking along the curvaceous riverfront main line. […]
Charlie’s Trackside Postcards – The Toledo Hauler
Globetrotter Charlie Conway is back in the Pacific Northwest chasing trains with Tom Danneman, the Art Director for Model Railroader and Trains magazines. For this Postcard to pal Drew, the duo opted for a slow and steady trackside “pursuit” near Toledo, Ore., deep into rainy, coastal mountain terrain. […]
EMD Tier 4 demonstration locomotives assigned to Twin Cities-Twin Ports service NEWSWIRE
Progress Rail’s EMD Tier 4 emission compliant locomotives Nos. 1603 and 1604 are seen near Andover, Minn., moving south to Minneapolis on a daily train. BNSF Railway is helping to test the units. Steve Glischinski MINNEAPOLIS — Progress Rail and BNSF Railway have assigned two SD70ACeP4-T4 demonstrator locomotives to trains linking Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., and […]
Jim McClellan, an architect of modern North American railroading, dies NEWSWIRE
Jim McClellan Trains file photo VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Jim McClellan, a primary architect of North America’s modern railroad landscape, has died. McClellan was a life-long rail enthusiast who leveraged his passions for the benefit of the industry in the bankruptcy-riddled 1970s. Executives and planners relied on his knowledge of railroading and interpretations of maps […]
Amtrak equipment usage
Amtrak’s ‘Empire Builder’s consist will vary, but the number of trainsets for a route depends on schedules. Here it is westbound in June at Duplainville, Wis. Steve Sweeney Q For the past few years I have been trying to figure out how many trainsets are needed for a given train such as the Empire Builder. […]
Crashing car leaps trains into BNSF’s Belen yard NEWSWIRE
BELEN, N.M. — A driver speeding down a city street hit an embankment Thursday morning launching himself over three BNSF Railway trains parked for fueling before falling onto vacant track in the Belen Yard. The driver of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, identified as Anthony Sanchez of Belen, survived his estimated 150-foot flight and remains in […]
Milwaukee Road steam tender now a work of art NEWSWIRE
An artist has transformed a former Milwaukee Road steam locomotive tender and ex-snow plow into a mural in Montevideo, Minn. Montevideo Arts Project MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — A one-time locomotive tender and snow plow officially welcomes its news role as public art this week outside the former Milwaukee Road station in Montevideo, Minn. The Montevideo Arts […]
Founder of CEDCo calendar company found dead in Thailand NEWSWIRE
BANGKOK, Thailand — The body of Charles E. Ditlefsen, whose CEDCo Publishing Co. calendars featured a variety of railroad subjects, was found dismembered in a freezer in Thailand. He disappeared in 2008. Ditlefsen, who was born in Hungary, was a transportation planner in Marin County, Calif. News reports from Thailand say Ditlefsen may have been […]
What happens when you crash-test a tank car NEWSWIRE
FULL SCREEN Kathi L. Kube The DOT-117 tank car is in position against the impact wall at the Transportation Technology Center. The trucks have been removed and the car is supported on skids. Above the car is a high-speed camera, which researchers will use to evaluate subtle details during the impact. The markers and grid […]
Anatomy of an Amtrak delay and recovery* (updated) NEWSWIRE
FULL SCREEN Bob Johnston It took more than two hours for CSX track personnel to secure cutting tools, get to Connersville, and make the right-of-way passable. The train then backed into the station and passengers were allowed to get off. Here onlookers watch as two engineers and the assistant conductor rectify minor damage to the […]
UPDATE: Age of Steam buys Yreka Western locomotive NEWSWIRE
Yreka Western 2-8-2 No. 19 as it appeared before today’s sheriff sale in Yreka, Calif. Kyle Stockman REDDING, Calif. — Yreka Western 2-8-2 No. 19 has a new owner after a sheriff’s sale today in northern California. Representatives from the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio, bid up the price on the embattled steam […]